Help - Bubble King Mini 160 Operation - How to adjust performance

[Lionsreef]

I've had my BB mini 160 skimmer and my new tank operating for 7 months. For quite a while i have had it adjusting and skimming wet; pulling out green tea like water. I would empty it daily and the collection cup would usually be about 1/3 full. Normally it ran steady like this but occasionally would start over reacting for no reason and overflow the skimmer cup once every 7 - 10 days. That was no big deal to me which I attributed to being just normal.

For the past month though the quality of bubbles seems to have decreased. In order to produce enough bubbles to rise in neck, I've had to adjust the skimmer so that the "water line" in the mixing area just below the collection cup is almost all water. This now produces very little in my collection cup. The skimate is darker but very little as compared to before and i'm afraid i'm not taking out enough waste. Also, now that the "water line" is so high sometimes throughout the day as it is mostly water it and has more force it starts to raise the collection cup up off the skimmer stand and water spills out between the collection cup and the skimmer body. Other times especially after feeding the water line goes down and no bubbles at all are being pushed into the neck.

I just measured phosphate using my Hanna ULR Phosphate checker and it read (18) which equates to 0.05 ppm. It did test a bit lower around 0.04 ppm about 30 days ago.

As for my tank I know my skimmer is over sized. I have a 90 gal DT and 25G sump. My tank is also lightly loaded with only 7 small fish.
- 3 inch purple tang
- 2 inch bellus angle
- Melanrus wrasse
- Mystery wrasse
- yellow wrasse
- maroon clown
- diamond goby

I'm not sure if i should just leave my skimmer alone as this is normal or try to dial it in differently by adjusting the water level in the sump or even perhaps remove and clean the skimmer entirely and look for a blockage or other problem. Note that I've currently got the water level in the sump set at 8.5 inches which is in the nominal range per manufacturer directions. Also, I would say my sump is still looking very clean. I don't see a lot of detritus or other potential contaminants which could hinder skimmer performance.

Please let me know your thoughts?

 

[Gablami]

Disconnect the airline from the pump and check to make sure there’s no salt plug there. Every 6 weeks or so I have to disconnect there and clear out the salt creep that forms a plug and reduces performance.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Best way to clean a venturi is with a drill bit. Twist it between your fingers. If it is really bad use a small bit & work your way up till you get it clear.

 

[Lionsreef]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will pull the skimmer out later today and do a thorough cleaning.

 

[Lionsreef]

Thanks @Gablami and @Snoopy 67. I just pulled the skimmer and cleaned it finding the air hose input was blocked really badly with a plug of salt creep. I've now put it back in the sump and will hopefully see great improvement in performance over the next 24 hours!