AquaC Remora-S HOB Skimmer Help

I installed this skimmer about 4 weeks ago, and it still has yet to produce any substantial skim mate. I cleaned it out the other day and it was mainly just dirty water I emptied out. I didn't expect it to take this long to break in. Is there something specific about this skimmer I need to do that is not in the instructions?

I ran my 20 gallon nano for over a year without a skimmer, so I really doubt there is nothing to be skimmed.

 

wht pump are you running? im running the maxi-jet 1200 on mine. I had to adjust the cup to where it sits a bit low but other than that mine seems to be doing well

 

Its a Cobalt Aquatics MJ-1200. It came with the skimmer when I ordered it. My collection cup is as low as it can go. Bubbles do come up through the collection cup, but when I clean out the collection cup its just very dirty water, nothing thick. What is in your collection cup when you clean it out?

 

I've found the remoras skim a little wet. What I get is like slimy green tea. How often is your cup filling up? If you are getting watery skimmate, your cup may be too low.

I changed mine out to a bigger pump - RIO 1100. Also changed out the barb and hose for larger size, and added a ball valve to control flow. I can now skim with the cup higher and get darker skimmate.

 

I've got a Remora with the Colbolt 1200.
It took at least 4 weeks to break in.
It takes my 3 month old tank 2+ weeks to get an inch of dark skimmate.
see below

I've recently heard a few people mention adding a valve. I'd do plan on trying this pretty soon.

Perhaps the Colbolt MJ is a bit stronger than the typical MJ giving it too much flow and actually creating a negative effect on the bubble productin.

I'm using the pre skimmer box so I don't have room to even try the valve right now.


On the flip side, it may be working just fine for your bio-load.
How many pounds of live rock do you have / how many & what size fish and most importantly, how much, what and how often do you feed?

 

Ya its skimming a lot of water I find. The water is very dirty, but by no means thick with waste. I have 30 pounds of live rock with two clowns and one fish I can't remember the name of, but its small. I'm going to try raising the collection cup. What is this valve addition you are all talking about?

 

It's probably working properly, based on your bioload. Unless you are grossly over feeding, you're not going to get much. If you set it up to skim dry, you won't see much. If you are seeing green water in there, it's pulling out something.
Any corals?

The valve is a pvc plumbing ball valve you can put between the pump and skimmer. Allows you to oversize the pump and neck back the flow - adds another adjustment. You unscrew the hose barb fitting on the inlet, thread on a nipple, then the ball valve, then thread the hose barb on the valve. This is where your pump hose will now connect. I've had good luck changing it all out to the next bigger size pipe and hose. Allows for more flow and power for when your tank is cleaner and you still want to skim.

 

yeah. I have two clowns and a cardinalfish. my tank is a few months old and I get dark green smelly stuff in the cup, but not much of it. I just figure its because I dont have much of a bioload.

 

well, now there is currently no bubbles coming up into the collection cup. There was before, but not anymore. what does THAT mean?

And as far as my bioload goes... I have a good amount of hair algae in my tank. Not as much as I used to but its still there. And my power heads continue to get clogged with algae growth. So this must mean I have something to skim right?

 

almost the exact same here.
30+ of live rock, 2 clowns a small royal gramma and only two corals right now. my skimmer does not pull out much at the moment. I did increase significantly when I had more in the tank.
It may be doing the job fine for your bioload.


Your green hair algae is a phosphate issue, not something the skimmer can remove at this point. The skimmer removes dissolved organic compounds.

In a closed system (ie an aquarium) you need to remove the phosphates that accumulate from the food we feed. You can remove them with water changes and/or using a phosphate removing media like GFO in a reactor, or ROWAphos, or chemi pure elite or blue life clear fx pro etc...

My GFO was spent so I just put some blue life clear fx pro in my reactor Sunday, intereted to see how this stuff does, I've heard a lot of good things.

So if you increase water changes (using RODI water, or distilled) and use a phosphate removing media at the same time, you'll see the fastest results in algae reduction.

I suspect you really won't start seeing much darker skimmate until you have more fish and corals producting more waste and you're feeding even more.