So before you just answer this, let me tell you why I ask.
I have been doing a little independent experiment on my tank. I was noticing a drop-off of skimmate after 3-4 days after emptying and cleaning my collection cup. I started off checking it every day and noting where the skimmate amount was day to day after a cleaning. I changed my cleaning interval from 5 days down to 1 day and noted all my changed and results...here's what I found...
The color of my skimmate never changed. I always get a nice dark tea-like color out of my collection cup. But what is weird (and the opposite of what I have read a lot) is that I have the best amount and rate of skimmate if I clean my collection cup (which also includes the angled neck of the skimmer body itself) and the "throat" of the skimmer cup, at around the 3 day mark. Any quicker than that, and I dont get a good film build-up on the skimmer cup, and thus have not reached the make rate of skimming. If I let it go more than 3-4 days, I start to get almost NO additional skimmate, and notice that even without my grubby little oily hands in the tank, I can notice a foam head collapse.
So now my question remains...How often do you clean your skimmers? Not so much how often do you empty them, because I find that mine never actually gets full, as it has been best if I clean it before then.
Just a little 3rd party research to add to my own! And I figured a good discussion, and possibly home experiment for some of you!
Cheers
Jordan
I have been doing a little independent experiment on my tank. I was noticing a drop-off of skimmate after 3-4 days after emptying and cleaning my collection cup. I started off checking it every day and noting where the skimmate amount was day to day after a cleaning. I changed my cleaning interval from 5 days down to 1 day and noted all my changed and results...here's what I found...
The color of my skimmate never changed. I always get a nice dark tea-like color out of my collection cup. But what is weird (and the opposite of what I have read a lot) is that I have the best amount and rate of skimmate if I clean my collection cup (which also includes the angled neck of the skimmer body itself) and the "throat" of the skimmer cup, at around the 3 day mark. Any quicker than that, and I dont get a good film build-up on the skimmer cup, and thus have not reached the make rate of skimming. If I let it go more than 3-4 days, I start to get almost NO additional skimmate, and notice that even without my grubby little oily hands in the tank, I can notice a foam head collapse.
So now my question remains...How often do you clean your skimmers? Not so much how often do you empty them, because I find that mine never actually gets full, as it has been best if I clean it before then.
Just a little 3rd party research to add to my own! And I figured a good discussion, and possibly home experiment for some of you!
Cheers
Jordan