Need help with skimmer has not been working for a month

[Snake132]

So the skimmer is a month old and until now keeps overflowing
How do I tune it can anyone give me an detailed guide
Thanks
I will attach pictures

What should the bubbles look like ?
How high should they go ?
How open should the air hole be ?
how open should the water level gate be ?

It has overflowed daily multiple times for the last month
As you can understand I’m about to throw it out the window
It came with very little instructions
Except to keep the air hole open till it stops overflowing
It says to keep it in 7 to 9 inches of water and it is in 8 inches of water


Please help
My nitrates are at 80 now and my ammonium is at 0.5
The tank is a year and 2 months old
With nothing except red sea useless filter bags and this stupid skimmer my tank basically has no filtration and I’ve been doing water changes and relying on the bio filter (lots of rock and biofilter media)

 

[pdisner]

So does the compartment in your sump where you keep the skimmer have a CONSISTENT water level?

 

[Jlyons]

Depends on how wet you want the skim mate to be. Personally I would shoot for the bubbles to be between number one and two. I would also try to level it out on a flat surface.

 

[pdisner]

Skimmers should be checked frequently. I check mine usually when I feed. But I check every opportunity. By keeping your water level the same, should cut down on adjustments. Keep in mind that some additives can cause extra foaming as well as how much you feed your fish. I believe in feeding 2-3x a day, but I’m a Breeder, so it’s critical for me. But I used I be the type to feed only once or even every other day in order I keep my nutrients low. I’ve come to he realization that not only is this cruel, but negatively affects the health and well being of the animal. I use a good called TDO that I order from APBreed.com. It’s Reed Mariculture’s food that they import from Japan. Take a look at it. It is a food that is used in breeding but is now catching on as lifetime feed. It not only has the usual stuff like krill and fish meal, but it has super high amounts of coloration ingredients. It also has probiotics which are showing up in all the foods now. The protein is highly bioavailable, which means a little bit goes a long way. This helps when your trying to keep a clean tank. Everything can be fed with TDO, even corals. They sell samples if you call Reed Mariculture. Give it a try, you’ll have a much cleaner tank.

 

[Snake132]

Still don’t know how to tune my skimmer
I teed very little 2 times a day by little I mean nothing is left I. The tank ever I make sure to do it slowly as to ensure they are eating it and that it nothing stays floating in the tank

 

[Snake132]

So does the compartment in your sump where you keep the skimmer have a CONSISTENT water level?

Yes it never changes it can’t because it’s a fixed water level

 

[theMeat]

What model skimmer?

 

[saintsreturn]

If it is a new skimmer, did you have a skimmer in there before? If not, you are most likely skimming a lot due to the nutrients in the tank and the build materials that have never been skimmed. I fought with mine until i just hooked up a gallon jug, turned it down and let it run out. When this drain off finished, the skimmer was able to be dialed in.

I keep my bubbles right below the collection cup, about halfway up the neck so that i get a dark skim.

If it replaced an existing skimmer, it may still be breaking in and working through the oils on itself. And since the water level is going back into the system, it is never truly pulling it out.

Hope that helps

 

[Snake132]

Depends on how wet you want the skim mate to be. Personally I would shoot for the bubbles to be between number one and two. I would also try to level it out on a flat surface.

Thanks for your reply
Since I’m not a pro I prefer dry skin ate because then I know for sure it’s picking up stuff with wet skin ate I always get confused and it always seems too watery for me and I get paranoid thinking oh it’s not enough . You know what I mean I’m no pro to judge the colour too so dry is for me more so just to be clear it should be under the line of where the skimate is collected sort of thing like the picture ?
And how do I determine the if the bubbles are enough like the air intake part I currently have it almost closer to the bubbles are smaller

 

[Snake132]

I used to run it so the bubbles were bigger I.E air intake was completely open and the bubbles reaches all the way half way up the collection cup part so am I to assume that was too high ? Wrong

 

[theMeat]

What model skimmer

Would open air intake all the way, and use water output valve to control level.

Sounds backwards, but, more air = lower level

 

[Snake132]

If it is a new skimmer, did you have a skimmer in there before? If not, you are most likely skimming a lot due to the nutrients in the tank and the build materials that have never been skimmed. I fought with mine until i just hooked up a gallon jug, turned it down and let it run out. When this drain off finished, the skimmer was able to be dialed in.

I keep my bubbles right below the collection cup, about halfway up the neck so that i get a dark skim.

If it replaced an existing skimmer, it may still be breaking in and working through the oils on itself. And since the water level is going back into the system, it is never truly pulling it out.

Hope that helps

thanks I was running a skimmer before this one which was on an off some days would skim some it wouldn’t . That’s why I bought this one which I was recommended but it is not consistent . Now I just did a water change and the bubbles are completely gone it looks like the old skimmer now I will attach pictures

It’s just bubbling no foam

 

[Snake132]

Help

 

[WVNed]

I have my Reef Octo set to run at the 1 level in your pic when it starts and there is no foam.

 

[Jlyons]

Have you tried raising the skimmer an inch or two? Does it make any difference?

 

[mtfish]

I am not sure what is going on but I am concerned that you have ammonia showing up on a cycled tank. Perhaps a bad test kit? Ammonia should be zero. Also, a skimmer will not reduce nitrates per say, but can help keep them from forming by removing organics before they break down. Now that the skimmer bubble level is low, slowly (like slowly) reduce the air intake and wait an hour or so to see how much it rises. Your skimmer may just now be past the break-in period and will work more consistently. If you try to raise the water level inside the skimmer too fast it will not have time to stabilize. Once you get it set, it should take very little adjustments to keep it where you want it. Skimming wet or dry is a choice, but skimming on a drier side to start will help to start.

 

[freshy&salty]

thanks I was running a skimmer before this one which was on an off some days would skim some it wouldn’t . That’s why I bought this one which I was recommended but it is not consistent . Now I just did a water change and the bubbles are completely gone it looks like the old skimmer now I will attach pictures

It’s just bubbling no foam

IME the "cleaner" the water, the less foam there will be. So directly after a water change, the foam should be less.

Im not an expert on skimmers by any means and can only relay my experience with them and some of the advice ive been given that works for me.
The finer (smaller) the size of the bubbles, the better the "filtration". Equally the more bubbles you can make the better.
The closer to the collection cup (the top of the pipe)the bubbles are, the wetter the skim will be. The foam is the skim off and you want that to "overflow" into the cup so dont worry about where its level is. It will climb as it builds.
Try to control the level with the airflow and not the water level. In theory the water level should be constant and even with the sump level.
It will need adjusting over the course of the first week while you stabilize the water. If you find youve maxed the flow for the bubbler out and the water level still seems low, increase the water intake.

Also dont forget skimmers remove good nutrients(cal, mag, etc)as well. So make sure you monitor those levels too.

I dont own that particular skimmer so I really cant tell you specific settings for it and its really gunna depend on your tanks water params as to where its finals settings end up but starting low and slow and dialing up is the way to go.

 

[freshy&salty]

" If you find youve maxed the flow for the bubbler out and the water level still seems low, increase the water intake. "

*i meant to add, and vise versa. If the bubbler seems like it cant be turned down enough, close off the water intake a little.

 

[pdisner]

So have you figured anything out?? Has any of the postings helped at all?

I also have a general question since we are all talking about it, I’m curious to know If anyone here ever bothered to make your skimmer an in-line? I was wondering if that helped with salt spray or creep and skimmer efficiency.