2 skimmers one system

ct_vol · 10/14/2009, 06:23 AM

Hey guys, I know there are a few different opinions on this, but I wanted to see exactly what the reasoning was behind it...

I'm helping a friend set up a 600+ gallon system... He was thinking about using 2 skimmers on this system so that their total efficiency would be equal to the 600+ gallon demand placed upon them... I have read that one skimmer will likely take away from the performance of the other... I assume this is mostly because the initial skimmer is getting the nastier water, where as the secondary skimmer is getting water which has already been skimmed by the first...

So I guess my question is if this is a bad idea or if I should just convince him to go balls out and buy a single skimmer rated for this size of system...

Thanks,
Randy

Boyman · 10/14/2009, 07:30 AM

Hi, I worked with a 500G System @ work and the tank did much better when we switched over to one big skimmer. We originally ran 2 medium sized skimmers.

I also read somewhere that it is better to run one large skimmer. I don't remember where thought

But it was def on this forum!

mcbaes72 · 10/14/2009, 09:24 AM

Just a thought, maybe two skimmers could work if the tank had two overflows, one in each corner. If that were the case, a sump beneath either one could house a skimmer and each is skimming half the tank. Not saying I'd do this myself nor know anyone that does, but it's possible and I could see that happening when you have two corner overflows on a long tank.

ct_vol · 10/14/2009, 09:38 AM

Thanks for the replies...

There will only be one sump... I could see how two skimmers would still work efficiently if they were both external skimmers and plumbed direct feed from the overflows... Or for that matter if there were different chambers for each skimmer within that sump... Unfortunately I think this is going to be just one large open sump though...

1DeR9_3Hy · 10/14/2009, 09:54 AM

I think the TOTM here is running two skimmers, one to skim dry and to skim wet...just a thought.

Tyler Durden · 10/14/2009, 11:34 AM

I would run one big one.

sharrison · 10/14/2009, 12:07 PM

There is nothing wrong with using 2 skimmers. Ive done it in the past and going to do it on this 180 gallon build. I know people that have run more than 2.

For people to say why not jsut 1 big one. if that the case why not just run 2 big ones? the more you have skimming the more it's going to pull out of the water.

I mean, this isn't rocket sicence.

Tyler Durden · 10/14/2009, 12:18 PM

I ran two skimmers for a week. The first one skimmed everything that could be skimmed. The second one didn't produce anything. If you have two crappy skimmers then by all means run two. I think it's better to just invest in one really good skimmer.

sharrison · 10/14/2009, 12:19 PM

Well i ran two ASM's on my 110 for 5 years and they both worked perfectly.

I will be running 2 I-tech on this 180

Oh 1 thing it will depend on how wet you ru nthe skimmers as well. I ran one of mine semi-wet and the other really wet. I was letting the skimmers preform my water changes.

Tyler Durden · 10/14/2009, 01:15 PM

ASM's are crap skimmers. Speaking from experience.

MHannon · 10/14/2009, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyler Durden

ASM's are crap skimmers. Speaking from experience.

This comment has nothing to do with the OP's question. He wants to know if he should run two skimmers or not. He did not ask anything about the brands/quality/performance of a skimmer.

flameangel88 · 10/14/2009, 02:03 PM

Getting a tank upgrade has taken much longer than I expected but due to the high bio-load so I went upgrading the skimmer first. I was going to take the smaller one offline once the new one breaks in but having two in the tank didn't affect the older skimmer's performance. The new one is pulling in a very good amount so I decided to leave both in and I usually skim wet anyway and look at it as water change. The downside is I don't have a sump and both does take up valuable space.

Tyler Durden · 10/14/2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHannon

This comment has nothing to do with the OP's question. He wants to know if he should run two skimmers or not. He did not ask anything about the brands/quality/performance of a skimmer.

Just proving my point in response to Sharrison's statement.

sharrison · 10/14/2009, 03:42 PM

I would run 2 of what ever brands you want, if I were you. I was pulling 2.5 gallons of really nasty stuff from my 110 every week. I found it to be a dual purpose. It was skimming and pulling enough water for me to feed my auto top off to the tank every week. That's a pretty decent warter change with no hands on.

Just a thought.

ct_vol · 10/15/2009, 04:56 PM

Brand is not a problem... I know which are good products and which are not... I was primarily inquiring as to the technical aspects of the efficiency of one large skimmer over two smaller skimmers or vice versa...

