Xyclone Protein Skimmer - low flow?

[Afkomjorgen]

Hello

I’ve been having trouble getting my skimmer to work properly for the last couple of months. I’m frustrated with it and hoping for some advice.

it’s a Aquatop Xyclone Protein Skimmer that came with my tank set up ( Aquatop Reciefe 48gallon DT, 14 gal sump )

We upgraded to this set up 1.5 years ago. We used a cyclone sump before that didn’t work well. At the time our bio load was really low. Now it’s quite high and the sump worked well for the first 6-7 months. Not sure exactly when but it stopped working and hasn’t worked right since.
I haven’t pulled it out this week and taken it apart again but I did a deep clean about a month or two ago and hoped that would fix it.

My best guess is that there’s something wrong with how it’s sending bubbles or flow into the chamber.
I’m getting a very light amount of slime in the chamber, so it’s not - not working at all. But it doesn’t have any visual foaming while working and the water slowly circles in the chamber.
I’m thinking that either the air intake has an issue, or the pump isn’t working properly, or maybe the water level/height of the skimmer in the tank needs to be dialed in. Any help would be much appreciated, please give me ideas to try and I’ll report back what works. );

I can buy another skimmer but I’d really rather not

 

[dedragon]

Tbh it really isnt a good protein skimmer so I wouldnt expect much from it. I am a bit confused though, are you still using the aquatop aquarium or is this in a new tank that is drilled with a sump?

 

[Afkomjorgen]

Tbh it really isnt a good protein skimmer so I wouldnt expect much from it. I am a bit confused though, are you still using the aquatop aquarium or is this in a new tank that is drilled with a sump?

Previously used a 28 gal bow front w/o sump.
Currently still using the Aquatop 48g we changed to 1.5 yrs ago that is plumbed with a sump. It’s a weird model I got for a good price at LFS. I know the all in ones are more popular.

Aquatop Recife High Clarity Glass Reef Tank 48 Gallons w/ LED Light, Protein Skimmer, HTG-300W Heater & Max Flow Submersible Pump (740GPH), Pre-assembled Black Wood Cabinet Stand w/ Door & Glass Sump.

Aquatop Recife High Clarity Glass Reef Tank 48 Gallons w/ LED Light, Protein Skimmer, HTG-300W Heater & Max Flow Submersible Pump (740GPH), Pre-assembled Black Wood Cabinet Stand w/ Door & Glass Sump.

www.reefh2o.com

 

[Salty Rambler]

If you aren't seeing any bubbles in the venturi, I'd recommend checking the air intake tube that attaches to the skimmer pump itself and feeds air into the system -- one end attaches to the pump cover, and the other end should be out of the water and is topped by an adjustable black valve cover that you can unscrew a bit to adjust the amount of air getting into the system. If you don't see any change from unscrewing the valve cover a bit, you can try unscrewing the valve cover completely and using a pipette to squirt a bit of RODI water into the tubing to remove any salt buildup that may be in the tubing, and then lightly screw the top back on. If you start to see air bubbles in the body of the skimmer venturi, but aren't seeing any in the neck of the skimmer cup, there should be two red adjustable knobs midway up the skimmer. If you turn them, you should be able to adjust the level of the water in the skimmer cup neck.