AquaC Remora question

[Greefer]

I can't seem to adjust the cup so that I get a consistent pull. Sometimes, the skimmate is dry foam, sometimes it is wet and sometimes days go by without getting much in the cup. Anybody out there have any advice?

[impur]

When i had a Remora i added an airstone to it so i could actually get some skimmate out of it. I sold the skimmer after 2 months, it just didn't perform well.

How long have you had it running?

[H20cooled]

I had the same issue with mine, after 2 yrs of messing with it I gave up and sold it. I ended up buying a Tunze 9005 and the difference was night and day between them. The Tunze pulled out more junk in 2 weeks then the Remora did in 2 yrs. The Tunzes are more $$$ but with every penny.

[dippin61]

i just took the rubber "O" ring out and always had it at the bottom of the cup as far as it would go. worked decent for the year i used it.

[Greefer]

Right, I used to dink with the height of the cup all the time. Just recently, I've had it bottomed out to get any skimmate. I just don't know if this is normal.

[dippin61]

id say its pretty normal. and i did notice that the dirtier the riser tube got, sometimes the more finicky the skimmer got.

[Palani]

Yeah, I got the same thing and you constantly have to clean the tube connected to skimmate box in order for it to work, PERIOD. If you don't clean, it will work very little or not at all. I personally keep the skimmate box a little on the high side and clean it every or every other week.

[powdertang05]

you need a more of a pressure pump so like a mag 5 versus the mag 3 the aquac's need pressure to make them work well they just supplie a really low pressure pump.

[dippin61]

you need a more of a pressure pump so like a mag 5 versus the mag 3 the aquac's need pressure to make them work well they just supplie a really low pressure pump.

i agree.. only problem is that the more powerful the pump, i find, the more micro bubbles back you get.

[Greefer]

The skimmer came with a maxi jet 1200. There are micro bubbles that are kinda annoying but I've learned to live with it.

When I first got the skimmer, it would pull quite a bit out and I had to constantly adjust cup height to tweak how wet/dry the skimmate foam was.

I'd say it has been at least two months now that the cup is completely bottomed out and I don't get much. I clean the cup/riser tube every 3-4 days (as I've been doing since day 1). There is still significant muck on the riser tube that collects between cleanings, it's just hard for me to believe that my system has gotten "clean" and not much is coming out. Actual dirty water collected in the cup is very little.

I'm willing to try a different pump if you guys think that will help.

[nu2reef-n]

Have you tried cleaning out the intake tube? There is a small plastic screw located at the top of the intake tube (inside the skimmer housing). Remove that screw and ream the tube with a small round stiff bristled scrub brush (power off of course). That should improve the performance of that model of skimmer.....maybe.

[Greefer]

Hey, I gave that intake tube a real good scrubbing and I think I made a difference. Thanks for the tip.

[mister crabs]

soooo...did we get a consensus as to what is the best pump to use with this skimmer ? just bought a used one for my 40 gal and no pump with it. is a mj1200 enough or what should i order?

[Greefer]

When I bought it online, I could either get a RIO or the MJ1200. I went with the MJ1200.

[Palani]

Hey, this just recently happened. One day NO water was coming through the intake tube. I tried everything, checked the pump, looked at water level. Then I decided to try to clean the intake tube, and Lord behold, there was a huge piece of algae stuck in it! Now it works better than when I bought it used. So like I said before in this tread. You've got to clean it constantly.

[dippin61]

yup.. thats one thing i think everyone can agree on. they need cleaning often to work decently.

as for the pump, id go with a mag 3 or 5. the mj1200 just isnt enough. ive thought about hooking up the venturi line though, since i now have my old one in my wifes tank now.

[mister crabs]

where do i get a mag 3? I tried doctor foster smith but they label em differently so i dunno which one is the 3.....

[dippin61]

mag 300 = mag 3
mag 500 = mag 5
mag 950 = mag 9.5
and so on

doesnt look like they carry the mag 3 though

[Greefer]

yup.. thats one thing i think everyone can agree on. they need cleaning often to work decently.

as for the pump, id go with a mag 3 or 5. the mj1200 just isnt enough. ive thought about hooking up the venturi line though, since i now have my old one in my wifes tank now.


Can you elaborate on why you thought the mj1200 wasn't enough? What difference did you see when you went up to the mag 3 from the maxijet?

[dippin61]

well i havnt done the mag 3 or 5.. i say that because, on my wifes tank, its been like 3 weeks now with the cup all the way on the bottom, and it only has about half a cup of skimmate with a mj1200

[Greefer]

well i havnt done the mag 3 or 5.. i say that because, on my wifes tank, its been like 3 weeks now with the cup all the way on the bottom, and it only has about half a cup of skimmate with a mj1200

That's what was happening to me before I scrubbed the intake tube thoroughly. I wasn't getting much into the cup. Now, I'm back to my original frustration. I'm always having to dink with the cup height to get good skimmate. Sometimes, I have to empty the cup out everyday and it has light green water. Other times, after a day or two I notice no pull and I have to drop the cup height down just to get anything at all. I guess that would be my major complaint, I've never gotten a consistent pull and consistent skimmate quality.