Why is my skimmer not foaming very well?

[llowwelll]

I made a DIY skimmer several weeks ago. It is approx 4 ft tall and 4 in wide. For more details, the design is here: http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1998/feb/features/2/default.asp . It is powered by both a TetraTec DW96-2 AND a TetraTec DW96 airpump. Each pump outlet is connected to it's own separate 3 inch Coralife wood airstone for a total of 3 airstones. The airstones have been in the skimmer for about 2 weeks. The problem is that I very rarely get any good dry foam out of it. Occasionally, it will build up to about 4 in of dry foam for a very short period of time and then die down. Usually, I only get an inch or two of wet foam. The causes for this problem that I can think of are: 1] the airstones have clogged (though even when they were brand new the skimmer acted the same) 2] the airstones are not large enough 3] the pumps are defective (both were brand new as of a month ago) 4] my tank doesn't have enough gunk in it to produce a thick foam (it was set up in May so it is relatively new but I can see detritus floating around in the water) 5] I need more airpower (although I've read of people powering bigger skimmers with just a DW96-2). Any thoughts or advice out there? I've done all kinds of reading on this and haven't really come upon a good answer. This is kind of frustrating me and I would appreciate some advice from you all out there. Thanks!

 

[davelin315]

Your skimmer needs to "season" before it starts to do its job well. It takes a while for it to get ready, and once it is, it'll work consistently. Also, you may not have enough gunk in your water to skim. Another reason could be that you need to adjust the flow rate through it. Or, the contact time is insufficient. There are endless available reasons, but no definites.