BH-2000 on my 75g FOWLRcycling

[gadwall72]

I installed my BH-2000 a week ago, got it primed and running. I had some of the same issues as others have posted as it started running, collection cup filled up twice very quickly. I had to go out of town for a few days and worried about it overflowing and my wife panicking about what to do. So, I unplugged the pump and let it sit until I returned home. For various reasons I was not able to start the skimmer back up until last night.

I had micro bubbles galore in the tank. After reading posts by others I decided to let everything ride overnight. I woke a couple of times throughout the night and checked to make sure everything was still going well. By the time I got up for work this morning the micro bubbles had dissipated. I noticed a little light colored skimmate in the collection cup. I opened up the air bleed valve a little more. I am cycling the tank getting ready for some livestock, so there is very little load now, but the film that was noticeable on the top of the water is now gone. I will post more results as I go. So far I am extremely happy with this skimmer recommended by my LFS.

 

[Brew12]

Nice looking rockwork!

 

[gadwall72]

Thanks! It took me a while to get to that point. I have been very slow and deliberate with this setup. The rock came from Billy's Reef Connection in Florida. I purchased 75 lbs., but what you see in the pic is all that I could fit in the tank and have room to clean the glass! I am ready to get this bad boy cycled and add some livestock. My 4-year old is ready to see some color moving around in there.

 

[Brew12]

My 4-year old is ready to see some color moving around in there.

Sure... your 4 year old is ready for color...

 

[Jeremy@CoralVue]

The microbubbles were do to the overflow hole on the side of the reaction chamber. This hole is there to prevent the skimmer from overflowing but in extreme cases it is still possible for the skimmer to overflow the cup. The change in surface tension of the water due to chemical or bacteria within the water. There is a multitude of different things that cause this effect but with your tank being new my guess would be bacteria bloom. For a list of know things that cause a chemical reaction head here: https://coralvue.com/support/935227-Skimmer-overflowing

 

[Vahanyos]

I have the 1000 model which isn't much different than yours. I am in love with this skimmer, to be honest. It pulls out some of the nastiest crap, works like a champ. I have it on a 55g with 8 fish in there and I am still considering adding a couple more because the skimmer can handle it.

Just place the collection cup a little higher so it skims more dry than wet and you can go days without touching the collection cup. I do 1 week of wet skimming, where i need to clean the cup every other day, and then i do 1 week of dry skimming where the gunk just gathers up around and in the cup tube and i clean it out once a week.

Either way, both type of skimming work very well for me...