skimmer question

[e46er]

hi there

i have a 120G tank with a 40 g sump and a small bioload couple clowns 2 yellow tang a foxface and a diamond goby.
ive had my skimmer for like 3 yeas and it doesnt seem to pull much out into the collection cup it seems to just build up a thick gunk on the neck
its sitting in 8-8 1/4 " of water and its constant height.
i have it set right now so it produces about an inch of skimmate in the cup a week of gross stinky brown gunk but its not that thick if i touch the riser adjuster thing just a hair it overflows the cup in minutes. I was thinking of turning it to wide open and installing a gate valve to close it but im not sure that will be any finer adjustment than the standpipe.

or is that a normal amount for such a small bioload???
do other people get buildup in the next as well?
cheers

[monocus]

always a build up in my necks

[sumpfinfishe]

It sure sounds like you have a small bio load unless you have a ton of corals and inverts that your not mentioning or all your fish are 2feet in length:biggrin:

Skimmer buildup in the neck is perfectly normal and can have an impact on what your skimmer pulls out of the water. I empty my collection cup and clean the neck by spraying it with water, however if you scrub the neck clean you will need to go through the "break in period" until you at least get a film on the neck. Most reefers I know will NEVER scrub the neck 100% clean due to the above reason, not to mention fine scratches in the skimmer neck can impede it's performance drastically. Just spray off the heavy gunk and leave the film on the neck for better performance.

[ReEf BoSs]

If your nitrates are low or where you want them,then there isnt much of a problem. If there high and your not getting much skimmate then yes it could use some tweeking.

[e46er]

It sure sounds like you have a small bio load unless you have a ton of corals and inverts that your not mentioning or all your fish are 2feet in length:biggrin:

Skimmer buildup in the neck is perfectly normal and can have an impact on what your skimmer pulls out of the water. I empty my collection cup and clean the neck by spraying it with water, however if you scrub the neck clean you will need to go through the "break in period" until you at least get a film on the neck. Most reefers I know will NEVER scrub the neck 100% clean due to the above reason, not to mention fine scratches in the skimmer neck can impede it's performance drastically. Just spray off the heavy gunk and leave the film on the neck for better performance.
I did NOT know that I usually clean it every 3 or 4 weeks Hmmmm good to know.
Also yes a small bioload I don't have many corals but thw ones I do are big. Nitrates don't register on test kits.
It's not a huge concern for me just mainly wondering if its actually doing anything.

[Kait]

It is. :). It's removing that inch of skimmate every week. Thinking about how that would add up over time. Yuck!