Please help me tune my skimmer - Regal 200 INT

[sanzz18]

My tank has been running for over a year and a half. I still cannot get my skimmer tuned to where it is running well. I feel like it has gotten worse. You can see in the video that most of the body looks pretty translucent. After trying to increase my skimmer to get a more wetter skimmate, I now can notice this line in the water that reaches into the neck of the cup. Still producing small amounts of dark skim mate. The regal 200 INT pump is set on the middle setting and is in the correct water depth.

Any suggestions please. I just want to get this thing producing better. There are definitely a ton of organics in my water so that is not an issue.

 

[rsumner]

Video no worky

 

[sanzz18]

Video no worky

Should be now, I fixed the link.

 

[rsumner]

Water level in the skimmer body is way too high. Lower it to where the top of the water is below the first ring on the acrylic body. This is usually right above the Octo sticker . This is done using the gate valve.

With the water level that high, you should be overflowing. It doesn’t seem like you’re getting any air: put your finger on the air silencer and see if the Venturi is creating suction.

 

[sanzz18]

Water level in the skimmer body is way too high. Lower it to where the top of the water is below the first ring on the acrylic body. This is usually right above the Octo sticker . This is done using the gate valve.

With the water level that high, you should be overflowing. It doesn’t seem like you’re getting any air: put your finger on the air silencer and see if the Venturi is creating suction.

I will try all of this and update the thread tomorrow. I typically know how to adjust a skimmer but kept raising it it with the gate valve to see if I can make it wetter, all it did was raise the level of the water in the skimmer and not do much to the skimmate. Definitely not getting air.

 

[Jedi1199]

Water level in the skimmer body is way too high. Lower it to where the top of the water is below the first ring on the acrylic body. This is usually right above the Octo sticker . This is done using the gate valve.

With the water level that high, you should be overflowing. It doesn’t seem like you’re getting any air: put your finger on the air silencer and see if the Venturi is creating suction.

Agreed, either you are not drawing in air, or your needle wheel is clogged.

 

[sanzz18]

I am actually beginning to consider getting a new skimmer, cleaning/selling the reef octopus. This is frustrating me lol.

 

[sanzz18]

Agreed, either you are not drawing in air, or your needle wheel is clogged.

I don't understand how it can be clogged as I just cleaned the pump a couple months ago when something similar was happening. I hate this skimmer lol.

 

[Jedi1199]

I will try all of this and update the thread tomorrow. I typically know how to adjust a skimmer but kept raising it it with the gate valve to see if I can make it wetter, all it did was raise the level of the water in the skimmer and not do much to the skimmate. Definitely not getting air.

Raising the water level is not what you need. to get "wetter" skimmate, you need more air, not more water. The more air drawn into the system the more bubbles. The more bubbles, the faster it rises to the top as skimmate. Less bubbles means "dryer" skimmate.

 

[rsumner]

Check the intake silencer and Venturi. Take them off and clean them both. Be careful, both of these prices are fragile on the Octo.

 

[sanzz18]

Right, I didn't realize it wasn't getting air until I took this video and saw where the water line was and how clear the water was in the skimmer body. I will definitely work on this tomorrow morning and update the thread.

 

[Jedi1199]

I don't understand how it can be clogged as I just cleaned the pump a couple months ago when something similar was happening. I hate this skimmer lol.

I may not be clogged. This is just an idea. I once accidently sucked in a huge chunk of sea lettuce into my Rossmont skimmer and it got all twisted up in the needle wheel.

 

[sanzz18]

I may not be clogged. This is just an idea. I once accidently sucked in a huge chunk of sea lettuce into my Rossmont skimmer and it got all twisted up in the needle wheel.

No no I know lol. I just feel like I have never been able to tune this skimmer even when it was functioning good and getting air. So getting a little frustrated with it lol.

 

[rsumner]

I have a Regal 150SSS and it took me years to get it right. Octo doesn't provide any instructions on setup and tuning, so I feel your pain. I'm happy to help you tune it. First thing, let's get that venturi pulling air.

Next, make sure you have the skimmer sitting in the correct water level within your sump. Without a doubt, I have found the Octo to be very sensitive to water level in the sump. Too low in the water, you'll never get enough air. Too high in the water, you'll get too much air. The Regal INT 200 should be in 7" to 8.5" of water. My 150SSS is the same, so I have it sitting on a stand because my RedSea sump runs at 10" in the skimmer section. I run mine at at height of exactly 8" of water. Put the skimmer in the sump, grab a plastic ruler and measure from skimmer base plate to the water line.

Also, make sure the drain of the skimmer is pointed away from the intake. If the skimmer pulls the exiting microbubbles back into the body, you will have inconsistent air/water mixture and will effectively be recirculating some of the same processed water back into the skimmer. It will still skim, but you may find it frustrating when you're doing small adjustments later.

