Soooo I have the nano version of these pipes for my saltwater tank and was wondering why the skimmer was basically useless and what that bottom bit was for. Safe to say after this very well put explanation I have no more surface scum and my skimmer actually works! Huzzah!
Great video, I have not seen anyone else explain this better than you. I wish we had aquarium stores in the USA that were dedicated to nature aquariums like you have in Europe, you all are so lucky to have that. We do have some great stores, but not many that are dedicated to freshwater planted tanks. Any specialty aquarium stores we have are dedicated to saltwater reef tanks.
Awesoommmeeee. Really like the unboxing, setup, usage, and the camera angles to film it all. Showing us the surface of the tank from underneath and the light on above the water really showed the effectiveness of the surface skimmer attachment. We need more videos like this for every item that humans create lol.
I have a waterbox 4820 with two fluval 407s. I just ordered 2 sets of the fzone glass lily pipes and surface skimmers. I hope it works out well for my system.
Nice vid. Enjoyed watching. Love that B Role! Sweet aquarium shop. Great stock of fish and plants. Each tank is a work of art at that shop. I need a surface skimmer too, so this is like a tutorial on the subject. Thank you for sharing!
I have the same intake/skimmer attached to a fluval fx4. The filter is too strong and pulling down the skimmer even when I fully add air under the skimmer with a pipet.
Great video, I dont suppose you know or could measure how much of a gap is needed to fit these please? Ive got limited space between the rear of my tank and the wall!
Hi George can I use this pipes for coverd fish tank go no work??? in the back of the tank it’s not the same water flow but I cannot find the bending Lille pipe for the flow to go long way of the tank pls let me know what to do all the best
The problem I got is algae growing and preventing skimmer to move up and down and gets stuck in same height. And also some leaves blocked the skimmer. So If you have any other options, let me know.
George, I'm curious as to why the inlet and the outlet are next to each other as I'm used to having them (standard fittings, not lily pipes) at opposite ends of the tank?
Great tutorial on surface skimmer. I can now relate to some of skimmer setup issue I have encountered recently. Thanks for the video George! As always, great stuff!
George! I have a Eheim 2217 classic which has a 12/16 outflow and a 16/22 inlet with all the ugly green pipes and fittings which I've been wanting to replace to clear tubing ect...I also have a 13mm glass lily pipe set lying around and your demonstration of the pipe work conversions has saved me from buying a seperate 17mm inflow pipe. All I have to do is buy a clear 16/22 hose and and using your method fit the 13mm inflow pipe on with a inch of the 12/16 hose. Thank you so much!
many thanks from here in Canada, as you say a great bit of kit, the speed of the clean up was impressive but why did you not get a 16/22 mm set if that is the size tubing you have.
Hi George, just wondering if this glass pipework set would be suitable for a Juwel Rio tank? What's the maximum distance from the top of the tank to the top of the water that this is suitable for? I can't find measurements anywhere to check it. Love watching your videos, planning a full rescape soon using your tips and ideas. Cheers.
from what i can see its cause people here in the states use inline co2 and by doing that it doesnt cause the seltzer water that leads to the surface scub
One reason is because they’re unreliable. Lee’ makes them and they make too much noise if a snail gets caught in them and then the pump will start sucking in air.
Hi, i bought one of these, but air bubbles are being sucked into the filter and creating air inside, and noise. Did you had this problem? And how to fix it. Thanks
I got a similar one of a different brand. No matter what I do, it just won’t start skimming. I adjusted the little part at the bottom up it just won’t work. Filter is running fine. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
I also bought a Skimmer like that but my sucker part gets sucked under. Its not floating on the top. I can turn the bottom part any way it keeps on going down
When setting up glassware like this, is it best to have them inlet and output next to each other? I ask because my tank has a glass lid and the inlet and output wouldn't really be able to be side-by-side. Currently the tank is outfitted with a spraybar but these glass fittings are so beautiful. (I live in a desert so evaporation would be too much without the glass top)
So im going to get a set of these buttt, expensive so how did you break it because they need to come off to clean dont they so is that where they get broken?
