Weak skimmate

[scotty333]

Guys

My skimmers producing very light coloured skim , I thought it was because of a bacterial bloom from vodka dosing but that’s gone now

I’ve got the water level low and the air pinched

 

[Fish Styx]

You are wet skimming, and will need to adjust your water and air levels lower to dry it up a bit.

 

[landlubber]

introduce more air via the water level adjustment. Back it off a half turn each day until you find a consistency that you're happy with.

 

[scotty333]

introduce more air via the water level adjustment. Back it off a half turn each day until you find a consistency that you're happy with.

I don’t understand this , raise the water in the neck produces more of the thin skim so I have it lower right now and the air tube is pinched a bit to reduce air

 

[scotty333]

I’m trying to figure this out , I used to get black thick skim now it’s just tea
I only just noticed there’s a adjustment wheel on the bottom as well as the one to raise/ lower the level
The bottom one is set at 4 if that means anything ?

 

[landlubber]

While the features on skimmers may differ most of them work the exact same.
The higher you raise the water level the wetter the skimmate will be. The lower you go the drier it'll be.
The bubbles the skimmer makes are also a consideration. Ideally you want consistent, fine bubbles as opposed to large/random sized ones that tend to rush to the surface and don't efficiently carry detritus up with them.
Also, Choking off the air in my skimmer causes the water line to raise and causes inconsistent sized bubbling. From this you're likely to produce a wetter/less efficient skimmate.
Personally, i'd unkink the air hose and rely on the air adjustment in small increments until you reach your desired consistency.

 

[scotty333]

While the features on skimmers may differ most of them work the exact same.
The higher you raise the water level the wetter the skimmate will be. The lower you go the drier it'll be.
The bubbles the skimmer makes are also a consideration. Ideally you want consistent, fine bubbles as opposed to large/random sized ones that tend to rush to the surface and don't efficiently carry detritus up with them.
Also, Choking off the air in my skimmer causes the water line to raise and causes inconsistent sized bubbling. From this you're likely to produce a wetter/less efficient skimmate.
Personally, i'd unkink the air hose and rely on the air adjustment in small increments until you reach your desired consistency.

Thanks
I’ll try that