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Skimmer maintenance ?
- Thread starter MadReefer
- Start date
now I know why my skimmer doesn't work ;D I have no idea how to take it apart and clean 
I guess I need to find a manual.
I guess I need to find a manual.whitebear1020 said:
I think it's Coralife. My tank was set up by a maintenance company about year and a half ago. I didn't know anything about saltwater tanks, so I hired someone to set it up for me.
It looks like this:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p_22940_30485D.jpg
I can't get it to skim properly. I can only get a quarter cup every two weeks. It has bubbles inside and all the water levels are where they should be, may be it just needs cleaning. ???
I've been using coralife skimmers for a while.
Yup. I'd clean it if you haven't.
Also, where you see the red knob that you turn to adjust the water level in the neck, there should be an air outlet there. It can get clogged with salt creep. Make sure that gets cleaned.
Pull the pump, and make sure you not only clean the trap on the front of the pump, but pull that front casing off and make sure you clean around the impeller as well.
If you are using the "pre-filter sponge" on the front of the pump? Pull it off. It's worthless.
When yo pull the pump to clean it, you will see a nozle where the air line connects, pull that airline off and make sure that nozzle isn't cloged.
Also, you should have the airline running from the pump to a small cylinder up high near the neck. That is a silencer. Make sure that gets cleaned and you can blow in one side and feel the air come out the other side, that gets clogged with salt creep as well.
Hope that helps.
Yup. I'd clean it if you haven't.
Also, where you see the red knob that you turn to adjust the water level in the neck, there should be an air outlet there. It can get clogged with salt creep. Make sure that gets cleaned.
Pull the pump, and make sure you not only clean the trap on the front of the pump, but pull that front casing off and make sure you clean around the impeller as well.
If you are using the "pre-filter sponge" on the front of the pump? Pull it off. It's worthless.
When yo pull the pump to clean it, you will see a nozle where the air line connects, pull that airline off and make sure that nozzle isn't cloged.
Also, you should have the airline running from the pump to a small cylinder up high near the neck. That is a silencer. Make sure that gets cleaned and you can blow in one side and feel the air come out the other side, that gets clogged with salt creep as well.
Hope that helps.
Yes. It does help. I will try this weekend. ;D Thank you.
Keep this in mind though. When you tear those things down and completely clean them, consider it new again. It will need to "break in" again, usually about a day or so.
Once you get it all cleaned and back in service, and it breaks in, I do the following:
Keep an eye on that nozzle near the output, use a paperclip to break it free if it starts to get salt creep on it
Watch the inlet on the face of the pump, I use a small brush to clean off anything that might get stuck to it during operation
The air silencer? Well, this is up to you, but I pulled mine off completely and just let the air pull directly from the air line. It's a tad louder, but that stupid silencer is more trouble than its worth.
Every couple of days, I take the lid off the cap, and run a papertowel down the top of the neck, and around the outside. I find that if "gunk" collects inside that neck in the cup, the bubbles will burst there instead of traveling all the way up to the top of the cup and bursting over the edge as they are supposed to.
All fo this limits the amount of times I have to take it out of service completely. I only do that every few months now.
Once you get it all cleaned and back in service, and it breaks in, I do the following:
Keep an eye on that nozzle near the output, use a paperclip to break it free if it starts to get salt creep on it
Watch the inlet on the face of the pump, I use a small brush to clean off anything that might get stuck to it during operation
The air silencer? Well, this is up to you, but I pulled mine off completely and just let the air pull directly from the air line. It's a tad louder, but that stupid silencer is more trouble than its worth.
Every couple of days, I take the lid off the cap, and run a papertowel down the top of the neck, and around the outside. I find that if "gunk" collects inside that neck in the cup, the bubbles will burst there instead of traveling all the way up to the top of the cup and bursting over the edge as they are supposed to.
All fo this limits the amount of times I have to take it out of service completely. I only do that every few months now.