Skimmer? air bubbles? - Aquarium Advice

pomme · 11-13-2003, 03:55 PM

Skimmer? air bubbles?

i have had my deltec apf600 up and running now for about two weeks and get rid of the skimmate every 3 to 4 days, but today when i did this, and turned the skimmer pump back on as i leave the pump that brings the water to the skimmer running, the air bubbles that run up the collection tube only went half way up, and it has stayed at this level since, so i have turned the pump off as i has making a kind of gurgling noise, do you guys have any ideas why it did this and what the problem is?

thanx again in advance,

andrew

loganj · 11-13-2003, 04:56 PM

I'm going to get dangerous here and make some assumptions based on the info you gave. This is a counter current skimmer that uses a water pump to move water through the skimmer and an air pump to drive a limewood diffuser? Sounds like, when you cut the air pump off, water may have back siphoned down the air line and into the air pump. Do you have an anti siphon loop in the air line? What will happen is the water climbs the air line when the pump is cut off. If the water gains enough velocity, and it doesn't take much, it will make it over the top and start to siphon into the pump. This usually destroys the pump, but not always. Pull the pump apart and remove the rubber diaphram. If it's wet, this is what happened. Dry the pump out the best you can (hair dryer?) and try it again. I'd either make a loop in the air line that's high enough that the water can't climb it or install a check valve in the air line to prevent this from happening in the future. [acronym:bcd78d7b9b="Just My Humble Opinion"]JMHO[/acronym:bcd78d7b9b].

pomme · 11-13-2003, 05:34 PM

no its not a air line skimmer its a ventri skimmer, http://www.deltecaquariumsolutions.com/skimmers_4.php,
http://www.deltecaquariumsolutions.com/home.php, ive just cleaned out all the pumps and they seem fine and its still not working?

11-13-2003, 03:55 PM	#1
pomme Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: cornwall, england Posts: 354 Images: 2	Skimmer? air bubbles? Skimmer? air bubbles? i have had my deltec apf600 up and running now for about two weeks and get rid of the skimmate every 3 to 4 days, but today when i did this, and turned the skimmer pump back on as i leave the pump that brings the water to the skimmer running, the air bubbles that run up the collection tube only went half way up, and it has stayed at this level since, so i have turned the pump off as i has making a kind of gurgling noise, do you guys have any ideas why it did this and what the problem is? thanx again in advance, andrew

11-13-2003, 04:56 PM	#2
loganj Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 4,008	I'm going to get dangerous here and make some assumptions based on the info you gave. This is a counter current skimmer that uses a water pump to move water through the skimmer and an air pump to drive a limewood diffuser? Sounds like, when you cut the air pump off, water may have back siphoned down the air line and into the air pump. Do you have an anti siphon loop in the air line? What will happen is the water climbs the air line when the pump is cut off. If the water gains enough velocity, and it doesn't take much, it will make it over the top and start to siphon into the pump. This usually destroys the pump, but not always. Pull the pump apart and remove the rubber diaphram. If it's wet, this is what happened. Dry the pump out the best you can (hair dryer?) and try it again. I'd either make a loop in the air line that's high enough that the water can't climb it or install a check valve in the air line to prevent this from happening in the future. [acronym:bcd78d7b9b="Just My Humble Opinion"]JMHO[/acronym:bcd78d7b9b]. __________________ Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Logan J www.captiveraisedcorals.com

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11-13-2003, 05:34 PM	#3
pomme Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: cornwall, england Posts: 354 Images: 2	no its not a air line skimmer its a ventri skimmer, http://www.deltecaquariumsolutions.com/skimmers_4.php, http://www.deltecaquariumsolutions.com/home.php, ive just cleaned out all the pumps and they seem fine and its still not working?