Protein skimmer only 1 pint every 2-3 weeks

[Galvan]

have a 75 gallon, 7 animals, 90lbs of LR, wet dry filter with skimmer.

I have tweaked this skimmer many a times but I do not get very much waste. Every once in a while the I will see skimmer accumulating waste. Is this the way a skimmer should work off an on?

water levels are good only have nitrate about 40-60 and have not been able to get that down. Isn't a skimmer a skimmer and if there is waste it will pick up. My air bubbles seem to be O.K. I just can not get the foam up to cup but then the skimmer will pick waste every once is while.

 

[Len]

The only way to get your skimmer to produce more skimmate is if you either raise the water level in the skimmer or if you inject a lot more air into the skimmer. Some people prefer to run it dry like you are doing (even though you aren't doing it intentionally). Others like to run it wet. If you want it to produce more, you'll have to close down the outlet, pump in more water, or get more air into the skimmer.

In my old 120 gallon, I had my skimmer running almost as dry as yours. In my current tank, it runs more wet. I get about a pint a week now.

 

[Anonymous]

Isn't a skimmer a skimmer and if there is waste it will pick up.

Not in my opinion. I believe any skimmer will pull from a high bioload/overfed tank but the better skimmers will pull foam from even the low bioload tanks.

That being said, if you're water is good and phosphate is low then it's probably perfectly adequate.

 

[LA-Lawman]

what kind of skimmer is it?

 

[trido]

WOW!! I think this is Guys' first post in at least eight months. And I thought he was gone from RDO forever.

 

[Anonymous]

He got sucked into the sump.
He seems to be recovering.

 

[bleedingthought]

Guy still posts in photography! :wink: