BC29 and skimmer (Tunze9002)

[Convict2161]

I have a question, I have a skimmer in chamber 2 of my BC29. Only thing is I can't remember the last time I had to empty the cup. It's bubbling like a champ and all I get is clear saltwater in the cup. I rarely see skim or foam. The tube is clean also.

I was thinking of just turning it off, I mean it doesn't appear to be doing anything but making heat for my tank.

Do I really need a skimmer for the BC29. I've heard people say its good to have others say not needed if you do weekly water changes. I do 5 gallons every Friday.

If the skimmer isn't doing anything then it kinda seems pointless. I've read how people have to empty there cup once, twice a week. Not here, it doesn't even get dirty and I've tried all kinds of adjustments. Wet skim or a dryer skim all with the same results... Nothing. I'm lucky if after a month I have three quarters of a cup and that's rare!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

To the con
Way back when, way back and then turned the corner at the time I had saltwater. Usually out of all my research from books and web it says on a small tank that their is really no need for a skimmer if you keep up and do well on water changes. That's my 2 cents and I'm in to hear everyone else's opinions on this before I start up a salt.

From the Andy boy

 

[Convict2161]

Thanks Andy, it does seem kinda like a waste to have it running when it's doing absolutely nothing. I literally check everyday and it's empty. I turn it all the way up and I end up with a cup full of saltwater.

Waters changes 5 gallons every Friday maybe I'll just turn it off.

Oh and GREAT avi lol

The Con

 

[Andrew McFadden]

I would try turning it off for a couple weeks and then turn it back on to see if its doing anything. I had a 29 tall with a skimmer and it hardly ever picked anything up at less I didn't do my water change every week.

 

[Convict2161]

I would try turning it off for a couple weeks and then turn it back on to see if its doing anything. I had a 29 tall with a skimmer and it hardly ever picked anything up at less I didn't do my water change every week.

Yea maybe I'll do that... I never forget to do my water changes

 

[Convict2161]

Any salty's have an opinion, not that I don't value Andy's opinion. Just like to hear others opinions on this topic.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

What's ur livestock in the 29?

 

[Convict2161]

What's ur livestock in the 29?

2 clowns
2 bangaii Cardnials
1 orange spotted goby
1 mandarin

2 cleaner shrimp
3 peppermint shrimp
Assorted snails and hermits.

My jaw face got sucked into the mp10 the other day

I haven't emptied the cup for months and I've cranked it and all I get is a clear cup of salt water. If I do a dryer skim it takes literally months to give less then half of some brown gunk if that.

I'm starting to think with all the research that maybe my 5 gallon weekly's are good enough? I feed every 3 days. It's loaded with corals.

Oh and 1 purple fire fish.

 

[Luckysfrags]

You need to play with your skimmer before it gets you any good skimate. I have the biocube skimmer on my BC29 (I know it's a shitty skimmer but it's all I had money for) it took me about a week to get it fine tuned and now it's giving me some pretty dark skimmate. Now it isn't a whole lot of skimmate every week, but I would say it really helps. I had pink zebra zoa with one head and it was growing at an ok pace. After I got the skimmer tuned within 2 weeks I now have 7 heads growing and a few more starting to budd. My candycane corals are thriving and my Duncan corals are getting huge and opening up. My frogspawn has better color even. So IMO a skimmer is a must have. It just takes a bit of work to get it tuned out right.

 

[Convict2161]

You need to play with your skimmer before it gets you any good skimate. I have the biocube skimmer on my BC29 (I know it's a shitty skimmer but it's all I had money for) it took me about a week to get it fine tuned and now it's giving me some pretty dark skimmate. Now it isn't a whole lot of skimmate every week, but I would say it really helps. I had pink zebra zoa with one head and it was growing at an ok pace. After I got the skimmer tuned within 2 weeks I now have 7 heads growing and a few more starting to budd. My candycane corals are thriving and my Duncan corals are getting huge and opening up. My frogspawn has better color even. So IMO a skimmer is a must have. It just takes a bit of work to get it tuned out right.

I understand what your saying but almost 9 months? I'm talking I've dialed every which way and nothing, it never fills the cup and I've read that water changes on a small tank is all you need so I'm a bit confused.

You would think that after almost 9 months i would see something. All I see is foam once in a while then crystal clear seawater in my cup. Never nasty gunk.

 

[Starchar]

I ran mine religiously on my BC29 and it would pickup some gunk (Oceanic Biocube Skimmer). I also was pretty obsessive about water changes. I think the difference for me was my seahorses required multiple feeds a day of frozen mysis. I rinsed the food but still ended up with some of the juice entering my system with each feeding.

