How often do you clean your skimmer?

[Volitan]

Just wondering, how often do you clear the skimmate from the skimmer. Does not clearing the skimmate affect the performance of the skimmer?

[djviper]

for my macro i clean it 2 times weekly ... realise if too much "mud" collect at the rim, the bubbles have a hard time pushing their way up

[ervine]

for my macro i clean it 2 times weekly ... realise if too much "mud" collect at the rim, the bubbles have a hard time pushing their way up

I have the same problem.. somehow after the foam reaches the cap and the first few mm of skimmate build up in the cup, no more skimmate comes out... probably coz the build up of foam at the cup doesn't allow for more to come out..

So in the end all the skimmate just builds up at the neck till it's super thick...

I'm considering modifying the cap to allow the foam to get into the collection cup more easily...

[djviper]

hmm u mean u gonna cut holes at the neck? i thinking of modifying the neck too haha but dunno how

[ZeRoCoOl]

I have the same problem.. somehow after the foam reaches the cap and the first few mm of skimmate build up in the cup, no more skimmate comes out... probably coz the build up of foam at the cup doesn't allow for more to come out..

So in the end all the skimmate just builds up at the neck till it's super thick...

I'm considering modifying the cap to allow the foam to get into the collection cup more easily...

Alternatively you can try rising the water level in the skimmer to skim wetter skimmate

[AlfaRomeo]

Those that are cleaning the skimmer everyday is really dedicated to the hobby! Admire those guys!

[weileong]

Those that are cleaning the skimmer everyday is really dedicated to the hobby! Admire those guys!

Provided your skimmer is easy to do maintaince... else if have to release so many screws to clean the collection cup and you do it daily then I really

[Jimng]

I clean every night.....what i believe ->Cleaner skimmer neck and cup cover = better efficiency

[Ekia]

Provided your skimmer is easy to do maintaince... else if have to release so many screws to clean the collection cup and you do it daily then I really

yah.. thats one disadvantage of beckett. But tuning to a wetter skimate will solve the problem

[AlfaRomeo]

Logically, you will need to clean at least 1x daily for max efficiency. That is exactly why Deltec came out with a Self-Cleaning Head and they calim that it will improve the skimmers performance by 20%! The major disadvantage with the SCH is the cost! Can almost buy another Deltec skimmer for the cost of the SCH itself. wow!

[riot]

I do my little HS once a week on Sunday. I have noticed that if I dont clean it, there is less skimmate collected in the cup (the first 1 week supply builds up very fast, but the next subsequent week very little change).

But coming back to the beckett, I would hate the thumbscrews on the becketts if I have to do frequent cleaning.

[Marineman]

But coming back to the beckett, I would hate the thumbscrews on the becketts if I have to do frequent cleaning.

Aqua C EV series very easy to unlock, no screws.

[yiling]

everytime when i feed:(

cuz when i feed frozen food, the collection will flood...

[Volitan]

I do my little HS once a week on Sunday. I have noticed that if I dont clean it, there is less skimmate collected in the cup (the first 1 week supply builds up very fast, but the next subsequent week very little change).

But coming back to the beckett, I would hate the thumbscrews on the becketts if I have to do frequent cleaning.

Although I am using Weipro, I am also facing the same situation, i.e skimmate does not increase linearly with time. So it seems that there is a cap to the amount of skimmate being coughed out, rather than being "generated unlimitedly" over time?

[Volitan]

Interestingly, there seem to have quite a few reefers who clean their skimmer on monthly basis (18%). Would anyone like to share how they ensure the effectiveness of the skimming with the "low" maintenance, e.g "over skim" or "under feed"?

[AlfaRomeo]

Use both methods together. Feed sparingly for the fishes and overskim the tank. I was overskimming my tank but overfeeding it too and was rewarded with the red carpet treatment. Have reduced feeding and the carpet is slowly going away. Another factor in my cyano outbreak is the lower than recommended flow thru my zeovit reactor. I was running it at 1/2 the required flowrate!