Hi there. I have a similar setup on a reef tank, same 850 canister filter and lily pipe set but I get constant micro bubbles. Tried reseating everything and lubricating o rings, etc. Let me know if you’ve had to deal with this also. Thx!
Great video. Are those the same as the Fzone lily pipes? They look identical. Just purchased a pair for them for my fluval 407s. Hopefully the flow rate isnt too much for the intake of the lily pipe intake.
Hi George, I have a hang on back filter on my 150 ltr planted tank. I also use 2- 600 ltr power heads for circulation. I want to try a surface skimmer but I don't know if that will decrease the water flow if I use the skimmer in place of one of the power heads. Do you think the Ehime 350 would do the trick??
Randy it shouldn't have much affect on circulation, as the outlet will still be blowing the same amount out, it's just that the inlet is now pulling water from two sources.
finally got one of these skimmers with a new lily pipe set after I accidentally broke a hole through my lily pipe by pulling a pipe cleaner out too quick, figured that thing on the bottom was for the flow but came back here to confirm. It kind of looked like you set the surface skimmer to 100% for the initial clear, presumably you turned it back to 50% or something after?
George, always love your videos and the time you put in to everything. But, when you show a tank or a species of fish or shrimp can you pause just a few seconds more for the camera to focus and so that we can get our bearings on what we’re looking at? Keep up the great work. Great stuff you are doing here!
Hi George, I've got my 16 mm surface skimmer mated to an Eheim Pro 4 350 canister filter. The pump is too strong for the current design even with the lower intake fully opened. The overflow is unstable, gulping air from time to time, and eventually will get sucked underwater completely. So this system as-is isn't safe for my fish. But it makes the water perfect so I want to keep it if I can. One option is to put some sort of mesh over the overflow so fish can't be sucked in, but I really should balance the system too so the overflow isn't sucked down. I'm considering restricting the pumps draw on the surface skimmer with a gate valve on the intake line to the Eheim, or somehow increasing the flow at the lower intake. Maybe a few holes drilled in the acrylic bottom piece at the lower intake to allow more water in would work. I don't really like the idea of putting restrictions on the pump, but maybe it's not such a big deal as I imagine. Or maybe replacing the lower acrylic piece completely with just a plug on the botto with holes drilled through. Any other ideas or thoughts you can share?
George, PLEASE tell me that hack of adapting 2 different pipe sizes has always worked! I fear water leaks. Can I do this for inlet and outlets? I use Fluval FX4 here in the USA and can not locate lily pipe set to fit. You may have just solved it for me!
Love the vids. Many years ago I tried a skimmer but did not like the “slurping” sound from the top. I tried adjusting the suction, but it still was making that annoying sound, so I returned it. My question is that was a while ago. Do the newer versions still do that sound??
Hi George, Hope you are doing great!! I have a quick question. Will this also suck the dirt under water or just only the surface? Basically I am looking for dual one which does both the job by just connecting it to one canister filter.
Does the filter suck in any air bubbles through the skimmer?. It kinda looks like it does and this would cause air in filter which would reduce its power. Just wondering cos im thinking of buying one of these due to protein scum.
Barry r I was wondering the same thing, and if it would be reduced by using the 16mm glass set for more powerful filters. I use a small section of pre-filter foam, inserted into the top of the floating section, to protect baby shrimp from being skimmed too and this probably also prevents air from getting through. Though opening the flow control valve at the bottom would probably also reduce the air influx.
George Farmer my skimmer keeps bouncing on water surface and sucking too much air, sometimes it just went under the surface. Tried to turn the dial to every position and it doesn't help. What can I do to keep the skimmer stable on water surface?
Hi George, Old post you so may not see this but.... I see in the video that occasionally small bubbles are sucked into the filter. I'm running a Biomaster 600 also with 16mm pipes and even with the bottom intake fully open it still wants to pull air through the surface skimmer. I reduced the flow to the filter but it still sucks in small bubbles and I hate to reduce it more. Is this normal for this style of pipes? The biomaster will "belch" when enough air has been taken in but it find that really annoying. Excited to see your book! Amazon sent me a note yesterday about it.
