Protein Skimmer question

[ergert]

I am new to protein skimming, but I have an Aqua Clear Aquatics protein skimmer in the sump of my 80G reef. The first day it was working fine, but now for some reason the bubbles stay at a certain level and very rarely rises. This occurs no matter how high I turn the air on. I am wondering if this is normal, since the times that it does rise enough to release into the collection cup it only does a little and then the bubbles go back down where it was. I have tried to find anything on the web I could about this and one person said that you need to break in the skimmer. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[C J Rodders]

I have a turboflotor 1000 PS. It is a hang on model but I think it is similar to yours. Where the two tubes rise alongside the main chamber, there are two black knobs that adjust the rate water enters the collecting flask. They are a little basic in design and probably very tight to turn in your new model. If you have this set up, I hope my comments have been helpful.
CJ

 

[ergert]

CJ,

It seems that our models are different. I dont have those little knobs. Oh well, thanks anyway, I appreciate it.

 

[Anonymous]

Try squirting some warm water into the venturi (where the airhose connects to PVC). Your venturi may be clogged.

Louey

 

[skipm]

I had a Sea Life Skimmer several years ago on my tank and found that it was very sensitive about the water levels in the sump and I would have to constantly readjust it to get it to skim. I ended up solving the problem by adding an automatic topoff rig to keep the water levels in my sump consistent. I ended up getting rid of this skimmer about a year or so ago because it was gathering dust (I had long since upgraded). I am not sure if this is the problem you are having but from what I have seen of pics of their skimmers, the design hasn't changed much. Hope this helps.

 

[ergert]

Skipm,

I also had a Red Sea before I got this AquaClear Aquatics skimmer. I was having the same problem that you were having with yours and thats why I got this new one. Maybe it does have something to do with the sump water level. Looks like I dont have much luck with skimmers. I will try the warm water squirt that Louey suggested as well as raise the water level. I dont know much about this water top off thing,I will look into it. Thanks for the help.

 

[Anonymous]

My first skimmer was the s*me br*nd as yours. I got sick of fooling with it. I shelled out the bucks for a top-of-the-line skimmer. I got a Lifereef and am glad I did. It even has a self cleaning venturi. I haven't had to make an adjustment since I first set it up (3 months

)

My old skimmer had to be removed and ran in bleach water every couple of months, for optimal performance. What a PITA!

[ May 05, 2002: Message edited by: Louey ]</p>

 

[ergert]

Ok, so I have had my protein skimmer going now for about a week. I still only have maybe about 1/2 inch of goo in my cup from this whole time. The bubbles just stay in the tube that leads up to the cup. Am I supposed to let the scum build up in that tube leading to the cup or do I clean it? It seems like that holds the bubbles back but I think it is just a piece of crap skimmer. I think most are. This is the second one I have bought and both do the same thing. Ok, sorry I just had to vent. Thanks

 

[xKEIGOx]

err.... do you think that your tank water are clean and the skimmer doesn't have much to skim out?

how long have it been? Check for the size and number of bubbles in the skimmer. If it's ok then must be the water is clean..... err... I think so.

 

[ergert]

Well, I know my nitrates are high and my corals are dying one by one so my water cant be clean. Sometimes the bubbles are really small and sometimes they are big, but they dont rise. I have noticed that when I add more water to the sump, the bubbles do rise more than where they normally sit.