suggetsions or advice?

Redbeard · 09-08-2004, 04:49 PM

I got this AquaClear Pro 150 Wet/Dry filter, took out the bio-balls and the foam block then put in an aquarium divider for a baffle, kinda small but works fine.

I'm concerned about the design of the protein skimmer. All the other skimmers I've seen have a kind of inverted funnel at the top of the column that channels the skimmet through a smaller tube where it spills over into the collection cup. This one is flat where the top of the column meets the bottom of the collection cup, a tremendous amount of skimmet collects BELOW the cup before it starts getting pushed through the upper tube where it can spill into the collection cup.

What ends up in the cup looks like it should based on what I've read, dark green, almost brown, smells like the devil but it never really fills the cup up to where it can run out into the bottle. All around the top of the column and the bottom of the cup is covered with a thick layer of black crud. I'm worried about all the stuff that collects below the cup going back into the tank when I pull the skimmer out to clean it.

The way this thing is designed there's no way to adjust the water level in that part of the sump, you can't raise or lower the column or anything like that, the only thing you can adjust is the air intake which is wide open. The water level is about 1.5 (+/-) inches below the the bottom of the cup.

Anybody have any suggestions or advice? Anybody else have this kind of problem to deal with? Should I try to modify this thing? I was thinking of cutting a plastic funnel to fit the space between the column and the upper tube and gluing it in place. Think that would help?

TIA
Ted

JohnO · 09-08-2004, 05:10 PM

Well Ted,

The way I look at it, you are obviously not happy with the skimmer and you would probably want to buy a new one anyway. So you have nothing to lose, modify it and see if it works :-)

Worst that could happen is you get a new skimmer

John

Redbeard · 09-08-2004, 06:16 PM

It's not that I'm not happy with it, I think it does a really good job of stripping crap out of the water. I just need to figure out a way to make it get all the crap into the collection cup.

Birdlady · 09-08-2004, 06:25 PM

Hi Redbeard!

I have the Red Sea Berlin Classic skimmer which also is flat at the top and not tapered...I have no problem getting crud over the top. I did however upgrade from the recommended pump from a 500 gph to a 950 gph. Maybe you can borrow a larger pump to see if that helps? What is the flow of the Cap 1800?

Just an idea.......

JohnO · 09-08-2004, 06:25 PM

OH OK :-)

I'm not sure it's that unusual for a layer of sludge to collect just under the cup, in the reaction chamber. My Nautilus skimmer did the same thing :-)

John

Redbeard · 09-08-2004, 07:16 PM

On the chart on the box the cap-1800 came in it's between 600 and 650 gph at 0 head. The skimmer is 4" diameter and about 13" from the opening at the bottom to the bottom of the cup. Not sure there's room for a bigger pump in there, it's kind of a tight fit.

I didn't know it was not unusual for the sludge to collect under the cup. One of the selling points of this thing is that you can simply pull the skimmer out for cleaning without shutting anything off. That is in fact the case. But if you didn't want the sludge under the cup to get back into the tank then you'd have to shut the circulation pump off and completely drain the chamber the skimmer sits in.

Ted

Redbeard · 09-09-2004, 08:03 PM

How worried should I be about the sludge that goes back into the tank when I pull the skimmer out? It's not that much but it seems like it would be a kind of "toxin concentrate".

Well, I put the perforated tray and filter pad back in the top of the sump and that caused the water level in the skimmer chamber to raise about an inch. Not much room left to try to taper it. On the bright side there's much less foam collecting below the cup, more going into it. But now it's raining in the sump and I had to take out the baffle to get the tray in, so it looks like the tank is filled with champagne.

I guess I could cut a piece of acrylic and stick it on the divider between the skimmer and the main part of the sump to raise the water level in the skimmer chamber without having to leave the tray/pad in there. Then I could put the baffle back in.

Ted