New skimmer going in....

[messiah023]

I have a 30g tank and have been using a canister filter since I started the tank in January. I just purchased a skimmer and had a question.

Do I have to run the skimmer 24/7?
Can I keep the skimmer on a timer and run it for certain periods in the day?

The reasons :

1.) I heard others with the same skimmer mention the pump tends to burn out sooner than expected. This is an internal pump in a HOB skimmer.

2.) Since this is an internal pump, I am worried that running it full time will cause excessive heat in the water.

Any thoughts?

FYI, skimmer is this one.

 

[Bifferwine]

You should run your skimmer 24/7. If it's not running, it can't pull organics out of the water.

It shouldn't cause excessive heat. No more than any other powerhead will cause. If it does heat your water up, you can just adjust your heater to a lower setting, but I've never heard of a small skimmer pump like that heating the water up so much.

That pump looks replaceable if it burns out, it looks like it's just a MaxiJet which you can replace for under $20.

It's up to you if you want to run it 24/7 or not, but it won't be effective unless you have it on.

 

[Reefgyrl]

B is spot on!

 

[daugherty]

it looks like a newer version if a cpr backpak. it look like it should be able to be replaced.