Skimmer Detritus issue

[ssdawood]

The venturi is open about one and a half turns. Although I have read that opening it has very little effect. You can use this to fine tune skimmer.

Make sure you water level is between 7 to 8 inches. Keep the wedge pipe fully open and venturi closed.
Now slowly close the wedge pipe till the bubbles reach below where the cup screws on. Leave it in this position for atleast three hours.

After three hours watch where the bubbles are. If the reach the neck and over good otherwise keep closing slowly till they reach the neck.

Make only a small turn and wait for three hours. Only adjust after three hours. Skimmers take long to respond sometimes.

It also could be that 180i is huge for your system. It so happens that it pulls gunks rapidly then idles at times. When you see it idling you think the wedge pipe needs to open a little and adjusts it.
now when the DOCs are high it overflows or gives watery skimmate.

 

[piranhapat]

Check the air line tube at both ends. See if it's clogged and check the pump where the air tube goes and make sure nothing blocking it. My skimmer gets a build up in the air hose which I have to unblock with a skinny object so air can pass.

 

[ivandrago]

The venturi is open about one and a half turns. Although I have read that opening it has very little effect. You can use this to fine tune skimmer.

Make sure you water level is between 7 to 8 inches. Keep the wedge pipe fully open and venturi closed.
Now slowly close the wedge pipe till the bubbles reach below where the cup screws on. Leave it in this position for atleast three hours.

After three hours watch where the bubbles are. If the reach the neck and over good otherwise keep closing slowly till they reach the neck.

Make only a small turn and wait for three hours. Only adjust after three hours. Skimmers take long to respond sometimes.

It also could be that 180i is huge for your system. It so happens that it pulls gunks rapidly then idles at times. When you see it idling you think the wedge pipe needs to open a little and adjusts it.
now when the DOCs are high it overflows or gives watery skimmate.

Thanks for the information I will try but what is DOC?

 

[timberwolfny]

the intake causes more air and more contact time to pull Dissolve Organic Compounds out of the water

 

[timberwolfny]

the red pvc controls water level so skimmer does not overflow

 

[Frank@Wall]

lol, its no longer on a pedestal, right now its on the bottom but still giving me wet skim. They put up so much hype on this skimmer that it was a beast but in reality its a peice of ****. Unless there is something wrong with my plumbing or something.

This skimmer is awesome. How long you had it? It took me 7 weeks for it to break in and it's giving me the really smelly black crap you are looking for. My is sitting in 7.5" of water. I would not trade this skimmer for anything.

 

[ivandrago]

This skimmer is awesome. How long you had it? It took me 7 weeks for it to break in and it's giving me the really smelly black crap you are looking for. My is sitting in 7.5" of water. I would not trade this skimmer for anything.

the skimmer is 3 month old.

 

[Frank@Wall]

the skimmer is 3 month old.

Did you put the skimmer in shallower or deeper water then play with the venturi?

 

[NYreefNoob]

doesnt matter how old a tank is it still goes through cycles, some bigger then other's. once you add a fish the bio-load changes and can pending the size of pooper the fish is. guess i am close to 2.5 years on my tank and just got a diatom bloom, adding a coral or a rock can also cause a bloom as a new bacteria is being introduced

 

[NYreefNoob]

btw from the way the bubbles look in that skimmer you have something in the system thats causing it to act funny making it harder to dial in, i set mine to where the micro bubbles start to form right at where the cup connects

 

[NYreefNoob]

[QUOTEhave tried it has a nozzel on the inake you can unscreww and allow the amount of air it takes in][/QUOTE] the nozzle on the intake does nothing for air, but changes water pull. open gate valve all the way and start to dial the skimmer in from there

 

[ivandrago]

btw from the way the bubbles look in that skimmer you have something in the system thats causing it to act funny making it harder to dial in, i set mine to where the micro bubbles start to form right at where the cup connects

Yea i have a feeling something is making it act funny as well and i can't get to the bottom of it. Its really pissing me off. I used to have an Eshop 300 which i gave to my dad and that skimmer was great. But the vertex Omega 150 and the 180 are giving me problems.

 

[NYreefNoob]

are you running carbon ? these a pad forget the name that you can ut in, it pulls most stuff out of the water and will change color pending what it is pulling. also how long has this skimmer been running

 

[ivandrago]

are you running carbon ? these a pad forget the name that you can ut in, it pulls most stuff out of the water and will change color pending what it is pulling. also how long has this skimmer been running

This inparticular skimmer has been running since December 8, but they skimmer before this was an Omega 150 and that has been running for a year and it was doing the same thing.
I am not running carbon never have.

 

[Loose tenticle]

Did you try cleaning the pump? That happens to me when it gets clogged.

 

[NYreefNoob]

Yes check the needle wheel and make sure the airline or intake for airline on skimmer isnt blocked or clogged

 

[ivandrago]

I have cleaned it and same issue. I mean I have tweaked it and I am getting some skin mate I will post another pick up today and you guys tell me how it looks. Right now the skin mate look greenish black.

 

[Loose tenticle]

How old is the skimmer?

 

[ivandrago]

How old is the skimmer?

This question is being asked way to much please read the thread. The skimmer has been running since Dec 8

 

[Loose tenticle]

I know there is usually a break im period thats why i ask. In my experience that crap resets when the skimmer is powered off