Skimmer question

[Fisshboy]

Hi all, iv just got a used reef setup thats been running a while but before it got transported the old owner cleaned the skimmer out its a Tmc V2 600.

Iv had it running with the bubbles around halfway up the neck where theres a bit of a scum mark you can see its been before but after a week nothing had been produced.

On inspection the venturi air inlet was boocked but when i blew it unblocked and bubbled like mad from me blowing.

My question is could i attach a small air pump to it to up the bubble production ?

Thanks all

 

[Fisshboy]

heres a video, its been running since thursday and still this is all it does

Skimmer v2 600 - YouTube

 

[Grizz]

It looks like your collection cup is full of water can you lower the level or raise the skimmer And yes you can connect an air pump to the air intake Iv'e done it on a few of my skimmers and it works great

 

[Fisshboy]

Thanks for the reply, Yea it is full of water Does the collection cup need to have no water in?

I never uploaded any pics of the tank here some are be easy im new to the salty side

 

[Fisshboy]

Here are the pictures

 

[Grizz]

Yes the cup needs to be empty it's just for foam The light grey knob on the right side of the skimmer is used to adjust the water level in the skimmer you want the water about half way up the body of the skimmer, turn it counter clockwise you should see the water level drop

Here's a good vid of a skimmer running Cycle your salt tank - Aquarium Advice

PS nice tank

 

[Fisshboy]

Iv adjusted it so the water level is about halfway and the collection cup is empty now do the bubbles need to be reaching the top? They only go about 3/4 of the way up

 

[Grizz]

yes you want the bubbles to just over flow into the cup if your finding that it fills the cup every day lower the water level a bit my skimmer dont foam all the time just when there's organics that need to be removed The skimmate thats the stuff in the cup should look like tea

 

[Ingy]

The bubbles will start a bit lower, but as it runs the yuckies will start to collect on the topmost bubbles, giving them more surface tension and bigger bubbles. Then they bubble over into the cup.

 

[Fisshboy]

iv attached an air pump and fiddled with it a bit and its pulling out a bit now that like a lime green water kinda stuff is that okay for the time been ? will it turn brown over time ?

 

[Qube]

Did you tear the skimmer apart and give it a good cleaning prior to installing it? If not, I don't know that I would take the original owners word on it being cleaned since you already identified an air blockage. From the video, it looks like there may still be a blockage somewhere in the air intake. Just my opinion...

 

[Fisshboy]

I might do that, do you mean conpletly strip it down to bare bones and give it a good clean?

 

[Qube]

That's what I would do just for piece of mind. I've bought "cleaned" items through Craigslist before, only to find that it was only cleaned for appearance.

 

[Fisshboy]

Ill give it a try when i get in and see what happens, do skimmers need a breaking in period after been fully cleaned before they start skimming again? Instructions say on first operation run with water level only just into the cone for 2 days then higher a bit should i do this after cleaning?

 

[Qube]

When I deep clean my skimmer with vinegar, I have a break in period where the skimmer is wide open and going nuts. I let it skim about 5 gallons or so and it settles back in.