Is it possible to over skimm?

mraafat · 04/22/2006, 06:05 PM

I have a 120 gallon tank with a 20g sump, and was looking at purchasing one of deltec's skimmer's that is rated for 500g tank. Is it possible to over skimm? What would be the effect of having such a powerful skimmer on a smaller system than what it was intended for?

Alaskan Reefer · 04/22/2006, 06:37 PM

Should just keep the water cleaner. Some suggest that you can skim out trace elements, but I haven't ever known that to be true in my tanks.

Andrew · 04/22/2006, 06:40 PM

Just get a bigger tank

It should be fine. Many people have skimmers rated for 2-3 times their system size.

manderx · 04/22/2006, 06:44 PM

i have a deltec 902 on ~80 gallons at the moment. it really doesn't do much, just idles waiting for something to poop. mostly it just lays gunk in the neck and there's more condensation in the cup than honest skimmate. so i use a silicone spatula to scrape it out every other day or so.

i think when you get too crazy oversized like this, it does worse than a smaller skimmer since it can't reach and then maintain a critical mass of foam head that then helps push the rest of the junk up into the cup. my previous MR-1 did better (more, darker and stinkier). got mine for a near future tank upgrade, so i'm withholding judgement till then really. it would do *alot* better on my current tank if the neck was narrower and taller. been thinking of fabricating an insert to fill part of the neck to make it effectively narrower till i have the tank that can utilize the whole thing.

there's enough short fuzz algae and a few globs of green slime here and there that i know my water's not all that clean. but i have noticed a huge improvement from dosing iodine, even though i feed heavily with frozen and pellet food.

Ti · 04/22/2006, 07:48 PM

Nah never

04/22/2006, 06:05 PM	#1
mraafat Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: California Posts: 228	Is it possible to over skimm? I have a 120 gallon tank with a 20g sump, and was looking at purchasing one of deltec's skimmer's that is rated for 500g tank. Is it possible to over skimm? What would be the effect of having such a powerful skimmer on a smaller system than what it was intended for?

04/22/2006, 06:37 PM	#2
Alaskan Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 2,360	Should just keep the water cleaner. Some suggest that you can skim out trace elements, but I haven't ever known that to be true in my tanks. __________________ Unattended children will be given double shot espresso and a free puppy. Current Tank Info: 125g FOWLR -- Conversion Back To SPS In Progress

04/22/2006, 07:48 PM	#5
Ti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 7,927	Nah never __________________ Hair algae is my Macro algae.

04/22/2006, 06:40 PM	#3
Andrew Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 13,640	Just get a bigger tank It should be fine. Many people have skimmers rated for 2-3 times their system size.

04/22/2006, 06:44 PM	#4
manderx Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Christiansburg, VA Posts: 4,893	i have a deltec 902 on ~80 gallons at the moment. it really doesn't do much, just idles waiting for something to poop. mostly it just lays gunk in the neck and there's more condensation in the cup than honest skimmate. so i use a silicone spatula to scrape it out every other day or so. i think when you get too crazy oversized like this, it does worse than a smaller skimmer since it can't reach and then maintain a critical mass of foam head that then helps push the rest of the junk up into the cup. my previous MR-1 did better (more, darker and stinkier). got mine for a near future tank upgrade, so i'm withholding judgement till then really. it would do alot better on my current tank if the neck was narrower and taller. been thinking of fabricating an insert to fill part of the neck to make it effectively narrower till i have the tank that can utilize the whole thing. there's enough short fuzz algae and a few globs of green slime here and there that i know my water's not all that clean. but i have noticed a huge improvement from dosing iodine, even though i feed heavily with frozen and pellet food.