Simplicity 120dc skimmer filling cup with water

[lclark209]

Howdy all

My new tank is nearing the end of the cycle and I'm hoping to move the livestock from my little tank to the big one soon. So figured I would start breaking in the skimmer. I've only owned used skimmers and that was years ago, little tank has no skimmer. According to the directions I want to leave all the adjustment knows wide open for the break in. But it just immediately fills the cup with water. The skimmer is in 8" of water.

Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or input

 

[moz71]

That’s a nice foam head! I assume you have top and just don’t have it on for the picture? You can just adjust the pipe to lower level in skimmer a bit and can take plug out of bottom of cup to drain back out to it settles. I have the 240 and I need to adjust level down a little bit.

 

[lclark209]

That’s a nice foam head! I assume you have top and just don’t have it on for the picture? You can just adjust the pipe to lower level in skimmer a bit and can take plug out of bottom of cup to drain back out to it settles. I have the 240 and I need to adjust level down a little bit.

Lol yeah I have the lid. Opened the drain so it's just going right back into the sump.

Pretty sure I have the pipe adjusted to be wide open which would make the water level in the skimmer as low as it could be? I think?

 

[Soren]

I don't have a lot of experience, but I think you may want to try limiting airflow a bit until the skimmer gets somewhat dirty and "broken-in".

 

[moz71]

Yea although the directions say that to open everything it doesn’t always work that way. As Soren said may need to get a little dirty yet! You can also lower the pump speed a little! Skimmers are very finicky things. It will settle. You probably have organics but just not heavy yet. You are doing nothing wrong but I would either just then lower pump speed or restrict air a little so not so much is overflowing for now. You will be making adjustments for awhile. I would adjust things down to where it is just overflowing into cup. Just need to build film up during break in period. IMO

 

[lclark209]

Yea although the directions say that to open everything it doesn’t always work that way. As Soren said may need to get a little dirty yet! You can also lower the pump speed a little! Skimmers are very finicky things. It will settle. You probably have organics but just not heavy yet. You are doing nothing wrong but I would either just then lower pump speed or restrict air a little so not so much is overflowing for now. You will be making adjustments for awhile. I would adjust things down to where it is just overflowing into cup. Just need to build film up during break in period. IMO

Pump speed is on 2. If I close the air valve all the way, the bubbles drop. When I open it just a tiny bit, the bubbles overflow into the cup. It's only been running about 24 hours.

Perhaps the tank is just too clean right now and I just need to wait until after I transfer over the livestock from the little tank?

Very much appreciate the help. I swear my vertex from back in 2014 was so much easier than this. But that whole system was used. This my first new new tank.

 

[Soren]

I've had a similar issue with a clean small skimmer for my quarantine tank (Tunze Comline DOC 9001, I think?). Whenever I have tried it, it bubbles like crazy and small bubbles come out of the bottom and seams in the side and are spread around my tank in the flow. Similar to yours, mine still looks spotlessly clean, which does seem a likely part of the issue.

Maybe I need to spend some more time reading about skimmers and checking out information such as the skimmer video that BRS made.

 

[lclark209]

I've had a similar issue with a clean small skimmer for my quarantine tank (Tunze Comline DOC 9001, I think?). Whenever I have tried it, it bubbles like crazy and small bubbles come out of the bottom and seams in the side and are spread around my tank in the flow. Similar to yours, mine still looks spotlessly clean, which does seem a likely part of the issue.

Maybe I need to spend some more time reading about skimmers and checking out information such as the skimmer video that BRS made.

Great video! Thanks for sharing

 

[moz71]

Yea I think a lot of brand new skimmers have a coating on acrylic from manufacturing that cause this. It isn’t until it runs and wears off that it settles. The dirty water helps this. This from what I read in past. Not sure but makes sense.

 

[moz71]

Btw. I love this skimmer. Not a big name brand BUT WORKS!

 

[lclark209]

Btw. I love this skimmer. Not a big name brand BUT WORKS!

New plan...going to turn it off until after everything gets transferred. I think the tank is just too clean.

I kinda think I should have gotten the next size up since I definitely have the space in this sump

 

[BVF]

I have the same skimmer, and have been running it for a few weeks now…still tuning it a little too. it is quiet and definitely pulls stuff out of the water.

 

[lclark209]

I have the same skimmer, and have been running it for a few weeks now…still tuning it a little too. it is quiet and definitely pulls stuff out of the water.

Very nice, it's definitely less noisy than my return pump. Also looks like your's is in much less water than mine is. How deep is that chamber? What size tank do you have it on?

 

[BVF]

Very nice, it's definitely less noisy than my return pump. Also looks like your's is in much less water than mine is. How deep is that chamber? What size tank do you have it on?

It’s a bit low right now, in 7” of water. Tank is 75 gal and sump is 22. When mine runs super frothy, I tighten down the air screw a little. Good skimmer, really adjustable, probably more than I know! My only complaint is it fills with water quickly when I start it back up after feeding. Best of luck with yours.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

If this is a new skimmer then it is breaking in, it may take a while for it to settle in, I have the 240 model and their C/S is great, they answer their phone.

 

[JumboShrimp]

My 2-cents: Don’t turn it off. Keep it on and let it continue to break in. Dial your bubbles all the way down the neck. Then each day give the bubble-wheel (or whatever your unit uses to raise and lower the bubble level) a TINY adjustment. This could be a fraction of a turn. Eventually you want to find the sweet spot where the dirty bubbles are just high enough up the neck where they ‘struggle’ to hit the cup’s lid and pop. Bottom line: You want dirty bubbles to break ‘over’ the cup, not pour ‘into’ the cup. Hope this makes sense.

 

[lclark209]

My 2-cents: Don’t turn it off. Keep it on and let it continue to break in. Dial your bubbles all the way down the neck. Then each day give the bubble-wheel (or whatever your unit uses to raise and lower the bubble level) a TINY adjustment. This could be a fraction of a turn. Eventually you want to find the sweet spot where the dirty bubbles are just high enough up the neck where they ‘struggle’ to hit the cup’s lid and pop. Bottom line: You want dirty bubbles to break ‘over’ the cup, not pour ‘into’ the cup. Hope this makes sense.

Okay, it's back on. I can't get the bubbles to not overflow without tightening the bubble wheel all the way closed. So I'll let it overflow for a few days and see how it goes.

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[JumboShrimp]

Don’t worry—time really should help. But sometimes you have to play not only with the bubble-wheel, but also with the volume of water being pumped in. It’s a little like playing with the brake and clutch to get going on a hill without stalling. Lol!