White Elephant Skimmer

[MightyMike]

So I think I bit off more than I can chew ... let me preface by saying that I did not get my skimmer up and running yet, nor do I plan to for some time. I was under the impression that in general, one cannot over-skim, but perhaps I am mistaken. I bought the Barr Aquatic 5220 from Paul (Kimoyo). http://barraquatic.com/super_skimmers.php I was planning to use this on the 120 gal tank I also bought from him. I know that skimming at such high levels would remove trace elements and maybe impact some SPS, but I rushed. I didn't do enough homework. :irked: I'm wondering what people would suggest to do ...

 

[fritz]

I'd hook it up and skim away.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

just think of the positives.

- you can have tons of fish
- you can feed all you want

 

[meschaefer]

I know that skimming at such high levels would remove trace elements...

I have heard people claim this as well, but I am skeptical. Does anybody have any objective proof of this? Or care to explain how skimming could remove trace elements?

 

[Deanos]

I have heard people claim this as well, but I am skeptical.

I agree with Matt, but even if it were true, I'd rather replace trace elements than try to remove nitrates because I was not skimming enough.

 

[MightyMike]

Wow. I'm sooo glad to hear this. I guess I'm going to have to get used to my fiancee saying "oh no, that looks waaay too big!" :biggrin: Should I also not be worried about the massive amount (how much really?) of energy I will need to run the dual beckett? :scratchch Or the 1600gph on such a "small" system?

 

[cali_reef]

I don't think you can over skim a tank..
However, at some point you must think about the cost and issues running an over sized skimmer vs. the actual requirement to skim the tank properly.

That skimmer is way too big for your 120 gallon tank. You fianc?e will not like the noise and the subsequent electric bill. You may also have some micro bubble issues with such large flow thru a sump that can fit under your tank.

Run it for a while and decide for your self.

 

[meschaefer]

I guess I'm going to have to get used to my fiancee saying "oh no, that looks waaay too big!"

welcome to my world.

 

[cali_reef]

welcome to my world.

Get your own fishroom and tell her to stay out.

 

[MightyMike]

I don't have a stand yet, so I'm imagining trying to stick a I dunno 90 gal? 70gal sump under the 120, still too small probably huh? even if I run the skimmer external of the sump?

 

[cali_reef]

Keep in mind you will be flowing approximately 1,500 GPH through the sump with this skimmer, in addition to your tank drain. That's about a 40X turn over rate if you use a 75gallon tank and fill it half way. I used a 5 foot 100 gallon tank as my sump when I ran the Barr 4220, still had to build a dedicated bubble trap to eliminate the bubbles.

Heat generated by the large pump needed to drive the tall twin becketts will be another HUGE issue I forgot to mention. Rich(Jackson6745) needed to have a chiller on few hours a day to cool the tank with a large pump driving a short twin beckett, even in the winter time.

 

[prattreef]

I agree that skimmer is serious overkill for a 120g. You might want to try to resell it ( they are in demand) and buy a single Beckett , or other more suitably sized skimmer and spend the savings on other tank upgrades if need be.

 

[kimoyo]

Mike,

Don't worry about overskimming and really don't worry about removing trace elements. Buy a sequence pump for the skimmer and you'll be straight. If your going to use one beckett a dart should be fine (I was using a hammerhead as a return also), they are quiet and relatively low watts, and you can probably use it as a return also with one beckett. Also think about modding the beckett which should drop your pump requirements. There's a thread on RC about it, you basically drill a bunch of small holes and close up the 4 big holes. Cali_reef and jackson6745 weren't using sequence pumps and the pump is the biggest factor in noise and heat generation. I used a few different pumps including the tunze master pump which was crap, but the sequence pumps are nice. They were using both becketts, so if you really are using only one you really won't have a problem. Basically more water helps to dissipate the heat from the pump. Most pumps strong enough for 2 beckett skimmers will put out just a bit more heat then a 120G can dissipate and raise the temp of the tank which your chiller has to compensate for (your going to need a chiller anyway). You can help this situation by having a big sump (increasing your water volume), which jackson6475 didn't have, and limiting the tank's electricity draw.

The becketts generate a lot of bubbles, which is a good thing and why they are some powerful. But you need to get rid of them before they go back into the tank. Cali_reef gave me some good advice that helped but I don't think he was using baffles, just a bubble trap and a long sump, a combination will really solve bubble issues. If you want, by the middle of January I can help you make a sump. A long sump (4ft) with 5 baffles and a bubble trap should be fine.

Also, I had 2 foot tall space under my tank which I didn't think was enough. Just a little advice which you don't need to take, try not to believe everything you read on RC. The vast majority of the people on MR know what they are talking about and I would ask here first and use common sense before worrying. You can't overskim because skimmer don't remove nutrients directly, they remove them indirectly. It hasn't been shown yet that skimmers remove bacteria and they don't remove ammonia directly which corals use. The main thing you want your skimmer to remove is nitrates which it doesn't do directly also. To me a skimmer is fighting a losing battle because it can only react, your still going to need to do water changes even with that skimmer. Take a look at this tank and you decide, http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-01/totm/index.php.

 

[MightyMike]

I'm not making any quick decisions. <-(Look at me trying to sound smart) But the benefit of my situation is that I can correct things before they get set up. Ideally, I'd like to get the "right" equipment for the tank, rather than mod the stuff I've bought. I'm not sure that what I've got is "right" or "wrong" but it seems that there might be a better fit out there. For example, I'm sure I'm going to need a chiller, but the chiller wouldn't be a way to alleviate overheating that could be otherwise avoided. If I can avoid the heat in the first place, I'd prefer to do that, as opposed to over-buying, over-pumping, over-heating, and then running the chiller to compensate. Also, I still don't know if this is a skimmer that would have be in-sump, and if the pumps are always in-sump..

Please folks I need your input, the more the better...

 

[cali_reef]

Paul, I used a sequence pump on my Barr, a big one too:lol2:..

The motors on the new Darts gets HOT.. I am using one as a closed loop pump.