How much of this skimmer needs to be in the water? How many gallons would this work best for?
1370106
the skimmer has lines on it indicating the water and foam levels, and it says itll do up to 30 gallons, but maybe that large for light bioloads,
1370107
Most of it. Up to the removable reservoir. I had a 10 gallon tank. I ended up returning mine since it was not good.
1370108
It needs to be submerged around 10-12 inches, there is an optimal waterline on the skimmer. I would not use this skimmer for more than 20 gallons. It actually works very well for an airstone driven skimmer but it is no comparison for a needle wheel pump skimmer. The issue is that it doesn't move much water through it. It will pull some gunk out but needs to be adjusted frequently. IMO spend a little more and go with the sca 301 skimmer. It's around 80$ and will be good for up to 65 gallons and will actually perform as you want it to
2095734
I found that you needed two pumps - one the air stone and one for the down current. Tried to do with just one and couldn't get enough flow. Went to Wal-Mart and got two Whisper 10-30 gallon pumps. Skimmer now works pretty good but a little finicky to adjust.
992972
We had it in a 125 gal aquarium. I believe it was quiet. To be honest we didn't use it long. Was a waste of money. If you have a good filter you really won't need it. We bought a filter that works for up to a 300 gal tank and we haven't needed a skimmer.
1144822
I have this skimmer on my 40 gallon, works great. However, for a 54 gallon you may consider the next one which is the sca-302
1243251
48 gallon Skimmer? If so than yeah.. It shouldn't be a problem. Doesnt take up much room at all. No its very quiet.
444726
I don't think it would work to have pump in the skimmer? I installed my skimmer at the edge of the pond at water level. My pump is not an underwater pump. I have it set up just like a swimming pool and it works awesome!!
2241827
well i think that you could. But if you can fit a little bigger skimmer in your sump than get something more efficient. In my opinion this skimmer is best for aquariums with limited room. Unless water gets really dirty, it wont pull much.Having realistic expectation is the key to happiness... Hope that helps ;-)
49479
That should work fine. Mine is in 7.5" and it works great. Nice little skimmer and takes very little room.
49478
The manufacturer recommends anywhere between 7-9 inches of water. When I originally bought this skimmer I had mine in 9" of water and it was flooding out the collection cup even when I had the adjustment all the way down to 0. I made a simple riser stand out of acrylic to take it to 7" of water and it has worked great for me. So to make the answer short and sweet yes 7" should be ideal depth for this skimmer. Hope this helps,Ben
1529156
it is short - no more than 2 feet. Skimmer needs to hang close to the pump intake. Hope that helps
1305468
In theory, yes. But it would requite a Ton of mods. I would use the sca-301 for sumps only. If space is an issue, they make small, air-stone powered skimmers that don't require a lot of space. They work best if water level stays constant.
957233
If you have a dedicated suction line for the cleaner you decrease the suction to slow the cleaner down, same goes for using a diverter valve inside the skimmer. Ideal number of wheel rotations is 8-11 per minute.
349950
which is right. I always backwash for about 45sec. and rinse cycle for 15sec. and as far as vacuum yes you should only vacuum the dirt that settles on the bottom, if you pick up large debris the skimmer basket should catch it. I love this filter it works grate with my 18' pool. every time i do a vacuum i'll do a backwash and rinse, keep an eye on your pressure gauge daily which needs to be 5lbs or less. the best thing for a pool is for it to be swam in thats when the filter really works hard by pulling all dirt in. have a good day
87385
I would recommend the AQR9, it is a 25,000 gallon system, that will be plenty for your size pool.
589041
As is...it needs to be in the sump. However, you can make it an external pump by elevating the skimmer itself, and hanging the pump over the edge of the tank in the water.
1599964
Use a pool hose that will attach to this vacuum head & to a part that will go into the skimmer
1532846
I use this setup and my pool is 24' round and holds around 13,000 gallons of water. U might want to look at smaller filter.