Skimmer water level issue

[loonz]

Hi everyone, of late i've encountered several times my skimmer water level falling so drastically that nothing skims(see image). The cup is far from full but if i removed it and after a bit switched the skimmer back on then it works fine again.

Another noticeable thing is at the point when i switch it off, a bit of water will somehow flow back into the air valve, which i'd have to empty it before switching on again. I've tried dismantling and reassembling the skimmer thinking that something might be off, but it didnt help. has anyone experienced this and knows how to resolve this? thank you!

 

[tzabor10]

What type of skimmer is it? Skimmers can be fussy. Tweaking it might take some time

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Looks like your skimmer isn’t deep enough in the water to begin with. Also it appears to be setting on a rock, this is wrong, Skimmers need to be level at all times. Also adjusting DC Variable speed pumps , and skim height in the neck can be a bit tricky. I know this from trying to adjust my LifeReef Skimmers on a DC Pump. Started out with pump on maximum speed. Adjusted Level in the neck, to manufacture recommended height. Let it run for a day, or two. Backed off one setting at a time on the pump. Then slightly readjusted the neck bubble level. I finally hit a good pump speed, “cuts down on my energy usage.” Went one speed step up, readjusted and now leave it alone.

 

[Asm481]

My first go to if the skimmer had worked then did this to you, is clean the pump and maybe more important is clean the air pathway. Pay attention to the tight spots like connections and the venturi. Sometimes just submerging the air line can break up a clog especially if it is salt creep.

 

[JNalley]

As @SteveMM62Reef states, your skimmer isn't submerged deep enough. The "Water Level" lines you have on your adjustment pipe are where your sump water level needs to be when the skimmer isn't running. It needs to stay at this depth to perform correctly. From that point, you need to adjust the air:water ratio to get the type of skim you want, either by using the internal level pipe to adjust the height of the foam head in the skimmer, or by using an air valve on the air intake line (the air valve is more of an advanced thing, and not really a requirement), or both. Get it off of the rock/biomedia block its on, get the water level in your sump to situate between the high and low level line, then adjust from there... that's the best advice i could give you.

 

[loonz]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. It's a Deltec 1000ix that's been running for at least the past 5 years now and the water level hasn't changed. It's sitting on a transparent acrylic platform so it might look like it's got a piece of rock beneath it (it's actually a bag of Seachem matrix ) I did clean the pump again and now it's ok for the past 3 days, hoping that did the trick. Will continue to monitor and see if anything breaks...Thanks again!