Help Skimmer for dummies

[RIJohn]

Ok so finally after a month of back order my skimmer arrived today. So I took the time read the directions and set into my tank and plugged it in. Started right up but I noticed that I needed to adjust the tube to fit my sump properly. Shut off power made adjustments and now it wont start.

Skimmer Is a Reef Octox-160

Any ideas whats going on with it?

 

[VAreef]

did you plug it back in? I would walk back thru the instructions. There may be a simple step you missed to restart it? I'm not at all familiar with that skimmer though.

 

[PRC]

Try plugging something else into the outlet..make sure the outlet works. If it does, read back through the instructions. My nephews skimmer does the same thing (not the same model) he has to do something to it to make it work after he shuts it down. I just don't know what it is...He says it's kind of a PITA.

 

[RIJohn]

Ok plug is working...

Pulled it out broke it back down to how it was shipped and put it all back together. Working again.

Now how does it exactly work?

Do I bring the bubbles to the tip top of cup?

 

[bjohanson1234]

Right now, I would just bring the bubbles to the bottom of the cup. That way it can break in. The first couple weeks, the skimmer wont be very reliable. It might produce a lot of foam one day and no foam the next. This is normal for break in. If the cup is set too low, you have a chance of overflowing the skimmer and making a mess. I had the cup raise all the way for a week or two then gradually moved it down until I was collecting a constant amount.

Brian

 

[VAreef]

when adjusting your bubbles you need to watch this thing. there should be a narrowing throat area that about halfway up that you should see it start to turn to entirely bubbles and about 3/4 of the way up all bubbles. You dont want it to go to fast or you may end up with a mess. Best is get it set so you know for sure the skimmer cup won't overflow before tomorrow morning. Whats collecting in the skim cup should be kinda a dark brown green slimy and nasty that smells like every fish in the ocean just crapped in it. When you got that it's workin right. It usually takes a few days for a skimmer to break in right.

 

[RIJohn]

Ok right so I will back the bubbles down for now due to the fact that it not really building to much in the sense of bubbles.

Thanks for the help

 

[parrotchute]

Also, without much of a bioload, you might not have much dissolved organics to actually skim...so you may not get much skimmate.

 

[RIJohn]

Ok so the skimmer is up and running now for 24hrs. The skimmer is getting an good foam head coming from the main chamber, the foam is reaching into the cup on the lowest setting. If adjust the flow more foam reaches the cup, if turn it all the way close water makes into the cup.

So how much foam should enter the cup just the top foam or a little more?

Getting green foam near the top of the foam column.

 

[yote]

I try to set my skimmer so that the foam is about half way up the cone in the cup.That way the nastiest part of the foam will get pushed on up and into the cup and the waste collects in the top of the foam.