Here's a pic of mine showing sump water height and the drain pushed behind the skimmer:

Now that you have it in the sump at the right height, the next challenge is getting the internal water level correct. You probably noticed from the pic above, that I'm running my skimmer on the wet side right now. Here's a pic showing my internal water level (controlled by the gate valve) above the Octo sticker, but right below where the the acrylic transitions into the cone:

You need to have the correct pump speed to accommodate the water level you're using and if you want it wet or dry. I can tell you that I run my 150SSS at 80% (controlled by my Apex via 10v) when I want to run wet and 70% when I want to run dry. These numbers change by 5 to 10% depending on long its been since I've cleaned the skimmer. When I clean the skimmer, I clean everything. I disassemble it completely and soak everything in citric acid. It will take about another 24 to 48 hours for it to break in again after a cleaning, but it's well worth it to see consistency out of the skimmer.

Your pump speed levels may need to be different than mine due to the differences in our models. If you can't control the speed of the pump using 10v, then you'll be limited to 5 power levels on the Octo controller. Assuming 1 is 20%, then I would suggest running it on level 4 which should put you at 80% power. Important factor: if you are sitting in the sump at a height that is 0.5" higher or lower than me, the air/water mixture will be different for you.

From there, you can do fine adjustments of the gate valve. Remember: even 1/10th of a turn of that gate valve can have a major effect. I never do any fine adjustments until my skimmer has been running for 2 days after a cleaning of any part. I will run it dry for a few days until I'm comfortable everything is broken in and then I make final adjustments of the pump speed and gate valve to get it dialed in. After I make a change, I wait at least a few hours before making another change and I never adjust more than 1/8th of a turn at a time.

One final note. I clean my skimmer neck and cup at least once a week (sometimes twice). This will keep it running wet. After I clean the neck and cup, I usually don't have to make any adjustments to the power or gate valve. This is usually only needed after you clean pump or the inside of the skimmer body.

I know this may have been a bit more than you needed, but I figured I would be thorough.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

If I missed it I apologize, how many gallons is the tank only?

 

[sanzz18]

If I missed it I apologize, how many gallons is the tank only?

180 g water volume

 

[Kodski]

Oh man, I've never had an issue with my RO skimmer and recommend RO to everyone who asks because I love it so much. I have the 250-EXT on a 80 gal display, 40 breeder sump, and 50 gallon frag tank. The ext is super easy to tune, but yours may be a little bit more difficult because you can't really control water height as well as I can. Here is how I tune my skimmer in and it works great. Its a two phase tuning process.


Phase A: General tuning
1A) Set the water height between the sticker and red collar on the neck of the skimmer using the gate valve. You will continue to dial this in later, but somewhere between these two points is a good starting point. You may have to block off the air to the pump to see where the water level is. Because I have the ext version I just turn my pump off and use the gate valve and DC feed pump to set my water height.

2A) Starting at the lowest setting, use the settings on the controller get the initial foam head up to the throat of the cup. I usually set mine just above the bottom of the collection cup. I keep it this low because once the foam head starts to build up organics, the head will rise.

At this point, if you leave it be, your skimmer will start skimming but it will be very inefficient. Phase B will help dial in the type of skim you collect, dry or wet, as well get you skimming as efficiently as possible.


Phase B: Fine tuning
1B) This is the tricky part in your case, watch the foam in the neck, if it is a bunch of fast popping bubbles or "boiling" you have too much air. If the foam looks super dry and is popping slowly or not at all, you don't have enough air. I say this is tricky for you because you cannot just adjust the amount of air without messing up your water level. You'll again, use the pump settings to change the amount of air that is entering the skimmer.

2B) You'll use the gate valve to adjust the water level back up or down until the bubbles are popping just above the bottom of the collection cup.

You may need to repeat 1B & 2B to truly get it dialed in, but all in all, it should really only take maybe 5 minutes to get this far. Once you're happy with how it is, just leave it and come back in a few hours or the next day. Once you have some skimmate in the cup, you can easily use the pump settings to adjust it down for a drying skim or up for a wetter skim. I don't recommend messing with the gate vale to adjust the type of skimmate you collect.

It took me all of 2 days to get my skimmer dialed in where I was happy with it. After that maybe a 5 minute adjustment when I added a bunch of new fish, or after a cleaning. I only mess with my gate valve when I add or take things off my manifold that also feeds my skimmer. So you should really never need to adjust your gate valve ones its set.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

+1 if the bubble water is see through your bot getting enough air.
Should be white milky not see through.
Smaller the bubbles the better.
+1 about 4" too high water level.
Lower it or raise the skimmer.
D

 

[sanzz18]

I have a Regal 150SSS and it took me years to get it right. Octo doesn't provide any instructions on setup and tuning, so I feel your pain. I'm happy to help you tune it. First thing, let's get that venturi pulling air.

Next, make sure you have the skimmer sitting in the correct water level within your sump. Without a doubt, I have found the Octo to be very sensitive to water level in the sump. Too low in the water, you'll never get enough air. Too high in the water, you'll get too much air. The Regal INT 200 should be in 7" to 8.5" of water. My 150SSS is the same, so I have it sitting on a stand because my RedSea sump runs at 10" in the skimmer section. I run mine at at height of exactly 8" of water. Put the skimmer in the sump, grab a plastic ruler and measure from skimmer base plate to the water line.

