First Time Skimmer Activated - is this about right?

[rpkneumann]

Centre Pompideux is about 10 weeks running now.

DT is about 130, sump 32, 8 small fish (after 6 weeks) , lights still off.
But I guess I need to learn to feed less!!!
Just did my first water change (20%)
Current values (all measured with hanna checkers)

Temp 28 C
Salinity 35.1
Ph 7.5
Ammonia 0.09
Nitrite 2.5. (seems very high)
Nitrate 5.0
Alk/dKh 6.5
Calcium 407
Magnesium 1420
Phosphates 0.34 (I might have the decimal point in the wrong place, Measure 1.7 after probe dilution, Hanna directions aren't very clear)

I finally turned my skimmer on.
I have no instructions for it. It's a somatic.
Tuning seems to be a secret sauce.

First it was overflowing no matter how i turned the vertical tube. then I added a valve in the airline, dialed it down and the tube sits at 50%., whatever that means.
I know it needs to run for a while to start producing gunk, just wondering if I'm on the right path.

Does this look about right, for the first run ever?

Youtube
Skimmer

 

[rpkneumann]

Anybody?
It's my first time using one.
I thought skimmers are a standard.
Should be lots of reefers with opinions?

 

[Reef-Mart]

Anybody?
It's my first time using one.
I thought skimmers are a standard.
Should be lots of reefers with opinions?

Try uploading the video to YouTube and then posting here. When I get a new skimmer I get the water level about 2/3 of the way to the collection cup and let it run. After a few days you should see it starting to collect, tune it from there.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Keep the water level turned down at first... it will take a few days for the skimmer to break in (bacterial coat inside). You will simply make tiny adjustments until you get foam climbing into the neck.

"wet skimming" is where the foam reaches the lid and kind of puffs in and out, filling the skimmer cup in hours or days. The water may be greenish tinted.

"dry skimming" is lowering the foam level further into the neck where it becomes very dry and barely ever overflows into the cup. It may take many days or even weeks to fill the cup. The neck will get very caked with crud too and the cup will be filled with dark stinky water.

Neither is "better" but "dry" is far more stable.

With "wet" little things like feeding can cause the skimmer to go nuts and overflow. If it is set to be "dry" to begin with then feeding may boost it into "wet" mode for an hour or two. So to me, best of both worlds and no overflows.

 

[twentyleagues]

What @BeanAnimal said.
Looks good by video may want to dial it back if it isnt already. May take a few days as also said above to "break in".

 

[rpkneumann]

Updated post with video on you tube as requested by Reef-Mart

Seems though that mp4s are visible when directly loaded.

 

[rpkneumann]

Keep the water level turned down at first... it will take a few days for the skimmer to break in (bacterial coat inside). You will simply make tiny adjustments until you get foam climbing into the neck.

"wet skimming" is where the foam reaches the lid and kind of puffs in and out, filling the skimmer cup in hours or days. The water may be greenish tinted.

"dry skimming" is lowering the foam level further into the neck where it becomes very dry and barely ever overflows into the cup. It may take many days or even weeks to fill the cup. The neck will get very caked with crud too and the cup will be filled with dark stinky water.

Neither is "better" but "dry" is far more stable.

With "wet" little things like feeding can cause the skimmer to go nuts and overflow. If it is set to be "dry" to begin with then feeding may boost it into "wet" mode for an hour or two. So to me, best of both worlds and no overflows.

Dry sounds like a good strategy.
Mist is settling on the cup walls with slightly brown color now. Guess it works. It "tuned" itself down a bit. Foam is about 1/2 inch below neck brace.
Leaving it alone for a couple of weeks until i have feeding under control.
Also want to make sure that my phosphates are at a reasonable level.
To few, to small fish to be adding a hole cube of frozen hikari mysis each day while i'm trying to grow fish population slowly. Lights are off, so no algae bloom (yet).