Aqua Remora Questions

[Lorna]

Okay I am new to this..... hooked up the above protein skimmer and have some questions.

the collection cup has foam bubbling out of the top and I believe this is what it is supposed to do....but should the cup also be half full of water? I turned it off as I didn't want to leave and come back to find that it had overflowed everywhere.

the clear cup has an o-ring around it to adjust the height that it sits in the skimmer, this is set about 1/2 inch from the top. Is this right? I wonder if I have it set up properly and the instrux book has no pictures and I can't find a pic of it working so I know what it is supposed to look like......

the pre-skimmer box has no attachment to but sort of floats attached to the pump inside the box by some screws....Does the height of this need to be constantly adjusted as water evaporates ?

Thanks......am I driving you crazy yet? if not I probably will.....

[OrionGirl]

You need to spend some time adjusting the skimmer so that it produces dry foam--sounds silly, but what you'er looking for why look much dryer than what you have now, and the cup won't collect water, just a sludge that is rather nasty. Raise the collection cup, adjust the air, etc, until you don't get the water collecting in the top anymore, but foam is still being pushed up into the cup.

As the water level drops, the float will go down with it. You have to top off with freshwater to maintain sailinity, so the level shouldn't ever drop too much.

[richtpe]

Use the o-ring to adjust the height of the collection cup. I have mine set to about 1 1/2" from the bottom of the cup right now, but do adjust it every now and then depending on how much skimmate it's collecting. It takes a little while to get it right and the amount of foam bubbling out of the top will vary depending on how broken in the skimmer is and how much gunk is in the water. If you're getting half a cup of semi-clear water after only a little while, you've definitely got the cup too low.

I've got the pre-skimmer too and think that the way it attached to the pump with the screws and just floated around was a horrible design. I found a great tip on this board which helped. I took out the 2 screws and tossed them. Drilled a few holes in the back of the box and attached suction cups to it so it can attach to the back of the tank. It looks much neater, is easier to get the box level and adjust the height, and is easier to remove the skimmer and pump for cleaning. You do have to be good about topping off with fresh water so the water level doesn't dip below the skimmer box and have the pump run dry.

[salteedog]

I have the same skimmer and the same problem, it is either nasty water filling it or the foam does not reach up. I have tried adjusting the o-ring but you mentioned adjusting the air. How do you adjust the air on this skimmer?

[richtpe]

How do you adjust the air on this skimmer?
I don't think you can adjust the air on the Remora. I'm guessing that OG was speaking in general terms for adjusting skimmers, since many do have an air intake to adjust (correct me if I'm wrong).
What type of pump do you have running on your Remora? FWIW, I fiddle with the height of the cup on mine every few days depending on how much stuff it's collecting and how dark it is.

[dischirm]

I have a Remora. Started out with a Sea-Clone (big mistake) and then got the Remora. I have mine set so the ring is about one half inch from the bottom of the cup and it is up about as far as it can go. It seems like it took a couple days before I started getting the black coffee looking stuff. Be patient. If you are getting micro bubbles, those should go away in about a week.

[Blinky]

I've got a Remora as well. You can't adjust the air, it's a spray injection skimmer; the only thing you can do to change the consistancy of the skimmate is adjust the height of the cup. Sometimes things like water conditioners can make skimmers overactive, filling the cup very quickly - do you use anything with a 'slime coat' additive or aloe? If so, you can switch to something like Prime or Amquel that don't have this effect on skimmers. As well, skimmers usually act a little strange during their 'break in' period, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Things like barometric pressure, feeding the tank and putting your hands in the water can also affect their performance.
FWIW, Remoras can't really overflow - water will fill the cup until it reaches the top of the neck, and then any more will just spill back down the neck into the body of the skimmer. The top of the cup is a good 1/2" - 1" above the top of the neck, so no worries ;)