Also, make sure the drain of the skimmer is pointed away from the intake. If the skimmer pulls the exiting microbubbles back into the body, you will have inconsistent air/water mixture and will effectively be recirculating some of the same processed water back into the skimmer. It will still skim, but you may find it frustrating when you're doing small adjustments later.

Here's a pic of mine showing sump water height and the drain pushed behind the skimmer:

Now that you have it in the sump at the right height, the next challenge is getting the internal water level correct. You probably noticed from the pic above, that I'm running my skimmer on the wet side right now. Here's a pic showing my internal water level (controlled by the gate valve) above the Octo sticker, but right below where the the acrylic transitions into the cone:

You need to have the correct pump speed to accommodate the water level you're using and if you want it wet or dry. I can tell you that I run my 150SSS at 80% (controlled by my Apex via 10v) when I want to run wet and 70% when I want to run dry. These numbers change by 5 to 10% depending on long its been since I've cleaned the skimmer. When I clean the skimmer, I clean everything. I disassemble it completely and soak everything in citric acid. It will take about another 24 to 48 hours for it to break in again after a cleaning, but it's well worth it to see consistency out of the skimmer.

Your pump speed levels may need to be different than mine due to the differences in our models. If you can't control the speed of the pump using 10v, then you'll be limited to 5 power levels on the Octo controller. Assuming 1 is 20%, then I would suggest running it on level 4 which should put you at 80% power. Important factor: if you are sitting in the sump at a height that is 0.5" higher or lower than me, the air/water mixture will be different for you.

From there, you can do fine adjustments of the gate valve. Remember: even 1/10th of a turn of that gate valve can have a major effect. I never do any fine adjustments until my skimmer has been running for 2 days after a cleaning of any part. I will run it dry for a few days until I'm comfortable everything is broken in and then I make final adjustments of the pump speed and gate valve to get it dialed in. After I make a change, I wait at least a few hours before making another change and I never adjust more than 1/8th of a turn at a time.

One final note. I clean my skimmer neck and cup at least once a week (sometimes twice). This will keep it running wet. After I clean the neck and cup, I usually don't have to make any adjustments to the power or gate valve. This is usually only needed after you clean pump or the inside of the skimmer body.

I know this may have been a bit more than you needed, but I figured I would be thorough.

Oh man, I've never had an issue with my RO skimmer and recommend RO to everyone who asks because I love it so much. I have the 250-EXT on a 80 gal display, 40 breeder sump, and 50 gallon frag tank. The ext is super easy to tune, but yours may be a little bit more difficult because you can't really control water height as well as I can. Here is how I tune my skimmer in and it works great. Its a two phase tuning process.


Phase A: General tuning
1A) Set the water height between the sticker and red collar on the neck of the skimmer using the gate valve. You will continue to dial this in later, but somewhere between these two points is a good starting point. You may have to block off the air to the pump to see where the water level is. Because I have the ext version I just turn my pump off and use the gate valve and DC feed pump to set my water height.

2A) Starting at the lowest setting, use the settings on the controller get the initial foam head up to the throat of the cup. I usually set mine just above the bottom of the collection cup. I keep it this low because once the foam head starts to build up organics, the head will rise.

At this point, if you leave it be, your skimmer will start skimming but it will be very inefficient. Phase B will help dial in the type of skim you collect, dry or wet, as well get you skimming as efficiently as possible.


Phase B: Fine tuning
1B) This is the tricky part in your case, watch the foam in the neck, if it is a bunch of fast popping bubbles or "boiling" you have too much air. If the foam looks super dry and is popping slowly or not at all, you don't have enough air. I say this is tricky for you because you cannot just adjust the amount of air without messing up your water level. You'll again, use the pump settings to change the amount of air that is entering the skimmer.

2B) You'll use the gate valve to adjust the water level back up or down until the bubbles are popping just above the bottom of the collection cup.

You may need to repeat 1B & 2B to truly get it dialed in, but all in all, it should really only take maybe 5 minutes to get this far. Once you're happy with how it is, just leave it and come back in a few hours or the next day. Once you have some skimmate in the cup, you can easily use the pump settings to adjust it down for a drying skim or up for a wetter skim. I don't recommend messing with the gate vale to adjust the type of skimmate you collect.

It took me all of 2 days to get my skimmer dialed in where I was happy with it. After that maybe a 5 minute adjustment when I added a bunch of new fish, or after a cleaning. I only mess with my gate valve when I add or take things off my manifold that also feeds my skimmer. So you should really never need to adjust your gate valve ones its set.

+1 if the bubble water is see through your bot getting enough air.
Should be white milky not see through.
Smaller the bubbles the better.
+1 about 4" too high water level.
Lower it or raise the skimmer.
D

So, I haven’t got a chance to clean up the skimmer pump yet. But tried some of the tips you guys gave me on setting the water level. Video is below. Does it still look like it needs much more air?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Looks much better. I'd raise it up 1" or even 1/2" and leave it over night.
The skimmer body looks salty and dirty. Id wipe it down and re look.
I'd order a $40-$80 new needle wheel impeller for that skimmer and install it in the old pump. Prob work like new after that.
D