Help with skimmer. And help with foam in my sump

[heelanjeffrey85]

Hey y'all, good morning I have a question if anyone can please chime in my sump started foaming last night I woke up this morning you can see in the photo there's foam building up in my sump what would be the reasons or causes to this?

NH3 0.01 nh4 0.10. Salinity 36 ppm. Calcium 450 . Nitrates 2.9 . Temperature 96.7

Also I've been having some issues as I've tried doing with the company said for breaking. For about a month now with the skimmer running at the correct water level it overflows extremely bad. So I put a stand and raised it to where the water level is way below the marking on the tank of the skimmer. It foams up really good but it's still overflows and gets everywhere. Is there a trick with this or something I'm doing wrong I have it on the lowest setting. I'm just completely baffled for the amount of money I spent on it while I'm having so many issues

 

[Dbichler]

It looks like the bubbles are coming from the bottom meaning it’s not seated properly to the base. As far as it overflowing that could be the vertical tube of the skimmer is clogged or pinched not getting enough air in order to produce skim. Or it still just needs to be raised higher. The foam on your right side shows that your drain lines need to be lowered into the water more.

 

[skey44]

Looks like something is causing the excess foam. Can be either a chemical you’re adding, some products can cause this for example chemiclean. Also potentially a large amount of organic matter, un-processed organic matter that isn’t being broken down wouldn’t show up in your water testing but I see brown at the top of the foam and this could be an indicator. Let us know your husbandry practices what all is in the tank and what all you’re putting in the tank and maybe we can figure this out. The outlet of your drains foaming so much shows me that it’s probably not the skimmer’s fault. Your water has something in it causing excessive foaming. Reminds me of my 300 gallon stock tank when we’d get in 300+ pounds of fresh live rock back in the 2000’s.

 

[skey44]

Agree need to run the drains into the water too. But that much foam seems suspicious of another issue to me.

 

[Dbichler]

Forget the drain line thing it’s just your skimmer line going there you need a gallon milk jug to catch the foam.

 

[skey44]

Oh yeah skimmer dumping back into sump no bueno. Your skimmer will probably need close attention for a while. Skimming very dry and removing the created foam. Issues this can cause… draining tank of too much water changing salinity, Overflowing catch basin and making a big mess, sure there’s more I could be missing.

 

[Snoopy 67]

I agree with dbiclher, it looks like there is no water inside the skimmer or you would have at least some foaming there. I had a skimmer that needed a rubber shim between the bottom plate & acrylic cone to seal it. Also, it needs to be lower in the water.
Run the unit without air to see if you can maintain a SLOW, MINIMUM water level inside the body.
Assuming it's a dc pump.

 

[Serpentman2024]

On a side note, I hope that temperature is a typo. 96.7 is way too warm.

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

Okay guys so much help and so much to type I'm going to do this the best I can to explain. Just please bear with me because I am new to this it's only my first year.
Sorry it was a typo.
Temperature is currently 77.2° at the one temperature meter and 76.5 at the other one I'm a little off on whether two different reading
On my seneye the reading is 75.2°
And pH is at 8.10 right now
NH3 is still at 0.001
I shut the skimmer off this morning when I saw it overflowing real bad it had me worried I've been dealing with it now for almost a month overflowing. When I messaged the company they told me to make sure the water level was at the water line on the bottom tank but I think you're right I think I have to pull it out and take it apart and see where the seal is I don't recall them ever giving me a rubber gasket in between it.

Ask for chemicals and nutrients
Salt I use Fritz high alkalinity pro redline mix
It's 180 gallon tank with a old eShop sump I think I calculated it to be 46 gallons of total volume but obviously we're not using that much.
When I need to dose calcium I'm using surcham . Calcium
I have search him reef builder that I use once a month after a water change
And if the pH level is dropping I have the buffer by searhcm

I tested alkalinity this morning and it was at 10.1
Just trying to think what I'm missing that I can help give him put on I haven't used any of the buffer or calcium or reef builder in about a month I was going to do a water change today should I not use that stuff
Does the salt mix pre come with all that stuff in it
Sorry for the stupid question just no one's ever really taught me .

The Rock said I'm using are from Marco Rock they're the Marco white rocks
They were dry Rock if I'm correct

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

Also livestock I'm not really good with the names of them so I'll take the photos but there's one lightning maroon clown. He's a baby then one juvenile chocolate clownfish a blue tang a different kind of Tang and then a cell phone I have a horseshoe crab a bunch of little snails a bunch of little hermit crabs and a sand sifting starfish.

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

Equipment it's a quan 180 dual overflow tank.
Three LED nilight not sure exactly what they are. The pump is a jebao 10000lh. With the controller wifi
Two hugger heaters they're 500 watts a piece I have them set to 76°. An old school big Red line reactor that has carbon bags in it. Using one big surcham filter pad on the side of the sump where the filter slot is in the side where the drains are I have a bunch of bags of Bio balls and ceramic balls.. I have a 15 gallon tank next to it that is my overflow top off tank running an ATO setup. And of course the seneye reef system . Not sure if I'm missing something when I get back to the store I can chime in on more stuff if you need any specific photos let me know

 

[Dbichler]

Yeah the only thing I still see is bubbles coming from the bottom which should not happen if sealed properly. Everything else is just adjustments, I would set it as high as you can skimmer wise then turn the air closed and let it bubble just in the bottom section to build up some slime in there then slowly lower the skimmer to the proper height and slowly adjust air for your preferred skim. Some skimmers are very finicky.

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

So it's a ice cap k1 200. I got it open box but brand new from coralview website it came in the box brand new . I don't see where I can close the air off is there somewhere on missing I'm going to take it apart now and see where this gasket seal is at the bottom plate

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

There is a screw on the top of this part but it doesn't do anything it just comes out completely nothing spins or closes from what I can see

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

I don't see any gasket it looks like it just pops down and then you spin it and tighten it could this be an issue

 

[heelanjeffrey85]

I put it back together now it's running not sure if it's looking right it's kind of filling up fast again

 

[DED65]

For the screw that just slips, wrap some Teflon tape a few times around and see if it grabs. That controls the air flow to the skimmer.

 

[Dburr1014]

There is a screw on the top of this part but it doesn't do anything it just comes out completely nothing spins or closes from what I can see

I kinda made a drawing for you.



Red Knob controls the water out... The level in the unit.
Blue controls the amount of air in the unit. Dry or wet skim.
Purple line is where the water should run if no air in.

You can remove the air by pulling out the line. Adjust to where the purple line is. This is just a start, you may have to adjust up or down with the red knob.
Put the air line back on. Adjust the air in to where you like for wet/dry skim.

Most recommend 8/9" of water to be in. Should be in the manual of Google it.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Ther is no gasket from the factory, it is something I had to make for the skimmer that would not seal right to the bottom plate. That screw is an air intake adjustment, IMPORTANT ADJUSTMENT.
Looks better now with foam inside the chamber.
You are on the right path; it takes patience & fortitude.

 

[Dburr1014]

There is a screw on the top of this part but it doesn't do anything it just comes out completely nothing spins or closes from what I can see

That should screw in to hold that whole cannister from spinning. Adjust and screw it down.