How do you adjust a skimmer?

[InfernoST]

I just bought a Reef Octopus BH-800s HOB skimmer for my 120 and am not sure exactly how to adjust it properly. It makes tons of bubbles but 1 small adjustment down of the collection cup and it fills up in three hours. A small adjustment of the cup up and it doesn't fill up anywhere near as quickly and the bubbles just make it to the top of the collection tube and occasionally bubble over into the cup. Which is the correct mode of operation? The directions are the worst I've ever seen. Note, this my first SW tank and in it's 3rd day of cycling so everything is fresh, the bubbles are pure white but the water that has collected in the cup look on the order of ginger ale.

[Speakerman]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think as long as the bubbles are reaching the top of the tube that's fine, the bubbles attract the protein and it will stay up top (out of the water). Eventually it will start to slowly dribble over the edge of the collection cup, you don't want to see bubbles steadily flowing over the edge.

Please correct me if I'm wrong cause it was a long time away and my skimmer was a crappy one.

[InfernoST]

Originally Posted by Speakerman

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think as long as the bubbles are reaching the top of the tube that's fine, the bubbles attract the protein and it will stay up top (out of the water). Eventually it will start to slowly dribble over the edge of the collection cup, you don't want to see bubbles steadily flowing over the edge.

Please correct me if I'm wrong cause it was a long time away and my skimmer was a crappy one.

I have it adjusted the way you have described it, so it's correctly working (I hope)? Do you have run it 24/7 or can you put it on a timer and run it several hours a day?

[Speakerman]

I imagine that if you don't have it running all the time, the protein thick substance near the top of the skimmer will drip down into the sump and get pumped back up all around the tank. I ran mine all the time, and once I get my new setup going I'll have it running all the time.

[InfernoST]

Originally Posted by Speakerman

I imagine that if you don't have it running all the time, the protein thick substance near the top of the skimmer will drip down into the sump and get pumped back up all around the tank. I ran mine all the time, and once I get my new setup going I'll have it running all the time.

I'm not running a sump I chose to go with an eheim 2080 canister, my girls are to young and to curious to risk using a sump. Then I'll keep it running continuously for a while.