Tuning a protein skimmer.

[steallife904]

So I saw Bulk Reef Supplies video yesterday about tuning your protein skimmer. Something they showed and said in the video made me go take a look at mine. It had to do with the tube/neck getting really dirty instead of most of it going into the cup. Well that's what I have going on and never really knew it was an issue.
I have the bubble magnus curve 7 elite. It has not been an issue for me, it collects stuff but maybe not like it should. It does not have an air intake adjustment, just a valve to control the amount of water that comes into it (I believe). It had been set to wide open so I closed it some to raise the bubble height but all it did was kill the bubbles lol. They dropped and just fizzed there for hours until I opened it back up. I checked this morning and it was foaming again but had not made it back to the collection cup. Hope I didn't throw it off. Its in 9.5 or 10 in of water like they recommend. So ya, should I be doing anything to it or just let it run like it was getting the skimmer neck dirty and not as much in cup?

Probably should clean it also, hasn't had a good cleaning in a few months.

 

[Therinx]

I just put a Bubble Magus Curve 5 in my tank 3 days ago. Since i was "letting it break in", i had the valve open just enough to have the bubbles just shy of the collection cup, otherwise it was filling up way too fast and very wet. In essence whatever was being captured was not being exported in to the cup but recirculated, because i purposefully kept it just shy of going into the cup.

However, i let it run like that a day and i guess due to "breaking in" the foam rose just a wee bit, enough to start putting gunk in the cup. It was still really wet (dirty water, but pretty dark), and there some dry gunk on the inside of the cap, but i'm guessing with more breaking in it will either start to skim drier or i might even have to close the valve a little and lower the bubble level.

I only have it in 8" depth, as my sump dictates that height, and it seems to be working.

I guess i'm asking if yours is broken in yet? And also sorta hijacking the thread to see if i'm doing it right, and if i am perhaps that would help you as well? I don't think you threw it off, that's what the valve is for. From what i've read it takes a little time and a little tuning to get it just right.

 

[steallife904]

its been in there over a year so I hope its broken in

guess I just need to play with the foam height by adjusting the water intake a bit??? Mine will get stuff in collection cup it just never seems like as much as it should but the neck gets super dirty and needs wiped out every 2 weeks. And tank isn't to clean so there is stuff to pull out.

 

[bjc451]

I can’t get mine tuned in either. I watched the video too

 

[icedgxe]

I’m in a similar boat as well. RLSS skimmer on a 42g with three fish, a couple of shrimp, tiger tail cucumbers, and a couple of Mexican turbos. Lots of gunk in the neck but very little collects in the cup. Pump is set to second highest setting and foam head looks good. My old SRO 3000 I had on my 125 collected very dark stinky skimmate and I haven’t ever had that happen in this tank.

 

[Sophisticated Reefer]

Just look at the color of the liquid in the skimmer cup, is it light brown then ur skimming wet. Is it dark then u skim dry. When using carbon it's better to skim wet.
When the brown stuff collects alot in the neck I think ur skimming way too dry

 

[icedgxe]

What does collect in mine is light, so I lower the bubble height and then it just collects gunk in the neck with nothing in the cup. I’m about ready to toss this skimmer and get something else lol