My experience with that sort of skimmer is that it's fine as long as you don't have small shrimps in the tank. Even if you add a stainless steel mesh to the bottom part of the skimmer, shrimps can also get sucked from the skimmer top part. I found a few shrimps stuck in my pre-filter some time ago. I have since then added a small fabric mesh to the top dented floating skimming part. I am glad I had a pre-filter else they would be all dead.
Super interesting video. Not seen anyone explain this so well before, thank you!
Thanks Paul 👍
Soooo I have the nano version of these pipes for my saltwater tank and was wondering why the skimmer was basically useless and what that bottom bit was for. Safe to say after this very well put explanation I have no more surface scum and my skimmer actually works! Huzzah!
Great video, I have not seen anyone else explain this better than you. I wish we had aquarium stores in the USA that were dedicated to nature aquariums like you have in Europe, you all are so lucky to have that. We do have some great stores, but not many that are dedicated to freshwater planted tanks. Any specialty aquarium stores we have are dedicated to saltwater reef tanks.
Awesome video.
Lol love your driving, you signal and everything most people in Canada can’t haha.
🙏👍
Awesoommmeeee. Really like the unboxing, setup, usage, and the camera angles to film it all. Showing us the surface of the tank from underneath and the light on above the water really showed the effectiveness of the surface skimmer attachment. We need more videos like this for every item that humans create lol.
So satisfying seeing that skimmer doing its thing
It's so big it reminds me of a bong. I've seen little square cheap ones that do the same job only more out of my face.
Hi George glad you put the skimmer back on tank looks fantastic. Be careful not to break this one.
I have a waterbox 4820 with two fluval 407s. I just ordered 2 sets of the fzone glass lily pipes and surface skimmers. I hope it works out well for my system.
Hi George i notice you have two set of lily pipes on there do you have two filters too
Why do we need a skimmer? just about to set up a roma 240 tank with co2 and airstone. Do I need a skimmer as well? and what size? benefit?
Very informative as usual, love your videos George...👍
Thanks Jim 👍
I never fail to learn from your channel. Great stuff George.
Nice vid. Enjoyed watching. Love that B Role! Sweet aquarium shop. Great stock of fish and plants. Each tank is a work of art at that shop. I need a surface skimmer too, so this is like a tutorial on the subject. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Jose 😊
George Farmer I got the information I needed, so thank you once again!
I have the same intake/skimmer attached to a fluval fx4. The filter is too strong and pulling down the skimmer even when I fully add air under the skimmer with a pipet.
What I fund most interesting is making a reduction adapter out of 16 mm hose. That has stuck in my head. Thanks, George.
Yeah very handy tip I feel
with this set up can you still have floating plants?
I enjoy theses long videos, thanks George.
The skimmer must be always in rotating direction only it is functioning well?
Great video, I dont suppose you know or could measure how much of a gap is needed to fit these please? Ive got limited space between the rear of my tank and the wall!
Should the floating part of the skimmer rotate?
Is it recommended to put inlet and outlet next to each other? I currently have one either end of a small 2.5 feet tank.
Hello George! I love this skimmer but my shrimp is going to the externalfiler, i would like to use this skimmer but no idea how!?
Hi George can I use this pipes for coverd fish tank go no work??? in the back of the tank it’s not the same water flow but I cannot find the bending Lille pipe for the flow to go long way of the tank pls let me know what to do all the best
The problem I got is algae growing and preventing skimmer to move up and down and gets stuck in same height. And also some leaves blocked the skimmer. So If you have any other options, let me know.
George, I'm curious as to why the inlet and the outlet are next to each other as I'm used to having them (standard fittings, not lily pipes) at opposite ends of the tank?
Hi Richard. Having them next to each other promotes better all-round circulation, assuming your flow rate is sufficient. 👍
Great tutorial on surface skimmer. I can now relate to some of skimmer setup issue I have encountered recently. Thanks for the video George! As always, great stuff!
Always something new to learn in every video. Thank you, George!
