formallyknowasNRC101 Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 I just brought one of these skimmers. what is the best lph pump you need? and is their any mods to improve performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 They are not a good skimmer, have owned one a long time back, you need a grunty pump, a laguna 6 or similar, and still will not skim well. Most are being used as door stops - sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 ...and is their any mods to improve performance? Put a Deltec on the tank as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Try using the Queen skimmer as an ornament in the garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 get a grunty pump and hook a good air pump to the venturi intake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formallyknowasNRC101 Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Thanks for the positive advice livingart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 i run them and they do an alright job better than no skimmer at all putting a good air pump and wooden airstone on has boosted thei amount of skimate it produces threefold though the second hand, hang on back one we got on trademe is probably better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formallyknowasNRC101 Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 ooo tell me more about your one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 better than no skimmer at all Does not work like that. If the skimmer is not working well then organics keep building up as you cant remove it quick enough. Bit like a having a bucket, slowly put in some crap and if you cant get it out fast enough it keeps building up until it overflows. So a poor skimmer is not better than none. only way to overcome this is to get a good skimmer or make big water changes every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Its not negative advise, its truthful advise. If you didn't want the truth dont ask. Advise based on experience using that actual skimmer. They are a poor design, need heaps of pump (and hence power), and skim poorly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangtastic Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 Does not work like that. If the skimmer is not working well then organics keep building up as you cant remove it quick enough. Bit like a having a bucket, slowly put in some crap and if you cant get it out fast enough it keeps building up until it overflows. So a poor skimmer is not better than none. only way to overcome this is to get a good skimmer or make big water changes every week. Interesting analogy. But wouldn't it be more like a slowly filling bucket of crap. A skimmer would be a hole in the bottom of the bucket. Bigger/better the skimmer, bigger the hole, so the bucket fills more slowly. Any skimmer, even one that some people deem to be crap, is better than no skimmer at all. You may just need to increase the size/frequency of you water changes, use phosphate/nitrate absorbers and avoid species that require super low nutrient water. If you don't want to keep coloured sticks it should not be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camnbron Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 Or, the skimmer is like a hose syphoning out of a bucket sucking the crud out of the bottom of said bucket into a collection cup. It only works when you start the syphon. If you don't clean it it will get blocked in time. You need to empty the collection cup otherwise it will flood. The above skimmer from peoples experiences is like a small diameter hose made of rubber that kinks easily. What people are suggesting is to get a hose that is bigger and made of a more solid material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 The bottom line is that you have to export organics in a closed ecosystem, A bad skimmer does not cut it as waste will just build up. Most tank with a decent skimmer look far better than tanks with ineffective skimmer. The Deltec method here are 2 philosophies regarding the operation of a successful marine aquarium. One is to is to have an average performing skimmer to take out some of the protein but also have a large amount of biological filtration to deal with the resulting breakdown from the remainder. This type of system will normally lead to a trend for rising nitrate levels. The second way and the preferred Deltec method is to install a highly efficient skimmer that removes the majority of waste before it breaks down thus requiring less biological filtration and resulting in a lower level of nitrate that is much easier to cope with by the reducing bacteria in the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broms2 Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 I am not really sure where some people are coming from when it comes to marine setups, not everyone has the money to set up with gear like deltec for their first tank, sometimes you have to start with something that isn't perfect, I have been thinking of setting up my first tank for a while now and have been quite put off by some of the "advice being given" it seems sometimes more like a sales pitch where all other brands are useless apart from the one people just happen to use and sell. i'm sure that even if people get gear that isn't to flash if they manage to get coral to grow and fish to survive they will get the bug and the better gear will follow, better that than be scared off completely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 I think of it similar to motor racing. Use standard tires on your race car and you come last. Use good quality slicks and you're competitive. Use a poor skimmer and your tank and it's occupants come last. Use a good skimmer and you're right up with the winners. It's nothing to do with trying to be elite etc. It's all to do with getting it right the first time so you don't get burned and maybe give up. A good skimmer makes the difference and anyone contemplating a reef setup must consider this as their top priority. If this means waiting until they have