got the skimmer...

[cocoa_pleco]

got my new skimmer, its a 75g model and was $80 regular $200, and the brands weipro.

it came with no instructions, but i managed to build it. just 2 questions

a) what size of powerhead do i need for it? i have a few spare 55g ones so hopefully one will work

b) do you need to hold your finger on the skinny side air tube to prime it?

[cocoa_pleco]

anybody know? lol. i asked at the LFS and they didnt even know

[~Erik3.8.07~]

sry i wish i could help but i barely know what a skimmer is lol

[Rue]

Well, unless I'm confused...the powerheads are independent of the skimmer...at least they are in my tank...I have 2...one points off-center and the other points towards the top to create surface agitation. I make sure all area of the tank have at least some water flow.

My skimmer primed itself...if it's called priming with a skimmer...all I did was adjust the little screw on the air intake to adjust the bubbling so I get enough dryish skimmate...

[cocoa_pleco]

so far i think ive got it good. i tried a 55g powerhead and the water is 1" below the line on the skimmer.

i primed it by clogging the air intake for a few seconds, and right now theres just water and bubbles flying allover. it takes 3 days to a month to get it actually foaming, right?

[Rue]

It does need a 'break in' period...everyone's agreed on that pretty much...

...and if you have nothing to skim...you won't get skimmate...but mostly you need to play with the air intake and adjust it...

So take notes...and with every change wait a couple of days to see how much skimmate your getting...and then when you've got that figured out, set it to get the max...

[squirt_12]

very cool cocoa......could you post a pic of what it looks like???? i have never seen a skimmer before so i think that it would be cool to see.

[cocoa_pleco]

yep, just 2 minutes......

[cocoa_pleco]

the first one has the powerhead that pumps water into the skimmer, then it outputs through the sponge, and the second is the skimmer from the back

[squirt_12]

cool.....it is very...weird looking.....lol....but still very cool :thumb:

[Drumachine09]

Geeze, thats one helluva skimmer cup!

[cocoa_pleco]

its monster! the bad part about my old skimmer (HOB like a aquaclear form) is it skimmed right away, and for 5 hours i had to empty the cup every minute until it worked out. this ones going way better

[unleashed]

just to let you know

weipro = crap

However, it is better than nothing. I am picking up a Reef Octopus BH-300 next week. Caulerpa is not growing as fast as I would like so I am adding a skimmer

[cocoa_pleco]

to be honest i figured it was crap, the store imports alot from china and i kinda figured so.

i was going to buy a coralife skimmer for $200 but i figured i dont need a high quality skimmer