Since the initial installation of the ATB External Small Cone Skimmer I have been required to reduce the air intake slightly to prevent overflowing and/or extremely wet skimming. ATB and myself are not completely certain why this is. The feed is roughly 200gph via MJ1200, but the air intake is elevated at 850-950lph. That increase [...]
Since the initial installation of the ATB External Small Cone Skimmer I have been required to reduce the air intake slightly to prevent overflowing and/or extremely wet skimming. ATB and myself are not completely certain why this is. The feed is roughly 200gph via MJ1200, but the air intake is elevated at 850-950lph. That increase in air take, combined with VSV are the main culprits of the wet skimming.
I was not unhappy with this, and with a slight restriction on the airline tubing connected to the venturi I was able to dial down the skimmer with no significant increase in electric consumption and no added noise… but how boring? With an extra 150lph to take advantage of, Victor at ATB USA had Anton build a collection cup 2″ taller than your standard Small / Econo 840 cup.
With the chance at a new “piece” I opted for white, and to my surprise it came in buffed and polished like the new Econo 840 v1.5s. It also had a drain line installed. This is a great feature to have, but at the moment a drain line would equate to me cleaning the skimmer less and less frequently.
When thinking of a low profile cap I could use I immediately thought of the cap used in Elos test kits. Sure enough, the cap on an older kit was large enough to snugly slide over and seal the drain. It appears Elos has two sizes that are intermixed across their kits, in this case the larger one fit, but what I believe to be the newer smaller cap did not. A small zip tie was added for extra insurance; coming home to a skimmate spill would not be fun.
By now I already knew about the stable foam head produced by ATB’s cone design, but the extended neck really shows it off. The above photo is just a few minutes after firing the skimmer back up. The longer neck takes advantage of the increased air intake and increases contact time. After just a few days of running I do believe it has increased the performance.
I am pleased with the add-on. The flexibility it provides in terms of water level and air intake, will allow me to experiment in the future. A special thanks to GBD Sponsor ATB USA. Not only are their products top notch, the customer service they provide is unrivaled.
