Can't get skimmer fine-tuned

[GHsaltie]

I have a reef octopus 110 space saver that for the life of me I cannot get to skim correctly. I'm pretty sure I have it at the right depth, but I can't figure out how to get it to skim dry. I've turned the rod (sorry I've forgotten what it's called) on the side of the skimmer but then the collection cup gets overflowed with water or very very wet skimmate. I'm at a loss and I need some help.

 

[GHsaltie]

Bump, bump!

 

[Waterjockey]

Bump, bump!

Is this a brand new skimmer? If it is, virtually all skimmers require a "break in period" in which they go nuts for the first few days. I would just pull the collection cup off and let it overflow for a few days until it settled down.
I just ordered this exact same same skimmer last night!

Cheers!

 

[GHsaltie]

It is a new skimmer, however I let it run for a good 2 1/2- 3 weeks before I touched it at all. I'm not sure what I should do at this point. I need to get it working, I suspect that the skimmer not working as it should is adding to my high nitrate problems.

 

[vic67]

If it is a new skimmer try running it with vinegar and water first; that might help shorten the break - in time.

 

[reef_junkie]

+1, new acrylic is slightly oily and vinegar washes that away.

 

[Waterjockey]

Hi again,
How much water is it sitting in, and is the level constant? If you can't get the level in the skimmer low enough, it sounds like either it is sitting in too deep of water, or the outlet is somehow restricted. Do you have the air inlet wide open?

Cheers!

 

[GHsaltie]

The water level is 6in and no it does not fluctuate. I don't believe the outlet is restricted (honestly I'm not sure what the outlet is, there is only one hole so I assumed that's both the intake and outlet?) The air inlet is currently sitting on the 2 position, I can't remember which one opens it and which closes it. Can you tell that I'm still new to this skimmer thing? Lol anyway I have some distilled white vinegar, could I use that? How much and is it safe to use while its in the sump?

 

[Waterjockey]

The water level is 6in and no it does not fluctuate. I don't believe the outlet is restricted (honestly I'm not sure what the outlet is, there is only one hole so I assumed that's both the intake and outlet?) The air inlet is currently sitting on the 2 position, I can't remember which one opens it and which closes it. Can you tell that I'm still new to this skimmer thing? Lol anyway I have some distilled white vinegar, could I use that? How much and is it safe to use while its in the sump?

If you are going to clean the skimmer in vinegar, you cannot do this in the sump. I have a small bucket used for just this (no soaps or other uses for the bucket). Fill the bucket with vinegar or vinegar/water solution, plunk the skimmer in, and run it near full blast for a couple of hours. Then drain the skimmer, rinse it out with fresh water a few times, and put it back in the sump. If you have been running the skimmer in your tank (salt water) for a few weeks, this shouldn't really be necessary, it should be stripped of oils by now.....but it certainly can't hurt.
What happens if you open the air valve all the way? The level in the skimmer should drop...is it very frothy/milky in the reaction chamber?

 

[GHsaltie]

This is what it looks like currently, I just lowered the water level in the chamber some.
I can't figure out though how to get the skimmate to come up and into the collection cup without turning into a waterfall. Am I doing something wrong or do I just need to give it more time?

 

[Waterjockey]

Foam head looks ok..

You have tried carefully moving the adjusting pipe to move the water level up bit by bit? You would be closing in on the the "wedge type valve", little by little (which restricts the outlet), to raise the level in the skimmer. Tiny, tiny adjustments will move the water level up and down a fair bit. Close in out the outlet valve to raise the level to the bottom of the neck for starters and see how that runs.

Cheers!

 

[mushroomrob]

It's most likely a water level issue. From my experience, the water level on skimmers as suggested by the manufacturer is always wrong. Try adjusting the skimmer a little lower and see if it fixes the issue. Or higher. Depending on if you're getting overflows.

 

[GHsaltie]

I have tried adjusting it little bits at a time, but I'll try it again and let it sit longer. It's 6in below the water line which is actually 1-2in shallower than the recommended depth. The skimmer is on a stand right now so I don't really have a means to lower or raise it, but I'll keep that in mind.

 

[ifarmer]

Just play around or slowly adjust the output.flow.
Nobody but yourself can do this

 

[GHsaltie]

I'll fiddle with it some tonight and let it sit overnight to give extra time to adjust. I'm determined to get it working, it's just a matter of figuring out what I'm missing.