eshopps psk75 question

Hi, I'm new to the site and the hobby. I just set up a psk75 on my 55g and my question is how long should it take before the skimmet makes it way to the collection cup after setup. Any help would be great.

 

I have the PSK100, so here are my thoughts:

There are a few factors that come into play with a new skimmer. First is if it is a new tank with nothing but maybe live rock, there is really nothing to produce waste so you would see very little anyways. Second, new skimmers take a couple of days running before they break-in, so it is normal to not see anything yet. Third, make sure the height of water in your sump is correct for the skimmer (for the 100 it is between 9"-12"). Lastly, it can take a week or two before you really get the skimming action you are looking for.

The only adjustment on the unit is to control how much flow goes directly back into the sump. More flow lowers the height of the water in the skimmer, less water increases it. What I would do is get the water level a couple inches below the top of the collection cup. Once you actually have some skimmate, you will see the dark bubbles forming and eventually the bubble level will raise as more and more is produced. If you have the height too high, you will be wet skimming and filling the collection cup in no time.

Also, for whatever reason they have some plastic on top of the collection cup which covers up the vent holes. Make sure you remove this as this will inhibit the unit from working properly!

Hope this helps!

 

Thank you for your reply and advice. I will do what you said. I only have a couple of damsels in my tank a little live rock ( will ad more as i go). I'm also running a emperor penguin filter. Should I contuie running it constantly or should I occasionally use it now that I have a skimmer?

 

Since you have a skimmer and live rock the filter is extra and not really needed. A canister or reactor with carbon in it is a good piece of equipment to have. They are much more efficient than a HOB filter.

 

Due to the location a space restrictions of my tank a HOB filter and skimmer are my only options. Thank you for your answer.

 

You can actually get some pretty small footprint reactors, which you can have HOB, in sump, or remote. You may find you don't need one, but they are an option if you do need to run some media.