Priming a reef octopus bh1000?

[Garrett706]

I have a reef octopus bh 1000 protein skimmer and I recently did a 50% w/c and now I can't get skimmer to produce bubbles, it does make a couple of bubbles but nothing close to what it did before I lowered my water level so much, it is also not pulling enough water to overflow into the drain.

Any info would be much appreciated.

[DIZZLE808]

If it's anything like the bh2000, which is what I run, unplug the skimmer from the outlet, cover the air hose with your finger then plug it back in. I have to do this whenever I do a pwc. Most likely it won't work the first time you do it so just give it a couple of tries.

[Garrett706]

Originally Posted by DIZZLE808

If it's anything like the bh2000, which is what I run, unplug the skimmer from the outlet, cover the air hose with your finger then plug it back in. I have to do this whenever I do a pwc. Most likely it won't work the first time you do it so just give it a couple of tries.

k I will try that when I get home thank you

[Garrett706]

Originally Posted by DIZZLE808

If it's anything like the bh2000, which is what I run, unplug the skimmer from the outlet, cover the air hose with your finger then plug it back in. I have to do this whenever I do a pwc. Most likely it won't work the first time you do it so just give it a couple of tries.

i tried it and it wants to go but just won't take hold, do you pull your finger off at any time or just keep it blocked until it works, how long do u let it run before unplugging it and plugging it back in?

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Take the muffler off the plastic tubing, put tube in your mouth, suck until the water in the tube almost reaches your mouth, and just hold it there til the pump starts going fully. I've taken a couple mouthfuls of water lol but it works....

[DIZZLE808]

Originally Posted by Garrett706

i tried it and it wants to go but just won't take hold, do you pull your finger off at any time or just keep it blocked until it works, how long do u let it run before unplugging it and plugging it back in?

Yeah I take off my finger then put it back a few times each time I try

[DIZZLE808]

Originally Posted by Flaxon-Waxon

Take the muffler off the plastic tubing, put tube in your mouth, suck until the water in the tube almost reaches your mouth, and just hold it there til the pump starts going fully. I've taken a couple mouthfuls of water lol but it works....

Or there's this way too lol. I have yet to get a mouthful of water though

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I find it's the best way to prime it... The reverse air flow in the airline tube forces the pump to suck water in, and when it starts back up you release the airline and voila! Good to go...

[DIZZLE808]

Nice! I shall give this a try when I do my pwc on Sat.

[Garrett706]

I've gotten it to finally produce a decent amount of bubbles and it is collecting in the collection cup, but no where near the amount it was before the large w/c ... Could it be that the water column has less waste thus producing less bubbles/aeration in the skimmer?

[Flaxon-Waxon]

In the skimmer column or up by the neck where the skimmate flows over bio the cup? You should have the same amount of bubbles in the column of the skimmer but it may take a few hours to form a nice skimmate in the neck again as the surface tension was broken...

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Over "into" the cup. Not "bio"... Sorry

[Garrett706]

I still can't get my skimmer to produce a significant amount of bubbles. Could something of happened to the skimmer by lowering the water level so low, or does it just take more then an hour to get it going ( I spend about 30-45 mins a day messing with this thing )

I have never ran it dry, I've taken it apart and cleaned the impeller and while I had it apart I did plug it in for 3-5 secs to verify the impeller was turning and everything seemed fine.

I've tried everything you guys have suggested multiple times and nothing seems to work. I'm hoping I don't have to go out and buy a new one : /

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Can you take a pic of your skimmer on the tank so we can get an idea of the water level it's at? And maybe a pic of the amount of bubbles that it IS producing?

[Garrett706]

Originally Posted by Flaxon-Waxon

Can you take a pic of your skimmer on the tank so we can get an idea of the water level it's at? And maybe a pic of the amount of bubbles that it IS producing?

its hard to see but these are the best i can get with the glare of the lights, I called my buddy at my LFS and he suggested that if cleaning the impeller didn't help that I could soak the skimmer over night in vinegar

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Where does the water level in the tank go up to on the piping IN the tank itself? When my water level is low that's the amount of bubbles I get... You might just need to fill er up.

[Garrett706]

Originally Posted by Flaxon-Waxon

Where does the water level in the tank go up to on the piping IN the tank itself? When my water level is low that's the amount of bubbles I get... You might just need to fill er up.

its about an inch or two above the discharge pipe into the tank it I think my LFS might of been right about there being a build up of calcium in the pump , I filled it up about a quarter of the way full with vinegar then I let it sit for an hour and then filled up a cup with vinegar and held it over the intake pipe and plugged it in and it was going full boar but I shut it down and I'm going to let it set overnight

[Garrett706]

Vinegar worked, skimmer is back in and running like a champ

[DIZZLE808]

Congrats. That's good to hear!

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Awesome !