ETSS Skimmer Club!

[rigleautomotive]

new ball always help it run to peak performance but you can see how it works with the old ones.i change mine about every 6 months or so and when i do my skimmers really kick a$$ until they get old again

[jdieck]

Yes, the recomendation is to replace the balls at leas once a year.
They are not expensive anyways.

[jrmx635]

just wondering what pumps people are running on their etss 600's or 800's??
I run a mag 12 because it's quiet but am looking for more options.
Looking to see what pumps you guys run that are quiet!!
no gen-x or iwakis please

[diverdick]

I run the specified Iwaki 55rlt on my 800 & it is hands down the most impressive skimmer I have ever run &/or seen. Before that 55rlt, I tried to cheap out with a smaller pump. It worked OK, after the upgrade - not any comparison. Go with the specified pump - IMHO. BTW, I have a total of ~ 320 gallons of water.

--Rich

[rigleautomotive]

the larger ETSS skimmers do not work well with mag pumps.If you ever tried a iwalki or blue line pressure rated pump on one of these skimmers you would see why people really love them.when i ran mag pumps on the several downdrafts i have i was disappointed for sure.no where near what they were capable of.

[cnaegler]

Originally posted by rigleautomotive
the larger ETSS skimmers do not work well with mag pumps.If you ever tried a iwalki or blue line pressure rated pump on one of these skimmers you would see why people really love them.when i ran mag pumps on the several downdrafts i have i was disappointed for sure.no where near what they were capable of.

Ditto! i run a pan-world 200 on my ETSS 1000 and wow!

[cnaegler]

Well guys, after reading jdieck and rigleautomotives post i figured i'd replace my bio-balls in my ETSS 1000 as well, because they'd been in there about a year and a half and have all kinds of gunk stuck in them. It turns out i had 65 balls instead of the recommended 55 so i only put 55 in it. Well, i don't know what happened but this thing doesn't skim..it just overflows now. originally i had the ball valve open approx. 3/4 of the way but, now it's fully open and i have to gate my panworld 200 pump's output down about a 1/4 of the way just so it doesn't overflow continuously. The water level is extremely inconsistent now so i can't get a set level...it jumps up and down. Just as a side note i did not "clean' the riser tubes...only wiped them down to remove the buildup so it shouldn't be breaking in again. I feel like something's wrong because it's rated to use as strong a pump9 Iwaki 70) or stronger( Iwaki 100) so i feel like i shouldn't have to gate the pump back. Any feedback on what could be going on?

[diverdick]

Cnaegler, can you post a photo of your system? Maybe a look will spur the answer.

[rigleautomotive]

Originally posted by cnaegler
Well guys, after reading jdieck and rigleautomotives post i figured i'd replace my bio-balls in my ETSS 1000 as well, because they'd been in there about a year and a half and have all kinds of gunk stuck in them. It turns out i had 65 balls instead of the recommended 55 so i only put 55 in it. Well, i don't know what happened but this thing doesn't skim..it just overflows now. originally i had the ball valve open approx. 3/4 of the way but, now it's fully open and i have to gate my panworld 200 pump's output down about a 1/4 of the way just so it doesn't overflow continuously. The water level is extremely inconsistent now so i can't get a set level...it jumps up and down. Just as a side note i did not "clean' the riser tubes...only wiped them down to remove the buildup so it shouldn't be breaking in again. I feel like something's wrong because it's rated to use as strong a pump9 Iwaki 70) or stronger( Iwaki 100) so i feel like i shouldn't have to gate the pump back. Any feedback on what could be going on?

well it sounds like the output is restricted in some way or you need more balls in the reaction chamber.are they the same type and size balls as before?

[cnaegler]

OK guys, After giving it a little time with the gate valve on the pump output closed about a quarter of the way, it started skimming. However, i guess i got used to the way the bubbles used to look as they entered the first riser tube. They used to be small, fine bubbles. Now they are large and they seem to "jump" around a bit much. But i get a foam head so... I guess maybe it needs to break in again? Maybe i should give it a day or two? At least it's not overflowing anymore. Just seems like a waste of electricity, using 300 watts of power but not getting the pump's total output.
It has me seriously considering selling the pump and skimmer and getting a new Vertex Alpha 300 cone skimmer. Hmmmm...

[rigleautomotive]

i have been told that when you throttle these pumps back they consume less electricity but if you want an low energy skimmer these are not.

