Nomadic_Googan
New Member
Hello everyone! First time poster and beginner feeder, here!
I recently got my first tank, and it came with a skimmer that was not working. Picture included. I took it apart, including the pump, cleaned out the impeller, and cleaned out all the lines. #2 in the picture was clogged with salt build-up, which is why I assume it wasn’t working. During the process of taking it in and out of the sump, I broke the knob (#3 in the pic) and fixed it with a threaded rods, barrel connector, nut and a washer. (Yes I know it will ultimately corrode, but I bought a 36 inch rod, cut it to size and plan to change it regularly).
So, now everything seems to be working fine, I’m getting great circulation in the main chamber, just no bubbles. The internal water level rises and falls without issues when adjusting the intake rod, I’ve tried adjusting the height of the actual skimmer itself by placing it on some 1/2 blocks and stacking to try different heights, and lastly, I’ve tried adjusting the air flow seen as #4 in the picture. Also, I’ve seen in some videos that #2 comes with a cap that is used to drain fluid build up. This one didn’t have one, but I’ve tried to manually with a plastic insert to see if that works and no change. I’ve tried waiting 30 minutes on each adjustment, and the most I will get is a few bubbles, literally 4 to 5 at most.
Finally, I notice that #1 in the pic seems to have a rubber insert of sort. I thought maybe it was a flow restriction of some sort, and I’ve tried blowing through it and it doesn’t seem any air is getting through. It seems obvious to me, at least, that this tube shouldn’t be restricted. Maybe I’m wrong.
Any thoughts? I hope I’ve given enough info of what has been tried and what I’m noticing.
I recently got my first tank, and it came with a skimmer that was not working. Picture included. I took it apart, including the pump, cleaned out the impeller, and cleaned out all the lines. #2 in the picture was clogged with salt build-up, which is why I assume it wasn’t working. During the process of taking it in and out of the sump, I broke the knob (#3 in the pic) and fixed it with a threaded rods, barrel connector, nut and a washer. (Yes I know it will ultimately corrode, but I bought a 36 inch rod, cut it to size and plan to change it regularly).
So, now everything seems to be working fine, I’m getting great circulation in the main chamber, just no bubbles. The internal water level rises and falls without issues when adjusting the intake rod, I’ve tried adjusting the height of the actual skimmer itself by placing it on some 1/2 blocks and stacking to try different heights, and lastly, I’ve tried adjusting the air flow seen as #4 in the picture. Also, I’ve seen in some videos that #2 comes with a cap that is used to drain fluid build up. This one didn’t have one, but I’ve tried to manually with a plastic insert to see if that works and no change. I’ve tried waiting 30 minutes on each adjustment, and the most I will get is a few bubbles, literally 4 to 5 at most.
Finally, I notice that #1 in the pic seems to have a rubber insert of sort. I thought maybe it was a flow restriction of some sort, and I’ve tried blowing through it and it doesn’t seem any air is getting through. It seems obvious to me, at least, that this tube shouldn’t be restricted. Maybe I’m wrong.
Any thoughts? I hope I’ve given enough info of what has been tried and what I’m noticing.
