does higher flow around a skimmer effect its performance?

[bhb1034]

hey there,
i have a 220g and need to up my circulation. right now all i have is about 800 gph going to my sump where my euroreef 12-1 skimmer is, if i up the flow to my sump and skimmer will it hurt its performance?
i was thinking of going up to about 2500gph total circulation and all of that would go through my sump. what has confused me is the fact that a girl at euroreef said that euroreef recommends that a ratio of 3:1 total tank volume water should pass by the skimmer. so does a skimmer need to be placed in slow flowing water to perform better? im not talking about to the skimmer directly, just surrounding it.
thanks
brandon

 

[mooner]

<Insert hobbiest disclaimer here>

No. If anything it will help it, but not by much. Each pass of a given volume of water thru your skimmer is a one way trip (for the most part) and the closer you can come to a "single tank" atmosphere as seen by your skimmer the better chance your skimmer has at getting at all the water on a constant basis. More flow, more homogenous your main/sump setup as seen by your skimmer. Your skimmer dosen't know or care where the water came from but takes (out) what it gets. More flow, more turn over.

I say go for it as long as your newly increased flow is safe for the rest of the tank.

Good luck.

 

[reefann]

I think the increased flow will work wonders for how much more clear your display looks, IMO
_________________
Honda Passport

 

[bhb1034]

wow thanks for the great replies. so increased water flow through the sump could in no way hurt skimmer performance. makes sense, but you know how it is, previous bad advice confused me.

but heres my situation, i have a 220g fowlr. i know that fish-only's dont need near as much flow as you reefers. but i also know that my current 800gph isnt good enough, less than 4X flow. my tank isnt drilled, so i use an external overflow box. and my plan was to get two overflow boxes rated at 1600gph each, and a mag pump rated at 3600gph, which should be matched right after head pressure. that would give me around 13-15 total tank volume circulation per hour, which i feel i need for healthy livestock. but that transition would cost about $330+ and would take some modifications.

now ive heard more about tunze stream pumps and the addition of those sounds adequate also. for about the same price i could get the same amount of circulation. but im a little confused about which model i would need for consistant flow. also that would still leave my cs12-1 euroreef skimmer recieving only 800gph. so any opinions?

 

[mooner]

bhb1034,

Honestly I would not put much more thought into the flow of water thru your sump in terms of water around your skimmer. Either way you are fine in my opinion with what you have. Your skimmer will be slower at taking out inpurities than you are feeding it return from your main. Now, in theory every little bit of flow rate to the sump is better for the skimmer but it's minimal and you can concentrate on other stuff. You might want to increase your flow for the sake of your tank though.

As for overflow boxes: some don't like them and drilled is more reliable BUT I have a CPR 90 overflow

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem. ... uct=CR1513

that I have been thrilled with from day one. I do strongly recommend the Oskar AirLift pump tho for vacuum retention as opposed to a power head. The Oskar is cheaper anyway at $12.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem. ... duct=KTALP

My rule of thumb was to get an overflow box that was rated OVER what my circ pump could deliver because the overflow will only give up what your pump will deliver to it. I have a Mag 5 (500 GPH) and my overflow is rated at 600 GPH. This gives me an 8 x turnover per hour. It works great and I adjust the overflow box height to compensate for the flow rate I have. It has not budged in 6 months. I also have a float valve to cut off my circ pump in case of a failed or plugged overflow. If you plumb it right you are OK with overflow boxes just read up on proper installation and saftey devices.

Good luck.

 

[discocarp]

You could use more flow IMO, but you don't need more through the sump.

In addition to considering the stream, you can also consider a closed loop. You can do a search on them. Basically you get an external pump, run the intake over the top with a strainer, and run the output over the top as well, plumbed with PVC however you'd like your outputs. As long as the pump is below the water line, you just fill the line with water and flip on the pump.

Peter

 

[bhb1034]

thanks guys all good ideas. see another thing i didnt mention is i have a wet/dry sump, so i plan on selling all of the equipment that goes with it. would anybody have any idea what would be the ideal rate of flow to go through my sump for my skimmer? im asking for close to exact because i have a chance to design it to the correct specifications. for instance if there is no point in having more than 500gph through the sump, i can buy smaller equipment and spend more on a tunze stream pump.