Skimmer question

[BayStYat]

My skimmer finally started producing a good dry foam.

 

The foam is a pure white. Don't look like it's skimming aNY protiens.

 

Is that normal ?

[tetraodon]

usually the foam will still be white until the air bubbles are popped in the collection cup. you want the collection cup to look like a real dark color, i usually look for strong black coffee to minimize water loss. also pictures would help as well

[charnelhouse]

+1 the foam will be white. The gunk that drops into the cup will be some shade of green to brown to almost black.

[BayStYat]

Ahhh. Ok I will get a video up this evening.

 

Thanks

 

Also I only have 2 small clown 1 banded coral shrimp 1 emerald crab. Feed schedule is MWF

[BayStYat]

usually the foam will still be white until the air bubbles are popped in the collection cup. you want the collection cup to look like a real dark color, i usually look for strong black coffee to minimize water loss. also pictures would help as well

here is a video.

 

[charnelhouse]

Leave it alone for a few days. It isn't quite foaming over the top of the cup, so isn't truly skimming, but it might just need some break in time. When it's working right the foam will slowly rise to the top of the chamber and "ooze" over into the cup.

 

It looks like you've had a tiny bit of overflow, the liquid in your cup is nearly clear. Skimmate will look like dark tea to heavy brown chunky glop depending on bioload and skimmer setting.

 

It usually takes them a few days to settle in though. And feeding/epoxying/water changes etc. can all cause skimmer production to stop for a time, usually no more than a couple of hours.

[BayStYat]

Leave it alone for a few days. It isn't quite foaming over the top of the cup, so isn't truly skimming, but it might just need some break in time. When it's working right the foam will slowly rise to the top of the chamber and "ooze" over into the cup.

 

It looks like you've had a tiny bit of overflow, the liquid in your cup is nearly clear. Skimmate will look like dark tea to heavy brown chunky glop depending on bioload and skimmer setting.

 

It usually takes them a few days to settle in though. And feeding/epoxying/water changes etc. can all cause skimmer production to stop for a time, usually no more than a couple of hours.

ok thanks. I can adjust the foam higher. I set it low, right at the bottom of the cup. It seems to raise and fall to the level i set it at. Should I adjust it higher?

[charnelhouse]

ok thanks. I can adjust the foam higher. I set it low, right at the bottom of the cup. It seems to raise and fall to the level i set it at. Should I adjust it higher?

 

I haven't used that type of skimmer so I'm not sure if that rising and falling is normal or not, but with it doing that I wouldn't raise it too much. Do it so that when it's at its highest point the foam is just going over the lip of the cup. You don't want it surging over or all you're doing is dumping water into it. The only thing that falls over into the cup should be a slow trickle of foam.

 

The bubbles carry proteins over into the cup through surface tension, but if there is too much water in the bubbles you are defeating the purpose. It's a slow process. That cup should take at least 2-3 days to fill up, preferably more.

[BayStYat]

 

I haven't used that type of skimmer so I'm not sure if that rising and falling is normal or not, but with it doing that I wouldn't raise it too much. Do it so that when it's at its highest point the foam is just going over the lip of the cup. You don't want it surging over or all you're doing is dumping water into it. The only thing that falls over into the cup should be a slow trickle of foam.

 

The bubbles carry proteins over into the cup through surface tension, but if there is too much water in the bubbles you are defeating the purpose. It's a slow process. That cup should take at least 2-3 days to fill up, preferably more.

made a small adjustment

 

[charnelhouse]

Almost there. If you leave it like that it should start skimming.

[tetraodon]

Did you wash it good after you opened it?

[HarryPotter]

made a small adjustment

 

Way too high. Bubbles should break at bottom of the cup, and then in a few days it'll start skimming nice and dark.

 

As of now you're just skimming water

[charnelhouse]

Way too high. Bubbles should break at bottom of the cup, and then in a few days it'll start skimming nice and dark.

 

As of now you're just skimming water

Listen to Harry. He has one of these. I've only used the Tunze 9004 and it operates quite a bit differently.

[HarryPotter]

My video. Set the foam to break at the bottom of the cup and within a few days itll start getting thicker, darker foam that rises into the cup.

 

I get darker skim now, this was after I initially got it set up.

 

[blkhwkz]

When the skimmer is dialed in it's great. However after removing the cup a few weeks ago to empty, when I put it back it must have slightly changed alignment. Been messing with it since then and can't get it to the same dark skimmate it was doing before. Still doing ok but a skimmate is lighter than before. Now I no longer remove the cup to empty it so I don't somehow change the alignment slightly.

[BayStYat]

My video. Set the foam to break at the bottom of the cup and within a few days itll start getting thicker, darker foam that rises into the cup.

 

I get darker skim now, this was after I initially got it set up.

 

 

 

Thanks Harry, I will make adjustments now.

[BayStYat]

Harry

 

I lowered the foam to the bottom of the cup and with in an hour it started to produce a drier foam.

 

Thanks Harry

When the skimmer is dialed in it's great. However after removing the cup a few weeks ago to empty, when I put it back it must have slightly changed alignment. Been messing with it since then and can't get it to the same dark skimmate it was doing before. Still doing ok but a skimmate is lighter than before. Now I no longer remove the cup to empty it so I don't somehow change the alignment slightly.

Yea it's a pita to remove the cup.