Tyler Durden · 10/15/2009, 05:50 PM

One skimmer can do the work of two as long is it's rated for the proper volume of water. One skimmer is more efficient in regards to energy usage. It's also a lot easier to clean one skimmer instead of two. Also takes less room in your sump.

woody283 · 10/15/2009, 06:20 PM

I would think it woud be fine if both are bieng fed raw water from the tank. as in seperate overflows and seperate chambers in the sump. If you have them in the same compartment they may fight each other.

broke1 · 10/15/2009, 07:09 PM

I asked this question about a month ago, but got no response.

I am running two right now. It's a weird set up, but I have a standard sump inside a Rubbermaid sump. One of the skimmers is internal, the other is external. The DT drains back to the standard sumps first compartment which is where the externals pump is it run trough the skimmer and drains back into the Rubbermaid. The internal is in the second compartmet, so it get's any water the external misses, so the skimmers never see any of the same water twice in the sump.

cvye · 10/21/2009, 11:30 AM

the good - redundancy, A. Calfo recommends 2 as a safety measure
the bad - less efficiency - skimmers work better on dirtier water, when one 'cleans' the water a bit, the other won't be able to pull as much out (my oversized skimmer works in pulses); not to mention the energy bills...

KafudaFish · 10/21/2009, 01:21 PM

So I guess the biggest question is how will they be plumbed? If they are both getting fed directly from the display would that not reduce the issue of one getting cleaner water and being less efficient at removing wastes?

10/14/2009, 06:23 AM	#1
ct_vol Reefing On My Mind Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kempton, IL Posts: 8,083	2 skimmers one system Hey guys, I know there are a few different opinions on this, but I wanted to see exactly what the reasoning was behind it... I'm helping a friend set up a 600+ gallon system... He was thinking about using 2 skimmers on this system so that their total efficiency would be equal to the 600+ gallon demand placed upon them... I have read that one skimmer will likely take away from the performance of the other... I assume this is mostly because the initial skimmer is getting the nastier water, where as the secondary skimmer is getting water which has already been skimmed by the first... So I guess my question is if this is a bad idea or if I should just convince him to go balls out and buy a single skimmer rated for this size of system... Thanks, Randy __________________ Randy Volunteers, Blackhawks, Titans, Cubs!!!! Current Tank Info: 185g waiting to be built, 120g SPS/Anemone Reef, 120g SCA in the works, 58g mixed reef w/ 6x39w T5, 125g grow out w/ Reef Breeders

10/14/2009, 09:38 AM	#4
ct_vol Reefing On My Mind Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kempton, IL Posts: 8,083	Thanks for the replies... There will only be one sump... I could see how two skimmers would still work efficiently if they were both external skimmers and plumbed direct feed from the overflows... Or for that matter if there were different chambers for each skimmer within that sump... Unfortunately I think this is going to be just one large open sump though... __________________ Randy Volunteers, Blackhawks, Titans, Cubs!!!! Current Tank Info: 185g waiting to be built, 120g SPS/Anemone Reef, 120g SCA in the works, 58g mixed reef w/ 6x39w T5, 125g grow out w/ Reef Breeders

10/15/2009, 04:56 PM	#15
ct_vol Reefing On My Mind Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kempton, IL Posts: 8,083	Brand is not a problem... I know which are good products and which are not... I was primarily inquiring as to the technical aspects of the efficiency of one large skimmer over two smaller skimmers or vice versa... __________________ Randy Volunteers, Blackhawks, Titans, Cubs!!!! Current Tank Info: 185g waiting to be built, 120g SPS/Anemone Reef, 120g SCA in the works, 58g mixed reef w/ 6x39w T5, 125g grow out w/ Reef Breeders

10/15/2009, 06:20 PM	#17
woody283 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Hustisford WI Posts: 132	I would think it woud be fine if both are bieng fed raw water from the tank. as in seperate overflows and seperate chambers in the sump. If you have them in the same compartment they may fight each other. __________________ If all else fails, use a bigger hammer. Current Tank Info: 30 gallon cube SPS, 65g sps in the works (slowly but surely)

10/15/2009, 07:09 PM	#18
broke1 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: IL Posts: 1,721	I asked this question about a month ago, but got no response. I am running two right now. It's a weird set up, but I have a standard sump inside a Rubbermaid sump. One of the skimmers is internal, the other is external. The DT drains back to the standard sumps first compartment which is where the externals pump is it run trough the skimmer and drains back into the Rubbermaid. The internal is in the second compartmet, so it get's any water the external misses, so the skimmers never see any of the same water twice in the sump. __________________ Removed. Current Tank Info: Too big, yet too small

10/14/2009, 07:30 AM	#2
Boyman Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York, New York Posts: 327	Hi, I worked with a 500G System @ work and the tank did much better when we switched over to one big skimmer. We originally ran 2 medium sized skimmers. I also read somewhere that it is better to run one large skimmer. I don't remember where thought But it was def on this forum!

