How Long Will Take To Break The Skimmer

[Charith1986]

Hi All, i have installed a Red Star Fish SQ50 skimmer in my tank today.

 

Just want to know how long will it take to break through ? And what would make it perform well ?

[Thrassian Atoll]

Skimmers are all over the place for break in times.  Could take a day, could take a couple of weeks.  I am not familiar with that skimmer but have the bubbles start to pop at the bottom of the cup neck where it attaches to the body of the skimmer.

[Charith1986]

Its still skimming, no bubbles came up the neck still.

[Thrassian Atoll]

Are the bubbles breaking at the bottom of the neck?

[Charith1986]

[Thrassian Atoll]

Open up your air inlet a lot more.  Doesn’t look like there’s much air in it.  I like to open my air up all of the way and adjust the pump accordingly.  
 

Have the water level/bubbles breaking around here.

 

[Charith1986]

thanks, will try that

[FollyFish]

12 hours ago, Charith1986 said:

Hi All, i have installed a Red Star Fish SQ50 skimmer in my tank today.

 

Just want to know how long will it take to break through ? And what would make it perform well ?

Ok. So I read the title and my first thought was not very long if you drop it. 😉

But in real answer about a week, when I added mine it was closer to 2 weeks. I had to spend some time making adjustments to get it to run smoothly. 

[Charith1986]

As mentioned in the comment above I took the bubbles up till the neck, it was skimming at that level the whole night but in the morning again the bubble level came down.

Shall I just keep it and let it settle ?

[Thrassian Atoll]

Turn it up a little bit more.  You will have to fine tune it over the next couple days.  Retune after cleaning, etc.  I adjust my nyos a lot.

[Charith1986]

Okay will do that, and when doing weekly water changes do i need to first switch off the skimmer right ?

 

Cs i have a back side sump and when the tank is disconnected the water level in the sump goes up and the skimmer is in there.

[Thrassian Atoll]

2 hours ago, Charith1986 said:

Okay will do that, and when doing weekly water changes do i need to first switch off the skimmer right ?

 

Cs i have a back side sump and when the tank is disconnected the water level in the sump goes up and the skimmer is in there.

Yeah, whenever you turn your return pump off you want to turn the skimmer off.  The water level will usually rise where the skimmer is located and that will make the skimmer overflow itself if it’s on.

[Charith1986]

yeah thanks, i think the skimmer is settling now cs its automatically increases the bubbling level and weekly turning off and on will be okay for the skimmer ?