Thanks for sharing! Your scapes are super cool!🥰🥰🥰😇
Hello, what Kindle of led light do you have in this aquarium, and where do you purchased?
George! I have a Eheim 2217 classic which has a 12/16 outflow and a 16/22 inlet with all the ugly green pipes and fittings which I've been wanting to replace to clear tubing ect...I also have a 13mm glass lily pipe set lying around and your demonstration of the pipe work conversions has saved me from buying a seperate 17mm inflow pipe. All I have to do is buy a clear 16/22 hose and and using your method fit the 13mm inflow pipe on with a inch of the 12/16 hose. Thank you so much!
Yes, should work fine 👍
So you need two waterfilters? I have one Biomaster 600 like you. I would need a Second one for this type of skimmer?
many thanks from here in Canada, as you say a great bit of kit, the speed of the clean up was impressive but why did you not get a 16/22 mm set if that is the size tubing you have.
Thanks. Out of stock on the 16mm set
Hi George, just wondering if this glass pipework set would be suitable for a Juwel Rio tank? What's the maximum distance from the top of the tank to the top of the water that this is suitable for? I can't find measurements anywhere to check it.
Love watching your videos, planning a full rescape soon using your tips and ideas.
Cheers.
I think it wouldn’t fit a Juwel unless you removed the hood (I have done this myself but it’s at your own risk due to the brace strengthening).
It was amazing seeing how fast it cleared the surface. These don't seem to be very popular in the states. I wonder why.
from what i can see its cause people here in the states use inline co2 and by doing that it doesnt cause the seltzer water that leads to the surface scub
also finding the perfect balance of co2 in the water is all part of the hobby
I lived in a place where I had no surface scum. I moved a 2 miles away and now I have surface scum. I don't like it and will have to get a skimmer.
One reason is because they’re unreliable. Lee’ makes them and they make too much noise if a snail gets caught in them and then the pump will start sucking in air.
Hi, i bought one of these, but air bubbles are being sucked into the filter and creating air inside, and noise. Did you had this problem? And how to fix it. Thanks
George where do you buy inlets that will stretch to 2ft in a large tank..? Thanks man...
How do you get it to suck the air down? When I turn the valve it doesnt draw down the air
What kind and size tank is this? What kind of lighting also?
I'm new to all this and I have wondered what that castle-looking thing was in other viseos. Now I know. Thank you.
George did not show the tiny wee archer that goes with the kit. Next time.
any reccomendation for anyrhing smaller than that? for 7gal tank. thanks.
Just installed a surface skimmer and a lily pipe today,very good tutorial...thanks.
Glad to help 👍
Can u tell me what did u twist at the bottom of the skimmer??
I got a similar one of a different brand. No matter what I do, it just won’t start skimming. I adjusted the little part at the bottom up it just won’t work. Filter is running fine. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
How do you get your water crystal clear
Are these ran with canister filters? I have a hob filter at the moment but am wanting to surface skim my scape
is it shrimp safe ? and what surface plants can be used with it , i think it sucks duck weed easily .
In the 1st aquarium that you show what kind of lighting are you using
Hi George ! May I know what kind of lights are you using? They're so bright !!
Thanks !!
What filter are you using with those pipes?
I also bought a Skimmer like that but my sucker part gets sucked under. Its not floating on the top. I can turn the bottom part any way it keeps on going down
Hey, nice video. I have the same product but it doesn't worki! I wonder, maybe my filter is not powerful enough to suck properly from the surface?
Will it skim away bubble nest?
When setting up glassware like this, is it best to have them inlet and output next to each other? I ask because my tank has a glass lid and the inlet and output wouldn't really be able to be side-by-side. Currently the tank is outfitted with a spraybar but these glass fittings are so beautiful. (I live in a desert so evaporation would be too much without the glass top)
I prefer it together but you can experiment to get best results 👍
George Farmer Thank you George!
Hey George, At the 7:10 did u close to water enterance at bottom side?
That was a great tip on converting from 12 to 16mm tubing.