10/14/2009, 09:24 AM	#3
mcbaes72 -Aidan's Daddy. Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Vallejo, CA Posts: 779	Just a thought, maybe two skimmers could work if the tank had two overflows, one in each corner. If that were the case, a sump beneath either one could house a skimmer and each is skimming half the tank. Not saying I'd do this myself nor know anyone that does, but it's possible and I could see that happening when you have two corner overflows on a long tank.

10/14/2009, 09:54 AM	#5
1DeR9_3Hy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2,575	I think the TOTM here is running two skimmers, one to skim dry and to skim wet...just a thought.

10/14/2009, 11:34 AM	#6
Tyler Durden Moved On Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Southern California Posts: 113	I would run one big one.

10/14/2009, 12:07 PM	#7
sharrison *"Registered Member"* Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Waynesboro, TN Posts: 354	There is nothing wrong with using 2 skimmers. Ive done it in the past and going to do it on this 180 gallon build. I know people that have run more than 2. For people to say why not jsut 1 big one. if that the case why not just run 2 big ones? the more you have skimming the more it's going to pull out of the water. I mean, this isn't rocket sicence.

10/14/2009, 12:18 PM	#8
Tyler Durden Moved On Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Southern California Posts: 113	I ran two skimmers for a week. The first one skimmed everything that could be skimmed. The second one didn't produce anything. If you have two crappy skimmers then by all means run two. I think it's better to just invest in one really good skimmer.

10/14/2009, 12:19 PM	#9
sharrison *"Registered Member"* Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Waynesboro, TN Posts: 354	Well i ran two ASM's on my 110 for 5 years and they both worked perfectly. I will be running 2 I-tech on this 180 Oh 1 thing it will depend on how wet you ru nthe skimmers as well. I ran one of mine semi-wet and the other really wet. I was letting the skimmers preform my water changes.

10/14/2009, 01:15 PM	#10
Tyler Durden Moved On Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Southern California Posts: 113	ASM's are crap skimmers. Speaking from experience.

10/14/2009, 02:03 PM	#12
flameangel88 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: NJ Posts: 3,998	Getting a tank upgrade has taken much longer than I expected but due to the high bio-load so I went upgrading the skimmer first. I was going to take the smaller one offline once the new one breaks in but having two in the tank didn't affect the older skimmer's performance. The new one is pulling in a very good amount so I decided to leave both in and I usually skim wet anyway and look at it as water change. The downside is I don't have a sump and both does take up valuable space.

10/14/2009, 03:42 PM	#14
sharrison *"Registered Member"* Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Waynesboro, TN Posts: 354	I would run 2 of what ever brands you want, if I were you. I was pulling 2.5 gallons of really nasty stuff from my 110 every week. I found it to be a dual purpose. It was skimming and pulling enough water for me to feed my auto top off to the tank every week. That's a pretty decent warter change with no hands on. Just a thought.

10/15/2009, 05:50 PM	#16
Tyler Durden Moved On Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Southern California Posts: 113	One skimmer can do the work of two as long is it's rated for the proper volume of water. One skimmer is more efficient in regards to energy usage. It's also a lot easier to clean one skimmer instead of two. Also takes less room in your sump.

10/21/2009, 11:30 AM	#19
cvye Reefer Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: RI Posts: 344	good and bad the good - redundancy, A. Calfo recommends 2 as a safety measure the bad - less efficiency - skimmers work better on dirtier water, when one 'cleans' the water a bit, the other won't be able to pull as much out (my oversized skimmer works in pulses); not to mention the energy bills...

10/21/2009, 01:21 PM	#20
KafudaFish Cyprinius carpio Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 4,496	So I guess the biggest question is how will they be plumbed? If they are both getting fed directly from the display would that not reduce the issue of one getting cleaner water and being less efficient at removing wastes?