when to know if your skimmers is working good

[elke]

just bought a skimmer have nothing to know about the setup and running of a skimmer would be nice to get some help on how to know and what to look for on my skimmer and what i should look for to se if it is working right..... does a skimmer need a couple of days to set up like anything else or will it work right away how do i know i dont but everyone always seems to ingore me ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i look for help on this site and never get any and this is the only place i know to look so please help me all i want is help and maybe i know enough to help others and i try to but when i need it it is never there ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. it would be nice

 

[Fluff]

Most skimmers need a break in period of a few days to a couple weeks. I don't know alot about the mechanics of skimmers or anything about the brand you have but, give it some time. Is it possible to post a pic of your skimmer? Something to give an idea of how it works? Is it making foam?

 

[Avi]

I saw the photos that Elke posted, I guess, in response to the follow-through questions here, but from them it seems that the skimmer is working well and there's a good deal of foam already.

Elke...I have a different kind of skimmer but I don't think that matters...the foam that mine makes after I clean it (which you have to do very regularly, by the way) comes out a nice clean looking white. After a day or so, a darkish gook starts showing up on the inside wall of each of the two plastic containers. The liquid that collects in the skimmate collection cub (the one on the very top) should be really dark smelly. You'll see when you empty it out. If it is like that, then you know that the skimmer is doing what it's supposed to and it's working fine.