ReefKeeper
TalkingReef Live co-host
i aint shy !!
Protein Skimmer
- Thread starter MoLaw
- Start date
Alexander
Reef enthusiast
my coralife is the most touchy skimmer i have ever used! it is really really frustrating.... but i must say when it is working right... its hands down the best skimmer i have. but its just always hard for me to get dialed in not sure why
joeman
MorphingSquid
I used to have troubles to until I relaized how sensitive it was to even the slightest water level change (I was told it was not) - you do have it installed in an area where the water level never changes (at all) right?
Alexander
Reef enthusiast
nope its in my sump where the water level ALWAYS changes and i know thats the problem but i really dont know if there is anywhere else i can put it. i havent tried on the back in the overflow but i think the pvc would get in the way im not sure .... its a big pain in the ass
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You should have a divider/baffle in your sump so that the return pump is in its own section. If the return pump is in its own section then the water level won't change in any of the other sections. But yours is a premade sump right?
Oh well. Try my DIY ATO!
Oh well. Try my DIY ATO!
Alexander
Reef enthusiast
yep premade and there is no way i can modify it to make it work :( and no i dont have room for your diy so thats out of the picture. its crammed against a wall and a doorway with 0 inches of clearance.... im just screwed
joeman
MorphingSquid
not necessarily... this assumes that your return flow > than the flow rate of your skimmer pump:
1) find a tall, open-topped box (plastic / glass) that is taller than the current water level in your sump & that will fit in the return section of your sump
2) place it beneath the return floe from the tank. At this point the 'box' should fill up and overflow into the sump - key feature is that the level of water in this 'box' will not change, it will always be exactly the same = overflowing.
3) place the pump (or entire skimmer) in this new box.
That's it - constant water level.
you just need to find / make the right box.
Does it all make sense?
If you don't find a solution like this, you will be condemned to a life of eternal skimmer tuning :grumble: I was there, because I was told the SS was not affected by water level when I bought it, so placed in an area of the sump that fluctuated with evaporation... hmm - you know another solution would be an auto-topoff system to keep you sump level constant..... anyway I moved it & life improved!
1) find a tall, open-topped box (plastic / glass) that is taller than the current water level in your sump & that will fit in the return section of your sump
2) place it beneath the return floe from the tank. At this point the 'box' should fill up and overflow into the sump - key feature is that the level of water in this 'box' will not change, it will always be exactly the same = overflowing.
3) place the pump (or entire skimmer) in this new box.
That's it - constant water level.
you just need to find / make the right box.
Does it all make sense?
If you don't find a solution like this, you will be condemned to a life of eternal skimmer tuning :grumble: I was there, because I was told the SS was not affected by water level when I bought it, so placed in an area of the sump that fluctuated with evaporation... hmm - you know another solution would be an auto-topoff system to keep you sump level constant..... anyway I moved it & life improved!
Alexander
Reef enthusiast
thanks for the ideas joeman, but i am looking at my options and i think space is really killing me here and im just not sure on what i can do, but the agony of constant skimmer tuning is killing me. hopefully i can figure something out
fishbait
I found Nemo
I dealt with constant skimmer tuning also. when I finished the sump and got it in a place where the water level is constant I never touch it except to empty the collection cup. it's non-stop skimming now!
