- Location
- Mexico City
Getting nothing on my skimmers !!!
- Thread starter Reef Man
- Start date
- Location
- Mexico City
Is ten months old and 4 taking out nothing !!
- Location
- Mexico City
The air valve is open at maximus, My tank is 30 gallons and I have a royal gramma, lawnlonner bleny, a tomato clown and a yellow tailed damsel. Some mushrooms and a starfish.
What is going on ???
What is going on ???
- Location
- Mexico City
Help !!!
- Location
- Mexico City
Is this skimmer junk?
I think so !!
I only got some junk one day last week.
Can anybody give me some recommendtions to modify it and get better performance??
Thanks in advance !!
I think so !!
I only got some junk one day last week.
Can anybody give me some recommendtions to modify it and get better performance??
Thanks in advance !!
- Location
- Mexico City
My hands are out off the tank all the time.
- Location
- Mexico City
Nobody?
- Location
- Mexico City
nobody?
I'm not familiar with this particular skimmer, so I can't help you with specifics, but only with generalities.
First, are you getting lots of bubbles in the reaction chamber? If you're not, then you need to increase the air flow into the skimmer. As long as you're getting bubbles in there, you should be getting SOME skimmate, assuming the water level in the skimmer is adjusted properly. If your air flow is opened up all the way and you're not getting a good white mixture of air and water in the reaction chamber, you might need to add an air pump to the air intake line.
There should be a valve or some other way to adjust the level of the water in the skimmer. Try this--adjust the water level so that the water with the bubbles in it is about 1/3 of the way up the riser tube. You should definitely get some weak skimmate with the level adjusted that high. Then gradually adjust the water level lower until you get skimmate of the consistency you want.
The picture of this skimmer doesn't tell me much about how this one works. Is it a venturi skimmer? Which of the tubes is the intake and which is the outflow?
One possibility is that the pump is too powerful and is pulling water/air through the skimmer so quickly that there's not enough contact time. I know on my skimmer (a TF1000 on a 180G tank) I have to slow the flow down to about 200 gph to get good skimming action. If I open up the flow too fast, the bubbles never have time to get to the top of the reaction chamber and "foam" before they get washed out of the skimmer.
So, first, get a good air/water mix--lots of bubbles so that the mixture inside the skimmer just looks "white." Then adjust the level of the water in the skimmer. And try throttling back the pump or using a smaller pump for more contact time.
Good air/water interface + proper level adjustment + adequate contact time = good skimming. If one of these three is missing, you won't get much skimmate. So look at these three areas.
Also, if this doesn't help and you don't get any other replies, you might post a new thread that includes the brand and model of your skimmer in the subject line, because certainly there will be people on the board that have experience with it, but that perhaps haven't looked at this particular thread.
First, are you getting lots of bubbles in the reaction chamber? If you're not, then you need to increase the air flow into the skimmer. As long as you're getting bubbles in there, you should be getting SOME skimmate, assuming the water level in the skimmer is adjusted properly. If your air flow is opened up all the way and you're not getting a good white mixture of air and water in the reaction chamber, you might need to add an air pump to the air intake line.
There should be a valve or some other way to adjust the level of the water in the skimmer. Try this--adjust the water level so that the water with the bubbles in it is about 1/3 of the way up the riser tube. You should definitely get some weak skimmate with the level adjusted that high. Then gradually adjust the water level lower until you get skimmate of the consistency you want.
The picture of this skimmer doesn't tell me much about how this one works. Is it a venturi skimmer? Which of the tubes is the intake and which is the outflow?
One possibility is that the pump is too powerful and is pulling water/air through the skimmer so quickly that there's not enough contact time. I know on my skimmer (a TF1000 on a 180G tank) I have to slow the flow down to about 200 gph to get good skimming action. If I open up the flow too fast, the bubbles never have time to get to the top of the reaction chamber and "foam" before they get washed out of the skimmer.
So, first, get a good air/water mix--lots of bubbles so that the mixture inside the skimmer just looks "white." Then adjust the level of the water in the skimmer. And try throttling back the pump or using a smaller pump for more contact time.
Good air/water interface + proper level adjustment + adequate contact time = good skimming. If one of these three is missing, you won't get much skimmate. So look at these three areas.
Also, if this doesn't help and you don't get any other replies, you might post a new thread that includes the brand and model of your skimmer in the subject line, because certainly there will be people on the board that have experience with it, but that perhaps haven't looked at this particular thread.
- Location
- Mexico City
The picture of this skimmer doesn't tell me much about how this one works. Is it a venturi skimmer? Which of the tubes is the intake and which is the outflow?
Yes, it is venturi and work with a 802 hagen aquaclear powerhead. The input of water is on the black tube at the left and the output with the valve is the tube that starts at the bottom of the skimmer.
I don´t know the brand and the model of this skimmer, but Azoo makes it and Otto make its too.
I think I don´t have anough bubbles to see the reactor tube white, but I think that is because the skimmer is not very efficient. I am seriusly thinking on built one like the CPR bak paks and use the same powerhead, but adapt the powerhead to get air from the water input to make it like a Turbo skimmer pump.
Another comment or suggestions??
Yes, it is venturi and work with a 802 hagen aquaclear powerhead. The input of water is on the black tube at the left and the output with the valve is the tube that starts at the bottom of the skimmer.
I don´t know the brand and the model of this skimmer, but Azoo makes it and Otto make its too.
I think I don´t have anough bubbles to see the reactor tube white, but I think that is because the skimmer is not very efficient. I am seriusly thinking on built one like the CPR bak paks and use the same powerhead, but adapt the powerhead to get air from the water input to make it like a Turbo skimmer pump.
Another comment or suggestions??
You might see if you can increase the amount of air going into the skimmer with an air pump. I'd recommend on this skimmer design trying to reduce the flow through the skimmer. You don't want all the bubbles to be pulled through the bottom of the skimmer before they have a chance to rise and collect to make foam. I'd adjust the outflow valve so that the water level in the skimmer is all the way up to the bottom of the collection cup, and see if that helps.
- Location
- Mexico City
Do you think the Hagen 802 is not enough pump for that skimmer??
TIA.
TIA.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Reef Man:
<STRONG>Do you think the Hagen 802 is not enough pump for that skimmer??
TIA.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Reef man--did you read my last post? It's possible that powerhead provides too much flow for the skimmer to work properly. That's why I suggested that you throttle it back and see if there is any more improvement.
I think I've given all the advice on this thread that I can under the circumstances, as I don't have any personal experience with this particular skimmer.
<STRONG>Do you think the Hagen 802 is not enough pump for that skimmer??
TIA.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Reef man--did you read my last post? It's possible that powerhead provides too much flow for the skimmer to work properly. That's why I suggested that you throttle it back and see if there is any more improvement.
I think I've given all the advice on this thread that I can under the circumstances, as I don't have any personal experience with this particular skimmer.
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