Prizm skimmer working?

[vanessa]

I have a prizm skimmer on my 18 gal via aqua and it's been running for about 2 weeks now. Does it take time for the skimmer to work? I keep looking in the collection cup and don't see anything in there. I thought it was supposed to collect gunk from the tank while it skimmed. Any comments? Maybe it takes longer than 2 weeks? It's running full throtle. :|

[Satchmo]

2 weeks should be enough time for it to break in. If it's running full-throtle, it should be vastly overskimming. In other words, the collection cup should be quickly filling up with very wet foam. Are you sure the airline is hooked up correctly? It should be attached to the barb on the right. Do you see bubbles in the body of the skimmer?

[vanessa]

I hooked it up to the barb on the right now and it filled right up. DUH- do I feel stupid.

So how often do you empty the collection cup? And at what rate should I skim? Half throtle?

[Satchmo]

lol. Congratulations Vanessa, you win this week's Horse's Ass Award

 

You have to play with it, it's a pain. Turn it down until you stop getting micro bubbles in the return (the regulator valve will probably need to be almost closed to accomplish this). When it's properly dialed-in, you should get thick, nasty skimmate in the collection cup every day or so. BTW- the "break-in period" starts now, so it may take a few days to get consistant results.

 

Prizms are touchy. You will have to fine-tune the thing almost constantly. It changes the way it skims with every little thing: water level changes, after feeding, after dosing, etc.

 

The more you empty it, the better. Don't just dump the cup though. Make sure you rinse the throat of the collection cup everytime you empty it. If gets gunked up, it won't be able to push the waste out.