Remora Pro w/Surface filter box

[BiG_KiD]

I have the remora pro now with a mag350 pump and love it, i think it's a pretty good skimmer. However I do get the oil slick on top and was wondering it anyone had any input on the surface filter box that you can get for the remora pro?.. How big is it is what i was really wondering.. Do you put the pump inside the box with the prefilter on the pump still..?? if so the box has to be pretty big.. I would love to see some pics if anyone has them.Thanks

[clownnrnd]

I just set up a 30g. w/ a remora and a maxi-jet 1200 and surface skimmer box. On my MJ there is no room inside the surface skimmer box for the pre-filter on the powerhead i would think it would it be the same for yours. As for the surface skimmer i guess it does ok. My system right now is closed (no sump) so my water level is constantly changing. The problem w/ this set-up is that the water level inside the surface skimmer is constantly changing also. So when i top-off my tank if the water level is too high it does not skim the surface and if it gets to low the powerhead cavitates. In a 30g tank this is not a very big window of time. I am sure that if you could keep the water level constant this would probably not be of concern.Also w/ a 75g tank your water level would be more stable than mine(if it is a closed system).Hope somewhere in this there is some useful info
See Ya Chad

[BiG_KiD]

Thanks for the info.. I have 55 buy i keep pretty close eye on my h20 level THanks.. .

[reefy em]

I have the preskimmer box also for my MaxiJet 1200 on my Remora skimmer. It is doing pretty good IMO, no big problems so far. My aunt, though has the Remora Pro with the MD and has the box for it. The box is pretty dang big but I would rather look at a big black box that the ugly pump. The only problem she has had (and it was a pretty big one) is that the box was so heavy, it would pull the pump off the skimmer. The pump, in turn, pumped about 30 gals. out of her 125 gal. tank onto her pretty hardwood floors by the time she got home from work. Luckily, not too much damage was done as it dried pretty fast but man...that's a lot of water. So, you may want to rig yours so that the box does not actually attach to the pump but just hangs on the side of the tank at the right level. Don't know how to do this but I think it would be worth it. HTH

[BiG_KiD]

Ah i see, that would be a big problem.. Thanks for the input..

[Fuzzy]

We have 2 Remora's with Maxi 1200's and 1 Remora Pro with Mag 3. All 3 have the skimmer box. I wouldn't be with out it. It does a great job at eliminating the film on the waters surface. And more importantly, it eliminates stray bubble return into the tank. While I do admit the black box is pretty ugly, it's starting to look better now that is is covered with coraline algae.

We have a lot of evaporation on our 56 Tall, almost a gallon a day. In an effort to help the water flow remain stable, I routed out about 5/8" in 1 side of the grooves in the skimmer box. I'm in the process of building a floating block that will rise and fall with evaporation to help keep the water level inside the prefilter stable. So far it seems to be doing the job.

If you are having trouble keeping the pump attached to the tubing you can try using a thick nylon cable tie. You can pull the wrap tight with a pair of pliers and it will hold the pump in place.

One important thing to remember, is to keep the foam filter pad clean. I use a foam filter from an Aqua Clear 300, cut in half widthwise, it fits perfectly between the water return and the top of the bubble trap. I replace them every week to make sure it doesn't turn in to a nitrate factory. They cost about $5 for a 3 pack, which lasts 6 weeks. Cheap insurance.......

Hope this helps,

Fuzz

[crawfish]

I use the pre-skimmer box on my Remora Pro with a Mag 3 pump. The prefilter on the pump doesn't fit in the box, so you can't use it. I've only had one fatality because of it - a cucumber crawled into it while it was off then got shredded. I used to turn the skimmer off and on periodically, but I mostly leave it on now.

Because the box is attached to the pump itself, you have to make sure the pump hose is securely fastened to the pump and the skimmer. For some reason, AquaC only supplies you with one hose clip. I had the same problem as Fuzzy's aunt. The weight of the box pulled the hose off of the skimmer sending a fountain all over my hardwood floor one night. However, the problem is easily solved with another hose clamp to hold the hose at both ends. Plastic hose clamps like the one that comes with the Remora are available at most small hardware stores, though not at HomeDepots or Lowes (in my experience).

You will also have the problem that Clwnnrnd mentioned about keeping the water level just right. I don't have a sump either, so I have to add water weekly using a jug above the tank. I will typically get the water level too high for the preskimmer box to skim the surface, but within a day or 2 (about the tie a surface scum starts to build, the water level goes down the point that it starts skimming the surface again.

One problem that I had was that the box was almost flat against the back wall of the tank, restricting flow into the box from the back to the point that the pump goes dry. To rectify this, I used aquarium-grade clear silicone caulk to make four small mounds on the back of the box. The mounds are about 1/4 inch high and hold the box away from the back wall enough for good water flow. With this minor modification, the box works fine.

The box is big and unattractive, but a little coralline algae helps cover it. I'm not so sure it doesn't take up almost as much room as many built-in overflows. I take the skimmer out of the tank about twice a year for a good cleaning and the box makes it much more difficult because the pump is so crammed into it. I had to have it though. I tried everything else to get rid of surface scum and nothing worked, so I'm very pleased with the box overall. And I also get lot of little sponges, including miniature vase sponges, growing on the wall beneath it, which is kind of neat.

[stgla]

I have the REmora with Maxijet 1200 and skimmer box. I added the box after a few months and liked the improvement.

The big problem is that you have to watch the water level -- but that's something you should be doing anyway. THe awful sucking noise of a pump running dry is a good "alarm."

[BiG_KiD]

Thanx for all the imput guys.. That really helps me.. I just can't picture how big the box is.. It has to be pretty good size to cover up the pump does anyone have any pics? I would love to see it in a tank.. Thanks again for all the help..

[Mike75]

Here are a few pics of the box with Mag 3 in my 37g. Pay no attention to the hair algae.

[nick540]

one question, could i put LR in the side where the foam spunge is in instead of the spunge? That way i could save $$$ and also avoid having to take it apart to get the sponge out.

[NevadaS.]

I guess you could place LR in the return side. The sponge is there to trap stray bubbles from entering the tank and the hole is quite large, so you would have to place a piece of egg crate in the buttom to support the LR. As far as removing the sponge, it's a straight shot to it, just reach in and grab it.

[Buddyboy]

I used the overflow box on my Remora for about six months. A real pain! I hated having to clean the sponge constantly and getting it off and back onto the powerhead was a nuisance. I took the thing off. I found that the skimmer didn't take a performance hit at all.

As for oil slicks, point some powerheads to agitate the surface. (As much as possible!) I did this and haven't seen a slick in months. (Even after removing the surface skimmer box)

Good luck!