surface skimmer

rockyd

AC Members
Sep 9, 2006
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how do skimmers hook up? can you hook it up to a powerhead or only a canister filter?
 
Hmmn, if your talking about something like this:
aquaclear surface skimmer

Then I guess you could hook it up to a powerhead to break the surface scum up if you calibrated the skimmer properly for the powerhead output. An issue might occur if the scum somehow gums up the powerhead though. Connecting to a filter also allows for some of the larger particles to be captured by the filter media.
 
thats exactly what im looking at. i have a fluval and a powerhead, just wondering which one is better. they have been doing some work on the house next door and all the dust is flowing through the house and landing in the tank. ive been putting a towel over it but i dont really want to get a canopy but im afraid i might have to since they just started tearing it down.
 
I'm interested to find out how that thing works out. I've been seriously considering hooking a powerhead to one to get rid of the oily stuff on top of the water. I figured I'd suck it in through the skimmer, then run it through a canister of carbon.

I guess the easy way to do it would just be to hook it up to the intake of my canister (Fluval 404), but I have read where people complained that it didn't flow as much water. Maybe they just didn't have it adjusted right?

Does the package it came in state a flow rate?
 
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The Aquaclear skimmer is supposed to be hooked up to a power filter inlet pipe.

Skimmer.jpg
 
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rockyd said:
if it hooks up to a fluval does that affect the other intake?
I suppose so. The skimmer seems to replace the original intake.
 
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My only concern is with flow rate. I don't want it to restrict the flow through my F-404. That's why I was thinking of hooking it up to a small power head. I think I was editing my post when you were writing yours...

Also, that way I could run through carbon to absorb the floating oily stuff. I don't run carbon it the main filter.
 
Ok, I have mine connected as the intake to a fluval 404 filter. I tossed the ugly flex tubing it came with though and have a hard plastic tube instead with an elbow. The adjustment can be a bit finicky at times, but by turning the stick thats on the top of the skimmer assembly you open up or close off the bottom water inlet. When its closed off more water is sucked off the top of the aquarium, but also too much and you draw in air. I keep mine set so that its barely skimming the top and taking in as much water in the lower inlet as possible. If its reduced the flow rate of my filter I can't tell.
 
the idea is to pick up water from the top of the tank as opposed to mid or botm of the tank..this allows the debris at the top to be included with the material to be filtered..

I suspect the best way to use this is to have either a canister or hob used in conjunction with existing filters..if you have floating plants you may have some clogging isssues..but I can see where this could come in handy.
 
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