Skimmers - How often do you clean them?

[btymens]

Just curious, as to when or how often do you guys clean your skimmers?

[Enigma]

Once every couple of months.

I'm bad.

[emerald crab]

Collection cup, venturi, pump weekly. Skimmer body once, twice a year.

[MarkoD]

collection cup and neck of the skimmer every 3-5 days.

pump and body every 6 months or so

[Enigma]

I should note that my collection drains into a separate container. Hence my laziness when it comes to cleaning it.

[emerald crab]

I should note that my collection drains into a separate container. Hence my laziness when it comes to cleaning it.

With that setup you're looking for trouble. Think about skimmer going crazy, overflowing. That's scary.

[Enigma]

With that setup you're looking for trouble. Think about skimmer going crazy, overflowing. That's scary.

When the height of the fluid in the collection container (a four litre milk jug) gets to a certain point (about an inch below the opening) the flow stops from the skimmer cup and the skimmer cup overflows into the sump.

I have no idea what aligned so perfectly to allow this to happen. I didn't plan it, and I couldn't ever repeat it if I tried.

[fishytime]

the cup and neck should be cleaned more often then once a month....the crud that collects in the neck cause the bubbles to burst prematurely, making the skimmer less effective....a clean skimmer skims better.....

I have my skimmer set so that it needs to be cleaned every three days or so(whether I like or not).....the pump and skimmer body get cleaned once or twice a year....

[monocus]

once a week

[MKLKT]

2-3 days, full clean of the neck/cup.

[ZOOCRAZY]

i clean mine about once every week. (Collection cup) but i could do it more often thats for sure.

[Aquattro]

once a week. As Doug stated, a clean skimmer skims better than a dirty one.

[Enigma]

How long does it take the skimmers to get skimming properly once again, after they've been cleaned? After I clean the cup in mine it seems to take a couple of days.

[reefwars]

How long does it take the skimmers to get skimming properly once again, after they've been cleaned? After I clean the cup in mine it seems to take a couple of days.


depends on the skimmer, i get skimate the same day , it just gets darker as it goes. i may not get anything at times too it depends on how i feed that week:)

if i leave it too long i get nothing after a while , so mine needs to be cleaned once a week:)

[scherzo]

With that setup you're looking for trouble. Think about skimmer going crazy, overflowing. That's scary.

I have a similar setup when I go away on vacation. I use a couple of float switches to turn off the skimmer if it overflows.

I clean mine weekly.

[Enigma]

I have a similar setup when I go away on vacation. I use a couple of float switches to turn off the skimmer if it overflows.

I clean mine weekly.

Excellent idea! I'd have to change the vessel I'm using, but that's definately something worth adding to my "to do" list. I'd rather not have the skimmer overflow into anything: sump included. I really don't want skimmate going back into the system.

[Enigma]

depends on the skimmer, i get skimate the same day , it just gets darker as it goes. i may not get anything at times too it depends on how i feed that week:)

if i leave it too long i get nothing after a while , so mine needs to be cleaned once a week:)

I skim pretty wet. I get about 1 litre of tea coloured skimmate per week.

[gregzz4]

I drain my cup when I get about an inch of nog and I wash the cup a couple times a week
I've only had the skimmer running since may and have thoroughly cleaned it once already as it is before my socks

[Aquattro]

How long does it take the skimmers to get skimming properly once again, after they've been cleaned? After I clean the cup in mine it seems to take a couple of days.

Mine starts skimming right away. I cleaned it a couple hours ago, it's back skimming now. Just checked.

[Myka]

I clean the cup and neck every 2 or 3 days, the pump and body about 3-4 times per year.

[Coleus]

I clean the cup every 2 weeks as i do my water change. The body probably once a year if i have time :-)

[burgerchow]

Couple times a month. Just cleaned the body for the first time in 3 years.

[cale262]

The collection cup (plumbed into home plumbing) and swabbie gets cleaned about once a month. The body and pump get pulled about every six months for a vinegar bath and scrub.

This picture is after 2 weeks of wet skimming with the swabbie operating for one minute every three hours.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg293/cale262/Aquaruims/99r%20pt2/IMG_0251.jpg
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg293/cale262/Aquaruims/99r%20pt2/IMG_0254.jpg

[Parker]

I drain the cup about once a week and clean as needed. I have a swabbie on mine as well and overall it does a pretty good job of keeping things in running order.

[RuGlu6]

few points:

will depend on feeding, heavily fed tank will require more frequent skimmer cleaning
as someone mentioned before clean skimmer performs better
average skimmer will extract waste easier from dirtier water, however not so good skimmer will stop skimming earlier then a better one
go by the air water mixing provided by the OEM; the more L of air per hour the better. Obviously there is more to look at when buying the skimmer but this is one of the main parameters.

My skimmer needs cleaning every second day (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=76429&page=2) because i feed heavily, and skimmer is very efficient in waste removal.
more pics and description on page one.

[Aysha]

I clean mine when I change my filter sock about every 3 days.
I've got 80 gallons of water with 2 clownfish, a goby and a pygmy angel So maybe I'm a bit over cautious.
I do a 10 gallon water change every 2 weeks.

I love love love the skimmer I got from Wayne.
It's the easiest thing in the world to change and clean.
http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/UrchinPro-SProteinSkimmerwMag5Pump.aspx

Overkill? just a teeeny bit.
that being said I'd rather clean my skimmer twice as often and forget about my filter sock! I HATE THOSE THINGS! EW!