Coral Life 65 Skimmer-I want to stomp it into the ground HELP!

[Reefer33<(((<]

I have had the Coral Life 65 for about a year now and it is the most inconsistent piece of plastic garbabge I have ever known. I feel like throwing a tupperware container into my tank would yield better results than this POS. Sometimes it has worked and other times, like right now, no matter what I do, it will not build foam. Lots of bubbles enriching in the chamber but they break at the neck of the skimmer. I cleaned it a few days ago with Vinegar. Crap, when I was running it in a bucket with vinegar and water, it built great foam. The minute I strap the SOB on the back of my 33 reef, nothing. Lots of bubbles but they wont build foam..

 

I am starting to wonder if there is something in the water keeping this process from happening. Any ideas. The corals and fish are healthy and fine but no skimmate. I am about to throw it out and go Tunze but I am thinking that I might be missing something here. Could PH, foreign substances, salinity play key roles here? The only reason I keep it going is to prevent a Ph drop at night. But there are plently of bubbles, producing a thickness in the chamber. The water level is right on, but no build?????????

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I can provide pics if that would help with a diagnosis...Just say the word.

[Matty1124]

where is it mounted? HOB or in a sump... these skimmers are sensitive to water level changes... it could also be that cleaning it with viniger will mean it needs to break back in.... ive had one for two years now (in sump) and it preforms very well... but it sounds like it needs to be broken in again after a good cleaning... if you do deside to get rid of it post it in the classified dont just scrap it... others have good luck with it, and im sure you can get a few bucks for it

[DESERTHEATRACING]

where is it mounted? HOB or in a sump... these skimmers are sensitive to water level changes... it could also be that cleaning it with viniger will mean it needs to break back in.... ive had one for two years now (in sump) and it preforms very well... but it sounds like it needs to be broken in again after a good cleaning... if you do deside to get rid of it post it in the classified dont just scrap it... others have good luck with it, and im sure you can get a few bucks for it

 

 

If mounted HOB and you do not keep a precise water level, it will be an inconsistent piece of crap because you are consistently inconsistent with water top offs The whole HOB idea with it was a joke unless you have an ATO.

 

If you are building tons of bubbles in the chamber and no foam, then it is not the skimmer, it is something in your water or lack of. That is like yelling at a snow cone maker for producing ice with no flavor *LOL* Unless you add it, you just get ice.

 

Another factor is that you just cleaned it, most all skimmers require a period were they get a slime coat and then start producing skim, takes about a week. If you just cleaned it, you basically re-set it back to day 1 and it needs some time.