Greefer Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20cooled Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippin61 Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted November 3, 2006 Author Share Posted November 3, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippin61 Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 id say its pretty normal. and i did notice that the dirtier the riser tube got, sometimes the more finicky the skimmer got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palani Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdertang05 Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippin61 Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted November 27, 2006 Author Share Posted November 27, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nu2reef-n Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 Hey, I gave that intake tube a real good scrubbing and I think I made a difference. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted February 19, 2007 Author Share Posted February 19, 2007 When I bought it online, I could either get a RIO or the MJ1200. I went with the MJ1200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palani Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippin61 Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 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..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippin61 Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted March 1, 2007 Author Share Posted March 1, 2007 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dippin61 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 well i havnt done the mag 3 or 5.. i say that because' date=' 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[/quote'] 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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