protien skimmers

[klg1824]

we just hooked up our skimmer, and there is nothing being skimmed...is there supposed to be debris in the top chamber already or oes it take a few days?

 

[ReefRaff]

I may or may not happen right away. sometimes a clean skimmer may not work to it's full potential until it gets a little scummy. how long has your tank been setup? and what kind of skimmer do you have?

 

[klg1824]

the tank has been up for about 2.5 weeks, it's a 150 gallon, and we added 150 lbs of LR yesterday. we just hooked up the red sea, berlin skimmer a few minutes ago...

 

[ReefRaff]

sounds like a good skimmer. IMHO I would not skim for another 3-4 months. I didn't start skimming till about 8 months. some start right away, but then your cycle may take longer.

 

[klg1824]

actually, we added the rock 2 days ago not yesterday. what should we look for when it's doing it's job? should there be air bubbles in the tank itself?

 

[ReefRaff]

shouldn't be air bubbles in the tank. and you will see foam rising up to the collection cup when it's working right.

 

[pachecf]

Visit this site for information on a Skimmer:

http://www.masla.com/reef/skimmer.html

 

[loganj]

There may not be anything in the tank to skim out yet. Also, as was mentioned before, new skimmers often need a "break in" period before they really go to work. Once the skimmer is broken in, the bubbles going in the tank should subside some. Every new skimmer I've started up made bubbles for a couple of weeks before they settled down. Why? Not sure . JMHO.

 

[MR294]

As loganj mentioned all skimmers are going to require an intitial break in or "seasoning" period before they start skimming effectively. This is due in part to residues left on the skimmer from manufacturing, assembly etc. Sometimes it takes a few hours, sometimes a few days, but rinsing the collection cup and mixing chamber in warm water for a few minutes can sometimes help speed up the process.