more money before starting out then so be it. It will be cheaper in the long run. People who don't buy the best skimmer to start with are going down the path of false economy. They end up buying new corals and a new skimmer eventually anyway. The cost will likely be over double what they would have paid for a decent skimmer to start with. Either that or they give up because it's costing too much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broms2 Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 you may come last... but at least your competing if I did everything the way I was "meant" to I wouldn't have half of what I keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 you may come last... but at least your competing Mairnes are not like freshwater as they need good water quality, best to start of right as livestock is not cheap and it is a limit resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broms2 Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 the animals dont suffer, more time is spent cleaning, water changes etc I know where you guys are coming from but sometimes you need to take baby steps before you start running. did you start marine keeping with top gear on your first tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 did you start marine keeping with top gear on your first tank? No, and that was the biggest mistake i have ever made in reef keeping, wasted so much money always upgrading. Baby steps are started with freshwater then you move onto the big steps with marine keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish-unit Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 reefs right, we mostly start with crap gear spend thousands of dollars then have to start all over again, if you are going to do marines do it right, or dont do it, stick with freshwater fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 People who don't buy the best skimmer to start with are going down the path of false economy. They end up buying new corals and a new skimmer eventually anyway. The cost will likely be over double what they would have paid for a decent skimmer to start with. Ha Ha that rings a bell, pretty much what I did. :lol: Hey Broms don't give up because you're put off by some of the advice given! Most people on the forum call it how they see it, and isn't that what we want? Lot's of people start off with cheapo stuff and I was certainly one of them. At the time the expensive stuff was not an option for me, so as you said, at least I was in the game. But Warren summed it up quite well, for me anyway, starting with cheap stuff did in the end cost me a LOT more than if I'd done it right, once. That's what people are getting at, they are just trying to save you the learning curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTBS Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 I would have to agree with the Buy once Buy right school of thought even though it hurts . Especially when you consider the total cost of the tanks inhabitants. The equipment which always seems to be a huge cost in the beginning (ie skimmer / lights ) actually is not that expensive in the long run especially if you only have to pay up once and stay in the hobby. Good equipment can also mean the difference (but not always) between small whoopsie and total disaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted March 13, 2008 Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 of course you can always buy second-hand too... I have an Aquamedic T-1000 at the moment, which I bought second-hand for $200. Its more than enough for my 3 footer and could easily skim a way bigger tank (Like Kevans for example). You can't really go wrong with second-hand eheim 1260's if you check they go well, and you can get them for about $90 each second hand. The only thing I have struggled to buy second hand are powerheads. I think I have spent about $500 on powerheads for my tank because decent second-hand ones hardly come up for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemines Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 When i set up my nano, i didn't use a skimmer at first as i was merely cycling my tank and getting the grounding of wat salwater involved with some tough species that could handle simply receiving water changes (and i'd broken the bank on my lighting). however, once i'd saved up enough money (i had my skimmy-bank) i bought a deltec mce 300 for my aquarium. since adding the skimmer my tank has been noticeably cleaner and i can get away with much less maintenance. i haven't actually added any livestock for over 2 and a half months because i like to take things nice and slow- and so far i'm really pleased with how my tank is developing. As Warren said, either save up for the best possible equip, be paitent, do your research or chances are, you'll fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangtastic Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Mairnes are not like freshwater as they need good water quality, best to start of right as livestock is not cheap and it is a limit resource. Marine fish don't need water conditions any better than freshwater fish (bar the obvious salinity). All fish like zero ammonia and zero nitrite. In my opinion a mint planted tank is harder to achieve than a good looking marine tank. Bad tank design probably kills more fish than cheap skimmers - fish going into over flows, direct feeds into skimmers, fish jumping out of tanks etc. Tank mate stress will kill more fish than a cheap skimmer. Poor quality stock is a bigger problem than a cheap skimmer. It really pays to know what to look for when buying fish. A good eye can save a lot of money. This was Ultimate Reefs tank of the month and it has no skimmer. http://www.ultimatereef.com/TOTM/2008_march/ Don't be put off because you don't want to invest in an expensive skimmer. Sure you may look back one day and wish you had but that will probably be when you are upgrading to a bigger tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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