Clean my Protein Skimmer?

[jtdunham]

I have 34 gal. Red Sea Max. 25-28lbs live rock, sand for substrate.
I was told by a long time hobbyist that I am not supposed to clean the protein skimmer, daily, weekly or monthly. He told me once every 6 months is enough.

Did I misunderstand what he meant by protein skimmer? It’s very possible.
I refer to the protein skimmer as the plastic box on top that captures all the gunk that "bubbles" up from the plastic chamber below. The chamber below has a pump and "bubbles" the water through some panels within the chamber. This makes the water "bubble up to the box that I call the protein skimmer.

Do I really leave that box alone and not clean it, and what about the liquid that gathers in the box? Do I dump that out at least every few days when it has standing liquid a 1/4 full.

If someone needs me to give a better description of the Red Sea Protein skimming process I will do my best. I am new to this hobby.

Regards to All
Todd

[ballardjr2000]

i don't have that type of tank but i clean my cup out when it gets a 1/4 to half full, the protein skimmer is made to remove all the disovled poop etc. so cleaning it out is a good thing. just removed to cup off the top (after you turn it off) and dump and wash it. I clean mine once a week to two weeks depending on how full it gets.

[Kristy]

The frequency of cleaning your protein skimmer's skimmate cup will depend on how much skimmate you are pulling out of your tank, which depends on a great number of variables (whether you are skimming "wet" or "dry," how great your bioload is, how heavily you feed, the efficiency of your protein skimmer, etc., etc.)

That being said, most people clean out their skimmate cup once or twice a week. You can just dump it, rinse it and put it back on. If you clean it too well, you will see a difference in how your protein skimmer functions. Really effective cleaning of the skimmate cup will lead to crazy foaming and microbubble frustration, so this is not advised. Once in a great while (maybe around every six months) we will also wipe out the neck of the protein skimmer, just wiping it with a paper towel near the threaded area that meets the skimmate cup.

I'm pretty sure that your advise was about the body and neck area of the protein skimmer, and did not pertain to the skimmate cup. Otherwise the skimmate would just overflow the cup and go back into the sump.

[jtdunham]

Both respondants have exactly described what I have been dong the past year. Thank you both for your input.
So if anyone knows why I should not clean the protein skimmer at least once a week and instead let it get gunked up for six months please tell me.
Does it have anything to do with beneficial bacteria?

[innate1]

no, and if you wait six months to clean it, it's not going to work right.

[JimD]

Its good to scrub the cup with a toothbrush when it gets nasty, its recommended to clean the skimmer body every 6 months or so.

[hobogato]

most people do not clean the riser tube (main body) of the skimmer very often, because a film of bacteria must reform on the sides to make the skimmer work efficiently and if you are cleaning that film off every week or two, the skimmer has to "break in" for a couple of days every time. if you just wipe it with a paper towel when there is a layer of buildup (time depends on your setup) then you should be fine. continue what you are doing with the collection cup.

[jtdunham]

Thanks for this info. I do clean the little box at the top of riser tube (main body) of the skimmer. I clean this box/skimmer almost every day with a paper towel and fresh water (tap)
In the past I have cleaned the main body of the skimmer with paper towels and plenty of H.2O (tap). The last time was February.
Now that I know there is a beneficial film of organisms present, I will not clean the main body anymore.

Regards,
Todd D

[hobogato]

you do need to clean the main body tube if the buildup gets too thick or coraline starts to form.

[JimD]

I like to clean the body just to remove the gunk that settles on the bottom...

[R.Allard]

i clean the chamber of my skimmer every three months and empty the cup twice a week.
it all depends on bio load,if you have lights next to the skimmer for a refuge causing algae to grow in the chamber etc...

[GoldCorals]

Don't forget about cleaning any pumps at about six months as well. :thumbs_up:

[glennr1978]

I clean my collection cup daily. It's amazing how much more efficient my skimmer is now that I'm dosing vodka.

[jtdunham]

My friend Bill sugested that I should avoid "dosing" vodka.

[jtdunham]

Thank ya'll for your helpful advice.
I will continue to clean the skimmer cup as beore 3-4 times a week as needed.
I have cleaned the chamber approximately 3 times in this past year; which is my first in this hobby.
Someone in this thread said that the main protein skimmer chamber contains living beneficial bacteria. What if anything should I do before or after cleaning the chamber to mitigate the effects of the loss of these organisms.