So im going to get a set of these buttt, expensive so how did you break it because they need to come off to clean dont they so is that where they get broken?
Broken because I was too aggressive with the brush. I was rushing! If you take care they will last a lifetime 👍
George Farmer ok thanks for the reply man
You’re welcome, John 👍
Hi there. I have a similar setup on a reef tank, same 850 canister filter and lily pipe set but I get constant micro bubbles. Tried reseating everything and lubricating o rings, etc. Let me know if you’ve had to deal with this also. Thx!
@george, is it necessary for surface skimmer to spin while draining the surface?
What is the name of the led you are using
Curious as to why you are using a 12mm inlet/outlet and not a 16mm considering your hose seems to be a 17/22mm? Maybe I missed something.
Scrap that. I see you answered that very same question to someone 8 months ago :D
Did you notice any noise or bubbles coming out to your filter system?
is the 12mm set suitable for 12/16 filter hose?
Ciao , acquari con giardini subacquei belli , ma che tipo di plafoniere vengono usate nel filmato ? Ciao grazie
Hi George. Why do you prefere this type of skimmer than something like Eheim Skim350¿
Hi George..may I know ,do we turn on surface skimmer while pressurized co2 is injecting?
what is the best placement for co2
Great video. Are those the same as the Fzone lily pipes? They look identical. Just purchased a pair for them for my fluval 407s. Hopefully the flow rate isnt too much for the intake of the lily pipe intake.
hi George what size of skimmer will I need I am going to be using a fluval 206 on my fluval fresh 60 cheers happy fish keeping
16mm but you may need to change the ridged flex hose to a regular type
Cool trick with the 12 to 16 adaptor
Ikr! Have the same hose setting and thinking of buying adaptor when you just can do that!
Daisy's ricefish. Very nice. They were always breeding in the morning in my tank.
Could you use a surface skimmer like this on a HOB filter?
Very nice setup first time seen this and how do u get clear water like that?
Good filter and regular maintenance
Awesome video George. Do you get any leaks with the 12mm hose adaption??
No 😃
Hi George, I have a hang on back filter on my 150 ltr planted tank. I also use 2- 600 ltr power heads for circulation. I want to try a surface skimmer but I don't know if that will decrease the water flow if I use the skimmer in place of one of the power heads. Do you think the Ehime 350 would do the trick??
Randy it shouldn't have much affect on circulation, as the outlet will still be blowing the same amount out, it's just that the inlet is now pulling water from two sources.
Could you use this with a sump filter, any chance of covering how to set up sump filters. Great feeds super helpful Thanks
Thanks Tom. I’ve very little experience with sumps. Sorry 👍
finally got one of these skimmers with a new lily pipe set after I accidentally broke a hole through my lily pipe by pulling a pipe cleaner out too quick, figured that thing on the bottom was for the flow but came back here to confirm. It kind of looked like you set the surface skimmer to 100% for the initial clear, presumably you turned it back to 50% or something after?
George im currently not able to do mine it just wont work
Many thanks for this video. I've just received my JARDLI Lili pipe surface skimmer and was wondering how to make it work. You've enlightened me!
Is there a video of you setting up this tank?!
ua-cam.com/play/PLKedE6P1X5OyCmZ12XfQSR8T-NRDvUsHL.html
George, always love your videos and the time you put in to everything. But, when you show a tank or a species of fish or shrimp can you pause just a few seconds more for the camera to focus and so that we can get our bearings on what we’re looking at? Keep up the great work. Great stuff you are doing here!
Thanks so much. Point taken on livestock filming. 👍
Is there a glass surface skimmer out there that is much less bulky ? this thing is huge and kind of distracting...
