Beginner Skimmer Question

[DecadentCommand]

Hi All,

I'm new to salt water and I'm unfamiliar with how the skimmer is supposed to function. Could Someone tell me if my skimmer is working properly?

Basically I bought a Comline 9001 skimmer for my 32 gallon biocube. I read the instructions, placed the skimmer so the water line is at the correct height. But the hopper constantly gets filled with water and it's always overflowing with foam. I don't see anyone else's skimmer doing this. The only adjustment I can see is one knob on the airline.

Is it working properly? Or should I do something?

Thanks,

 

[Auquanut]

You're loosing a lot of skimate back into your tank. Is it possible to raise the entire skimmer? I put a coralife skimmer on my biocube 29 a couple of years ago and found it wasn't worth the trouble. Just kept a decent water change schedule and used carbon and GFO in the filter. I'm not familiar with that skimmer though.

 

[Auquanut]

Oh. Welcome to R2R!

 

[DecadentCommand]

Well the hopper completely fill with water so the bubble have no where else to go but out the top. I'll try dropping the water a bit and see if that helps.

 

[steelwrap]

Might just need some time to "break in". You could soak in a vinegar solution to help clean it up first

 

[Emarley]

If its new a skimmer can take a few weeks to break in, is the air valve fully open? if so tighten it and this should help.

 

[Auquanut]

The theory behind the skimmer is to get just a fairly dry foam into the cup to remove the nasties, then dump the cup when it starts to get full. If the cup fills too quickly (which is what mine did constantly) it's not serving any purpose at all.
Hope this helps.

 

[lapin]

Howdy