How often do you guys empty your skimmer cups??????

[steri]

Originally, I only had to do this once every week to 10 days. I have a remora pro skimmer with Mag 3. for the last say 2 months, I've had to empty my skimmer cup twice a week. The odd thing is, nothing has significantly changed in my tank.

I did have a cleaner shrimp die about 2 weeks ago (pretty sure he was just old), and I replaced him, but no other deaths to report. I haven't lost any crabs, that I can see. I haven't lost any fish, or added any fish in about 6 months.

So, now that I have to clean and empty my cup twice a week, I figured I would ask, how often do you have to empty your cups? Is a couple times a week normal for everyone else? I think it is, I just wanted to make sure.

[Aquarist007]

every second day----same with filter sock.

[Mavrk]

Every other day here too. I could run less wet and go every third day (or longer), but I prefer to run wetter.

[an411]

Now when you guys say empty do you just empty the stuff that is in there or do you empty it cause the collection cup is full

[nightOwl]

I run an Aqua C 180 on a 90 and empty/clean the cup and the neck of the skimmer everyday. I empty every day because within 24 hours it has reached the drain on the cup. When I feed the tank heavy, about once a week I have to empty the cup sooner especially if I use a whole cut up shrimp.

Hope that helps,

Henry

[DetectiveTofu]

wow, I feel bad. I empty my cpr backpak collection cup every week. It's about 1/2-3/4 way full.

[loosecannon]

I have lps and soffty`s, so I under skim. 2 times a week.

[an411]

Yeah I do mine once a week and its only 1/2 full. Is there any advantage to emptying a couple times a week

[USC-fan]

i do it every other day and sometime once a day. my skimmate cup is 3/4 full by then. I clean it right after i feed my tank since the foam head will collapse anyway.

If you don't clean you collection cup often, you are hurting the performance of your skimmer.

[steri]

Wow, e/o day! Ok, so now I feel better kinda. Now I wonder if my skimmer is working to it's full potential with me only having to empty it twice a week. All I have in my tank coral wise is softies and zoas. They all are doing awesome, so I never really worried about ti too much. I did hear that Remoras generally pulled out less skimmate then some of the others skimmers out there, so maybe that's why I only need to do twice a week now (or once a week in the beginning).

When I empty the cup though, it's completely full.

Thanks for the responces!

[moo0o]

what the...i empty my skimmer cup once every two weeks.... uh oh.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by moo0o
what the...i empty my skimmer cup once every two weeks.... uh oh.

oh boy--you students probably the same time as you do the wash, change your clothes, do the dishes and make the bed-LOL

[Aquarist007]

....should add --the main reason for emptying the cup is that it can effect the effeciency of the protein skimmer itself indirectly by collapsing the air column

[wrasseguy2]

i empty and clean mine every other day..and it is always pretty full and nasty needs cleaning every time also

[Aquarist007]

I find I have to clean/scrub the scum off of the inner tube of the cup also---if I don't it breaks the foam column

[Mavrk]

One reason to run wetter is that it is like a bunch of mini water changes. My column is dirty within a day. I don't really notice a foam drop off if I don't clean it, but I have not really been keeping track of any differences.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Mavrk
One reason to run wetter is that it is like a bunch of mini water changes. My column is dirty within a day. I don't really notice a foam drop off if I don't clean it, but I have not really been keeping track of any differences.

Mavrk--what kind of skimmer are you running--- I am running the berlin---and find that the inner tube (in the cup area) really gets gummed up fast--if I don't scrub off that scumb then if is either difficult to get a good skimming column or I don't get one at all--just runs wet.

[Mavrk]

I have the tunze 1910.

[Aquarist007]

yeah that a far better(more effecient skimmer) I don't know just yet if I am going to upgrade my skimmer or replace it with a second mud refugium

[Mavrk]

when i first got the 1910, I thought it was going to be totally underpowered for my 90g tank (even though everyone said it would be great). It is so small in comparison to other skimmers. I can't believe how much skimmate this thing can produce. I am very impressed that something with such a small footprint can do that kind of work.

[swreefers]

I empty and wash out my skimmer cup every third day of use so two to three times a week. It will be 25 % full of wet skimmate and the balance is solid foam ,the throat is covered in slim build up but it all gets washed down with hot water to rinse clean. I will usually wipe down

[uscharalph]

About every 5-6 days.

[sruiz]

as soon as it gets full.

[fastfish]

I empty my skimmer collection cup every day. Also, I clean up the neck inside every other day. It will help to maintain its efficiency over time.

[EdKruzel]

Many of you don't understand the workings of an efficient skimmer; key word being efficient. If your skimmer cup needs to be emptied often, then there are huge amounts of DOS in the system. Now if you clean it often to keep the neck clean, then that's a different story being that all skimmate has to pass through there.

The best analogy I've heard goes something like this:
Once an hour a dump truck leaves a load of fill in your yard; with only a shovel you can throw 75% of the fill from your yard before the next load. You're constantly working and never quite getting the job done but your shovel (the skimmer cup) is always full. In that same scenario you use the bucket on a bobcat; all the fill is cleaned from your yard long before the next load arrives.

An undersized or less efficient skimmer will constantly produce significant amounts because it can't keep up with the waste being accumulated. An efficient skimmer for your tank will produce very little (for the size cup) as used as a constant on a stable system, but will show greater activity during times of increased loads such as feedings.