Skimmer not skimming?

[govertical19]

These are not my words exactly... Keep that in mind, haha. When speaking with reef octopus the guy said there are many things in the water that can effect skimming. High organics, biopellets,, dosing, etc. Also going from one skimmer to another. The old one may have been doing a Ok job and the new one is going a much better job, sorry for the lack of better words. If that is the cause it could take awhile of wet skimming to catch up. I am not saying that is what you have, but there are many factors. I hope this makes sense.

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[dirtycontour]

These are not my words exactly... Keep that in mind, haha. When speaking with reef octopus the guy said there are many things in the water that can effect skimming. High organics, biopellets,, dosing, etc. Also going from one skimmer to another. The old one may have been doing a Ok job and the new one is going a much better job, sorry for the lack of better words. If that is the cause it could take awhile of wet skimming to catch up. I am not saying that is what you have, but there are many factors. I hope this makes sense.

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Makes perfect sense. I went from an HOB to this. I assumed the new skimmer would be "filling the gap", just didn't think it would take this long. As with anything in this hobby, I'll be patient. Thanks all.

 

[kschweer]

Did you get the skimmer running better?

 

[dirtycontour]

Did you get the skimmer running better?

It's definitely pulling out skimmate. The bubbles in the neck right under the collection cup are still large though. I talked to Jeremy from coralvue and he said it may take 4-5 weeks to break in and skim at optimum performance. I'm happy with the skimmate it is pulling now.

 

[joeb558]

I finally got my extensions today for the SSS 1000. One thing I notice is the valve is 95% open to get the water level up and tuning has become very critical. Have you experienced the same. I did a complete clean out of the skimmer just prior to adding the two extensions. So far I don't have any foam in the cup but ill need to give it a few days. It sure does look like it will increase performance. Time will tell.

 

[govertical19]

I finally got my extensions today for the SSS 1000. One thing I notice is the valve is 95% open to get the water level up and tuning has become very critical. Have you experienced the same. I did a complete clean out of the skimmer just prior to adding the two extensions. So far I don't have any foam in the cup but ill need to give it a few days. It sure does look like it will increase performance. Time will tell.

With the 3 extension I have on mine I was really able to close the valve a good deal. See what happens by tomorrow at this time.

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[TanksNStuff]

It's definitely pulling out skimmate. The bubbles in the neck right under the collection cup are still large though. I talked to Jeremy from coralvue and he said it may take 4-5 weeks to break in and skim at optimum performance. I'm happy with the skimmate it is pulling now.

4-5 weeks to break in?

Hmm, I just upgraded my Bubble Magus NAC7 to a Bubble Magus CS 180 (didn't need it yet, but plan to upgrade to a 120g tank soon) and I was getting nice foam in about an hour of break in. It was actually foaming right away, but it was about an hour before it started turning greenish. My NAC7 was the same way when I got it too. I've taken mine out, cleaned it in vinegar/water for a couple hours, rinsed in clean ro/di, then put back in service and within an hour it's foaming like normal.

Unless you have no bioload or nasties in your water to pull out (possible)... I can't see why it would take 4-5 weeks to start working.

Most skimmers I've dealt with have a sweet spot with regards to: a) water level around the skimmer, and b) the water/bubble level adjustment inside the body. If you can find the right combination of those settings, you should be able to turn your skimmer on and see it working right away.

 

[joeb558]

With the 3 extension I have on mine I was really able to close the valve a good deal. See what happens by tomorrow at this time.

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The skimmer is producing really well. The extensions were really worth the investment. What a great improvement on an already great skimmer. I'm very happy with the results. Glad I got involved with this post and thats why I really dig this forum. Thanks All.

 

[govertical19]

Awesome! Glad you like them

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[dirtycontour]

4-5 weeks to break in?

Hmm, I just upgraded my Bubble Magus NAC7 to a Bubble Magus CS 180 (didn't need it yet, but plan to upgrade to a 120g tank soon) and I was getting nice foam in about an hour of break in. It was actually foaming right away, but it was about an hour before it started turning greenish. My NAC7 was the same way when I got it too. I've taken mine out, cleaned it in vinegar/water for a couple hours, rinsed in clean ro/di, then put back in service and within an hour it's foaming like normal.

Unless you have no bioload or nasties in your water to pull out (possible)... I can't see why it would take 4-5 weeks to start working.

Most skimmers I've dealt with have a sweet spot with regards to: a) water level around the skimmer, and b) the water/bubble level adjustment inside the body. If you can find the right combination of those settings, you should be able to turn your skimmer on and see it working right away.

I have a pretty good sized bioload. 9 fish in a 55. I probably feed 2-3 frozen cubes a day plus a square of nori. Don't get me wrong, I am emptying my cup of tea colored skimmate every 2-3 days. I also see nice chunks of whatever in my collection cup.

I'm getting hung up on the fact that everything I read and see says I should be seeing tiny bubbles in the neck area below the collection cup. I am getting large bubbles popping in that area.

 

[dirtycontour]

This is after cleaning my collection cup yesterday. Notice the bubbles or "lack of" in the neck.

 

[Fish Brain]

Is the skimmer on in that picture? If it is, you want the water level to be a little higher in the neck. Try raising it right to the top of the cone and bottom of the neck and adjust from there.

 

[dirtycontour]

Is the skimmer on in that picture? If it is, you want the water level to be a little higher in the neck. Try raising it right to the top of the cone and bottom of the neck and adjust from there.

Yes, the skimmer is on. When I adjust the gate valve, it will overflow and produce very light skimmate.

 

[govertical19]

Is the skimmer on in that picture? If it is, you want the water level to be a little higher in the neck. Try raising it right to the top of the cone and bottom of the neck and adjust from there.

I agree you definitely want to see more in the neck.



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[dirtycontour]

I agree you definitely want to see more in the neck.



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Yup, that is what I'm looking for; I'm playing with it now.