How long untill I get foam?

[mikey98]

I have just built my first Beckett skimmer. I like the way it looks, but not the way it works. I haven't seen any foam yet. I have only been running it for about 15 minuets. Should it take longer? I will post a pic so you can see what id going on. Can you see any problems with my design? Please help.

P.S. I am getting large bubbles popping up in the riser tube. I think the fine bubbles are collecting just at the base of the riser and then popping up to the surface. Is this my problem?

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like there is not enough air in the skimmer. It should be a milky white. It should take more than 15minutes to start making skimmate. You should wait a few hours. The residue left from the acrylic will make it take long. Just wait it out.

 

[mikey98]

So how do I get more air in the skimmer? I have a pump rated at 900 gph and the valve for controlling the Beckett is wide open. Any suggestions?

 

[CAPT PETE]

How tall is the skimmer? The pump may not be powerful enough. I have an Iwaki 55rlt rated at 1500gph on a 28" becket injector skimmer and the water in the skimmer is milky white.

 

[mikey98]

The reaction chamber itself is about 15" tall and 6" in diameter. The total height from the bottom of the box to the top of the riser tube is 27.25"

Do you think I need a bigger pump?

Also the Becket is spiting small amounts of water out of the air holes.

Do I have too much restriction after the Becket? The PVC pipe is 3/4" all the way to the end. It goes through two 90s and then into a tee and splits to two 45s turned up at an angle to create a cyclone effect.

 

[CAPT PETE]

The beckett injector plus the elbows put quite a bit of back pressure on the pump. I would try a mag 24 or an Iwaki 55rlt on that skimmer. I'm sure you will see a difference. Also, instead of a 90 degree fitting, I would put a straight barb fitting where your pump tubing connects to your skimmer injector. I did this on my skimmer and noticed an improvement. Try a bigger pump and see what happens. I don't think there is enough flow through your injector. What pump are you using?

 

[CAPT PETE]

Here is a pic of my Bullet 2 skimmer(needs to be cleaned) with the 55rlt pump. You'll see the column of bubble is milky white.

 

[ReefMon]

Becketts MUST be fed with a pressure rated pump. What pump are you running?

 

[mikey98]

The first one I tried was I think an Aqua Globe model AQ-6000. I believe it is rated at 900 gph. I don't know it is pressure rated or not. I also tried a Gen-X model PCX-40 (rated at 1190 gph). Both had the same effect. The Gen-X work a little better but still did not produce the foam or milky water that I want. Again I don't know if the Gen-X is pressure rated or not.