How wet do you skim???
- Thread starter Andrew_bram
- Start date
I tried this. My main issue was trying to keep up with the small top offs and gauging how much SW was pulled out in a day that would need to be replaced. In the end, it seemed like I wasn’t getting much benefit from a wet skim, and I was having salinity fluctuations as my ATO would top off the tank too much and slowly lower the SG through the week. My tank was FOWLR at the time, so I didn’t have any serious repercussions…but I wasn’t happy with the results
I thought so at first, but now I disagree with that concept. I notice that when my tank gets a nice dark skimmate, I have much less nuisance algae and cyano issues in the tank. With a wet skim it seemed like it was just bubbling over a lot of water without actually pulling much gunk out of the tank. I think the key with pulling a dark skimmate and having effective nutrient export is simply maintaining your skimmer. Once it’s fine-tuned to pull out a dark skimmate, it doesn’t take much for your skimmer to stop pulling. Sticking your hands in the tank, not cleaning the neck often enough…next thing you know the skimmer isn’t pulling anything at all and is essentially useless. With a wet skim, you have more “margin for error” in that you will likely always be pulling “something” out, but I don’t think a wet skim is more effective than a properly maintained skimmer pulling out dark skimmate.
I have to dump my cup 2x a week and get a dark skimmate. You can barely see through it if you hold it up to the light, and I do have to make tiny adjustments (or thoroughly clean the neck of the collection cup) every once in a while if I notice that it stops skimming. Check out the video link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6_t5ziZ3vU
I know…not everyone agrees with all of his videos, but he does make a seemingly valid point. The larger bubbles are incapable of lifting and removing very small particles of waste from the tank. A wet skim is likely not pulling that out…when you have very fine bubbles in the neck, from what I’ve seen, you do end up with a darker skimmate. FWIW I took the advice given in that video and have definitely seen some improvements after going with a darker skimmate…what I had been pulling previously was that tea color that he wasn’t satisfied with in the beginning.
I thought so at first, but now I disagree with that concept. I notice that when my tank gets a nice dark skimmate, I have much less nuisance algae and cyano issues in the tank. With a wet skim it seemed like it was just bubbling over a lot of water without actually pulling much gunk out of the tank. I think the key with pulling a dark skimmate and having effective nutrient export is simply maintaining your skimmer. Once it’s fine-tuned to pull out a dark skimmate, it doesn’t take much for your skimmer to stop pulling. Sticking your hands in the tank, not cleaning the neck often enough…next thing you know the skimmer isn’t pulling anything at all and is essentially useless. With a wet skim, you have more “margin for error” in that you will likely always be pulling “something” out, but I don’t think a wet skim is more effective than a properly maintained skimmer pulling out dark skimmate.
I have to dump my cup 2x a week and get a dark skimmate. You can barely see through it if you hold it up to the light, and I do have to make tiny adjustments (or thoroughly clean the neck of the collection cup) every once in a while if I notice that it stops skimming. Check out the video link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6_t5ziZ3vU
I know…not everyone agrees with all of his videos, but he does make a seemingly valid point. The larger bubbles are incapable of lifting and removing very small particles of waste from the tank. A wet skim is likely not pulling that out…when you have very fine bubbles in the neck, from what I’ve seen, you do end up with a darker skimmate. FWIW I took the advice given in that video and have definitely seen some improvements after going with a darker skimmate…what I had been pulling previously was that tea color that he wasn’t satisfied with in the beginning.
I like to dump mine about once a week with some nasty build up in the neck and a thicker sludge in the cup 'roundabout motor oil consistency.
There was a really bad study that compared organics in skimmate from different kinds of skimmers with different settings. They basically concluded that with the same skimmer somewhat wet to somewhat dry is about the same - too wet or too dry is not as good.
There was a really bad study that compared organics in skimmate from different kinds of skimmers with different settings. They basically concluded that with the same skimmer somewhat wet to somewhat dry is about the same - too wet or too dry is not as good.
Good video. As far as top off goes I do that manually but replacing saltwater could be easy have a 5 gallon bucket full of saltwater with a lid. I already rinse skimmer cup every day so I could just scoup the cup in bucket so I put in what I pull out. I am just brainstorming here not putting my hands in my tank lol. Interesting to see that so far most like it darker and dryer. Looking forward to seeing a lot more answers.
I think this would be relevant to the topic: http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/product/proteinskimmers/SWABBIE
I never focused on wet or dry just so long as the bubbles lower in the column were smaller and the bubbles at the top were big and nasty looking. For a while I wasn't getting a lot in my collection bucket but now there is like an inch about every two weeks and it is watery but dark. Mine drains into a 5 gallon bucket.