I don’t think so
Your videos match tanks .... Top Notch ! Always look forward to them. 👍🇨🇦😀
Hi George, I've got my 16 mm surface skimmer mated to an Eheim Pro 4 350 canister filter. The pump is too strong for the current design even with the lower intake fully opened. The overflow is unstable, gulping air from time to time, and eventually will get sucked underwater completely. So this system as-is isn't safe for my fish. But it makes the water perfect so I want to keep it if I can. One option is to put some sort of mesh over the overflow so fish can't be sucked in, but I really should balance the system too so the overflow isn't sucked down. I'm considering restricting the pumps draw on the surface skimmer with a gate valve on the intake line to the Eheim, or somehow increasing the flow at the lower intake. Maybe a few holes drilled in the acrylic bottom piece at the lower intake to allow more water in would work. I don't really like the idea of putting restrictions on the pump, but maybe it's not such a big deal as I imagine. Or maybe replacing the lower acrylic piece completely with just a plug on the botto with holes drilled through. Any other ideas or thoughts you can share?
Hi, i am very similar with your problem did you could fix it?
Cool car what type of Honda is that?
This is fresh water right?
How to set co2 diffuser to flow around the tank ?
Do you remove it after surface is clear ?
George, PLEASE tell me that hack of adapting 2 different pipe sizes has always worked! I fear water leaks. Can I do this for inlet and outlets? I use Fluval FX4 here in the USA and can not locate lily pipe set to fit. You may have just solved it for me!
It works!
Love the vids. Many years ago I tried a skimmer but did not like the “slurping” sound from the top. I tried adjusting the suction, but it still was making that annoying sound, so I returned it.
My question is that was a while ago. Do the newer versions still do that sound??
I think the sound is more to do with the suction rate that’s determined by the power of the filter. You could try turning the flow rate down slightly
George Farmer I’ll give it a try one day again. Thanks again;)
Hi George, Hope you are doing great!! I have a quick question. Will this also suck the dirt under water or just only the surface? Basically I am looking for dual one which does both the job by just connecting it to one canister filter.
I want the water to be calm. Am not a great fan of the skimmer which blows air innthe water which in turn spoils my plants.
Beautiful tank! Thank you for the video! I am going to purchase one but wanted to do some research first.
Does the filter suck in any air bubbles through the skimmer?. It kinda looks like it does and this would cause air in filter which would reduce its power. Just wondering cos im thinking of buying one of these due to protein scum.
Barry r I was wondering the same thing, and if it would be reduced by using the 16mm glass set for more powerful filters. I use a small section of pre-filter foam, inserted into the top of the floating section, to protect baby shrimp from being skimmed too and this probably also prevents air from getting through. Though opening the flow control valve at the bottom would probably also reduce the air influx.
Minimal effect from sucking any gas through skimming portion 👍
George Farmer my skimmer keeps bouncing on water surface and sucking too much air, sometimes it just went under the surface. Tried to turn the dial to every position and it doesn't help. What can I do to keep the skimmer stable on water surface?
Do I need to check LPH before buying a surface skimmer?
Hello! Great videos, what temperature do you keep your heater? Thanks!
Hi George do you have 12 mm on the return too and can I ask why you you didn't get a 16 mm lily pipe thanks
Out of stock!
Haha.....so impatient George.
If you use 12 mm for oase 600 ,will this effect on the filter machine,since it design for 16/22,cos I use oase 350
Hi George, Old post you so may not see this but.... I see in the video that occasionally small bubbles are sucked into the filter. I'm running a Biomaster 600 also with 16mm pipes and even with the bottom intake fully open it still wants to pull air through the surface skimmer. I reduced the flow to the filter but it still sucks in small bubbles and I hate to reduce it more. Is this normal for this style of pipes? The biomaster will "belch" when enough air has been taken in but it find that really annoying. Excited to see your book! Amazon sent me a note yesterday about it.
George I have the same filter does this mean I can us 16m glass set
Yes 👍
My experience with that sort of skimmer is that it's fine as long as you don't have small shrimps in the tank. Even if you add a stainless steel mesh to the bottom part of the skimmer, shrimps can also get sucked from the skimmer top part. I found a few shrimps stuck in my pre-filter some time ago. I have since then added a small fabric mesh to the top dented floating skimming part. I am glad I had a pre-filter else they would be all dead.
Good advice, thanks 🙏
Can you get those tanks worldwide? I live in Norway
I get a lot of this in my discus tank it’s annoying as hell , very hard to run on in my set up though