Help! My bubble magus curve 5 keeps overflowing

[DesertReefBoy]

Hey I recently setup an new tank (12/26) with LR that has been cycling in my garage for 4 months. The curve 5 seemed to work good for the first week. A few days ago my skimmer started overflowing and filling the collection cup with water. The water level is at 9” and the water adjusted tube in the pictures is set to 1.5. I have also been messing with using the red tapered plug or removing it.

Not sure what to do to get this skimmer dialed in.

 

[P-Dub]

Three steps to possibly help. 1. Decrease the air intake. Crank down on the air entering the venturi. That is the simplest solution that I hope will help. 2. Open or increase the effluent water flow out of the skimmer. Raise the skimmer. That would be step 3. I believe it is now all broken in. I see that they are calling for 25-27 cm depth within the sump and you are shallower than that range at the moment but try that if decreasing the intake air volume or increasing the water out-flow does not help. There is a process to tuning skimmers. It takes time and sometimes multiple adjustments to get it right. Patience and perseverance.

 

[Nick30G]

Yep I have a curve 5 and when i first set it up i had the same problems. Its a very sensitive skimmer. I have mine sitting 7" of depth as i found that works best for me. I kept the red tapered plug in too. Also as I can see in the picture your level set on the skimmer not all the way open. Try opening it all the way to the max setting. If none of that works, run in a bucket of water and vinegar. That helped me break it in a bit to get rid of manufacturing oils. All you can do is also just let it overflow into your sump in till it starts to work. If you use any epoxy/putty, or certain chemicals it will overflow also. Hope this helps. Also should note it is not possible to "crank down" the air entering the skimmer unless you added a valve yourself.

 

[P-Dub]

Also should note it is not possible to "crank down" the air entering the skimmer unless you added a valve yourself.

Just for flexibility, I would add a valve if all else fails.

 

[MarineGP]

Agree the 'instructions' say a level of 9.5 to 10 inches which is very wrong .. 6.5 to 7.5 IMHO.

 

[Nick30G]

Agree the 'instructions' say a level of 9.5 to 10 inches which is very wrong .. 6.5 to 7.5 IMHO.

Definitely... I see many people running it 7-8 inches

 

[soflmuddin]

Yeah, open it to full.

 

[DesertReefBoy]

Ok I’ll definitely open it up all the way.

Yesterday my wife and I pulled the LR out and used E Marco 400 to aquascape the rock. The skimmer was acting like this before I E Marco 400 but probably doesn’t help.

What do most people use to raise their skimmers up? The sump I have I can’t really go much shallower so I need to raise the skimmer.

Lastly if the skimmer is going to be going crazy for a bit do you think it is okay to add some Dr. Tim bacteria if I take the collection cup off and let it bubble over?

 

[MarineGP]

You can use eggcrate to raise it up but I used an inverted plastic container in which I driilled a number of large holes and filled with pieces of broken Coral. Will end up being live rock when it cycles. You can buy square blocks of porous material that you can use and will add biological filtration to your setup. But my solution cost a lot less. Why waste the space with empty void?

 

[DesertReefBoy]

You can use eggcrate to raise it up but I used an inverted plastic container in which I driilled a number of large holes and filled with pieces of broken Coral. Will end up being live rock when it cycles. You can buy square blocks of porous material that you can use and will add biological filtration to your setup. But my solution cost a lot less. Why waste the space with empty void?

I am thinking I will go the marine pure block route. I like the idea of having more area for benifficial bacteria to grow.

 

[MarineGP]

Marinepure blocks are either 1 or 4 inches by 8 by 8 ... Two 1 inch ones should do it.

Great platform.

 

[DesertReefBoy]

Do you need to make sure you have extra flow down there to keep detritus suspended.

 

[MarineGP]

Should be lots of flow in that area .. with the skimmer just above.

 

[Mal11224]

I have this same skimmer. I’m sure it started overflowing because of the rock. Mine is sitting in 9in of water and works fine. This skimmer takes a little while to break in. You have to make sure the Venturi line is clear. If it is blocked, the skimmer will go crazy.Also, as mentioned, you should have it wide open. Unfortunately, this is something that has to pass. There is a white plastic plate inside the skimmer attached to the pump, which has to be positioned properly as well. Just let it overflow and I would remove the lid and wait for it to break in.

 

[DesertReefBoy]

I have this same skimmer. I’m sure it started overflowing because of the rock. Mine is sitting in 9in of water and works fine. This skimmer takes a little while to break in. You have to make sure the Venturi line is clear. If it is blocked, the skimmer will go crazy.Also, as mentioned, you should have it wide open. Unfortunately, this is something that has to pass. There is a white plastic plate inside the skimmer attached to the pump, which has to be positioned properly as well. Just let it overflow and I would remove the lid and wait for it to break in.

Just to be clear the Venturi line is the air line?

 

[Mal11224]

Just to be clear the Venturi line is the air line?

Yes, the issue I had with this skimmer because of the manufacturing was that the plastic port connected to the pump and attached to the tubing had a piece of plastic slightly attached to it blocking the hole from pulling in air. I just pulled it off and that helped it to run properly.

 

[Mal11224]

This is the piece I'm referring to. You may not have this is but you can just make sure its clear.

The 2nd pic is the clear plastic cap over the pump inside the skimmer. The holes should not be over the nut that secures the pump.

 

[DesertReefBoy]

This is the piece I'm referring to. You may not have this is but you can just make sure its clear.

The 2nd pic is the clear plastic cap over the pump inside the skimmer. The holes should not be over the nut that secures the pump.

I meant to reply to this but got busy with work. I double checked the Venturi and it looks fine. I am definitely getting lots of air into the skimmer. The second think you posted about I believe my skimmer is setup correctly. I took a pic and added it below. Does it look correct?

 

[DesertReefBoy]

A little update. The skimmer hasn’t really changed since Sunday. It is still overflowing and if I don’t let the cup drain it fills with water. Today is the first day I have had time to really mess with it and here is what I have done.

I decided to order a large block of the marine pure to set the skimmer on top of. It should be here soon but for now I added a Tupperware container. The water level is at 9” from the bottom of the sump to the top of the water. The Tupperware container is 4.75” tall. With the skimmer on top of the Tupperware container the skimmer is only under 4.25” of water. The standpipe is set to max as well. As I close the stand pipe the skimmer starts to skim more wet. I have been messing with the water level a bit and it seems as I drop the water level it causes the skimate to become more dry. The manufacturer tells me the water level should be around 9-10”. That is WAY to high IMO. I have to leave to run some errands and when I get back if the cup is full of water I was planning on trying to drop the water level to 4” from 4.25”. Is 4” to low. Can this damage the skimmer? I’m sure as the skimmer continues to break in it will need more adjusting.

Thoughts?

 

[Mal11224]

Looking at the pic you posted from my quote. Looks like the clear plastic piece above the pump is incorrect. The holes should be around the other end of the cylinder. So basically you have to rotate it 180 degrees.