[ostrow]

Originally posted by cnaegler
It has me seriously considering selling the pump and skimmer and getting a new Vertex Alpha 300 cone skimmer. Hmmmm...

There is no way any needlewheel/meshwheel skimmer can come anywhere, and I mean anywhere, close to what an ETSS 1000 will do. It is like comparing a Hot Wheels to a genuine Porsche 911.

Either the bio-balls had residue on them, or you didn't get the right ones (are you sure you got the 1.25" balls?) or something is restricting skimmer output. Something isn't right.

I believe I have 60 of the balls in there, by the way. You can do some fine-tuning on the skimmer by adding a few -- Jose will be able to chime in more on how to do that, I'm not sure I have that down pat.

Also it is perfectly normal and even good to throttle the pump output back a bit. Consumes less power, and will result in a steadier water input. So that might also account in part for the changes you see.

[cnaegler]

Ostrow,
Thanks for your input! I'm sure it's something i've done. I was very pleased with it's performance before i changed out the balls because the ones i had in there were absolutely gunked up! I think i might try another 5 balls just to see. The bubbles were definitely finer when i had more balls in there. Now the bubbles are way larger than they were. I wiil try that and report back. Thanks again everyone for their input!

[jdieck]

Yes, try increasing back de number of balls. If that does not work as you wish you may need to restrict the air at the output (At the cup drain) or use a waste collector.

[cnaegler]

Ostrow,
Do you run an ETSS 1000 on your tank as well? Thanks jdieck, i'm in the process of as we speak.

[jdieck]

Originally posted by cnaegler
Ostrow,
Do you run an ETSS 1000 on your tank as well? Thanks jdieck, i'm in the process of as we speak.

I used to run an older model 1000 which I converted to 1500, if I remember well I was running 62 balls with an iwaky 70 RLT.

[cnaegler]

I'm running an older model 1000 with a panworld 200. I went ahead and upped it to 63 balls to see how it goes.

[ostrow]

ETSS 1000 Skimmer Rocks!

Yep, as you see. I have it T-ed off of my Hammerhead. But the GPH going in is probably 1200 or so.

[Nomadic]

....pretty cool reading posts on those ETSS SKIMMERS . I used to work for Gary,(the owner), building them when he was running the shop out of his basement and fighting for his Pat #. I still have that little ole ETS 600 skimmer. Still has the Pat. pending # on it lol. In the almost 15 years i`ve owned it , its only had to be reglued once in a small spot.
Now, its skimming a 430 gal modified Environmental Gradient Cryptic Sponge/Sea Squirt filtration system. It`s working great.

[cnaegler]

Ok, update. i went up to 63 balls and it seems to work alot better. I'm going back to what balls i had in it originally... which was 65. I also like the idea of gating back the pump a little to save on electricity.
I want to thank Ostrow for making me reconsider getting a new needlwheel/ mesh skimmer. i didn't need to spend the extra money on that when i have a good skimmer here at home. So... i spent a bunch on some acan lord colonies instead

[DPalm3]

I haven't had much success with my ETSS 600. Maybe it's my impatience, but I can't find the sweet spots. I'm looking to sell this beautiful skimmer

[Nomadic]

.....what size pump are you using for it??? I currently use a Gen-X PCX 40. Seems perfect. I HAD used a Iwaski 55 RLT...we were testing various sized pumps for the 600 with different nozzle fittings.......OOOH that 600 went like a bat out of he** then. But no, the 55 was a bit much hehe.

[DPalm3]

ok so i was just tweaking with the skimmer a bit more... i hooked up my hammerhead to it and it finally produced good bubbles. the only problem is that my hammerhead is for the return.. i have an iwaki that i can set up to the skimmer but how much pressure do i need?

if i dont have enough pressure when i raise the water level in the skimmer, my air feed dies
what do i do?

[Nomadic]

for an ETSS 600 an Iswaki 40 rlt,(Jap model) or Gen-x 40 should be all you need. Either way make sure it`s a pressure rated pump. Remember it will take about 3 days for your skimmer to "break in".
So, once you set it, watch it. Once it reaches the break in point, it really cranks and you may have to adjust the gate valve. Also, remember, adjusting no more then 1/4 turn in a 24 hour time is a safe practice.

[Ctsaltwaterguy]

Picked up an ETSS 2000, what size pump and line do you recommend? How would it perform off a 1 hp pump using a manifold to feed the 6 tanks also?