how to tell if your skimmer sucks?

Aquarium Protein Skimmers: Coralife Super Skimmer Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer

i think this is the skimmer i have that came with the used setup i bought... is it horrible or will it do the job... how can i tell if it is in fact doing its job?

 

I have the 65 gallon model and it work's fine for my needs. It's not the best skimmer by far, but once you get it dialed in it consistently fills the collection cup with junk. So no complaints from me.

 

I will guess this is a new skimmer, If it is it will need time to break in. Alot of people here have this type of skimmer. I myself had one, it worked ok for me but need a better one.

 

Depends what you want it for.

 

That was the first skimmer I ran. It never let me down and did a good job of keeping my water clean. They are a bit hard to get tuned, but once you have it they run very well. How big is your tank and which model is it?

 

I have the same skimmer but I did a little mod and I'm getting far better result.
I added a maxi-jet 1200 powerhead to make more bubble. I'm getting 1/2 cup per day now (it would usually take a week before this mod).


Original post about this mode - http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/diy-recirculating-skimmer-58189.html