I noticed that you have a Mandarin in your stock list. Is he/she eating frozen or are you supplementing pods?

 

[Luckysfrags]

Then there has to be something wrong with the skimmer then. I know you keep up very well with your WC but the skimmer should still be pulling out skimmate. If money isn't too much of an issue I would try out a biocube skimmer run About 30-40 dollars online. I know that the tunze is a pretty expensive one ($150 if I remember) but see if that biocube one gets your any skimmate. Again mine doesnt get me very much each week but it is pretty dark and nasty and I feel better having it on there.

 

[Convict2161]

I ran mine religiously on my BC29 and it would pickup some gunk (Oceanic Biocube Skimmer). I also was pretty obsessive about water changes. I think the difference for me was my seahorses required multiple feeds a day of frozen mysis. I rinsed the food but still ended up with some of the juice entering my system with each feeding.

I noticed that you have a Mandarin in your stock list. Is he/she eating frozen or are you supplementing pods?

Well I added about 10,000 pods over a months time then got the mandarin. But I do feed frozen and triggers she seems to be doing well (knock on wood)

She's doing way better then the scooters that haven't faired well on my tank. I tried 4 times and lost all of them

The mandarin is still swimming and pecking at rocks

I'm still a bit confused about the skimmer.





Maybe I have it all wrong. Is this skim? Is this the skimmer doing its thing? It's just that the cup never gets to the point where it's even half full and I have it dialed way up. Maybe I'm just not FULLY understanding the way a skimmer works for a small tank. I know Engine22 here on the forum and Carey do not run skimmers and a few other members as well no issues. All my corals are very happy as well. Skimmer? Or something else or both? I don't wanna throw a wrench into my piece of the reef, everyone seems happy

Oh and I've had the mandarin for I think almost 4 months now.

 

[Luckysfrags]

Well I added about 10,000 pods over a months time then got the mandarin. But I do feed frozen and triggers she seems to be doing well (knock on wood)

She's doing way better then the scooters that haven't faired well on my tank. I tried 4 times and lost all of them

The mandarin is still swimming and pecking at rocks

I'm still a bit confused about the skimmer.

Maybe I have it all wrong. Is this skim? Is this the skimmer doing its thing? It's just that the cup never gets to the point where it's even half full and I have it dialed way up. Maybe I'm just not FULLY understanding the way a skimmer works for a small tank. I know Engine22 here on the forum and Carey do not run skimmers and a few other members as well no issues. All my corals are very happy as well. Skimmer? Or something else or both? I don't wanna throw a wrench into my piece of the reef, everyone seems happy

Oh and I've had the mandarin for I think almost 4 months now.

You don't want it to be filling up the cup as fast as it can. You want it to barely be bubbling to the rim or just below it. What the micro bubbles do is they separate the solids from the water. So if you have the bubbles pouring into you cup it's not getting enough time to let the solids separate from the saltwater. If you let the bubbles sit at or just below the rim it will push the solids to the top and they will eventually go over into the cup.

 

[Starchar]

No expert but here is how it works as I understand it. Adjust your bubbles so that they are reaching the middle of the tube portion extending into your cup. As the skimmer picks up organic material it will push it to the top and form a very thin film. The bubbles continue to build underneath and push the organic material into the cup. If your skimmer is set right then the bubbles won't even get to the top unless there is organic material being pushed up by the skimmer. If your skimmer is just always bubbling into the cup and it is filled with water then you have it turned up too high and need to back the air flow down. Additionally, you should be using a fine bubble air stone or a limewood airstone.

 

[Convict2161]

Additionally, you should be using a fine bubble air stone or a limewood airstone.

That all made sense up until now lol. I don't have an airstone nor does the the skimmer. Am I missing something?

http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C=US&user_tunzeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter050

 

[Luckysfrags]

Your skimmer has a Venturi in it. It's like a pin wheel and it should have an air valve somewhere that allows air to mix in with the water. The Venturi spins at a high speed churning the water and air to make micro bubbles. Yours may have an air hose line on it or simply a screw in valve that you need to adjust just above the water line.

 

[Luckysfrags]

I see it now. That blue knob should be your air valve. Play with that a bit and keep it just above the water line to make sure that your getting a good water to air ratio

 

[Convict2161]

Ok thanks! I'll mess with it some more. I also did the air line mod.

 

[Convict2161]

Readjusted the skimmer. Is this what it's suppose to look like? Remember I haven't had anything in close to 9 months. This is the first I've seen this.