How do you break in a skimmer?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I hear people talk about this, and honestly, I'm skimmer challenged. What is the process of breaking in a skimmer?

 

[chemisfun11]

just running and tuning the skimmer. It will take some time for the organics to cling to new or even used skimmers that have not been wet or in an aquarium. As the acrylic gets used to the organic particles from the bubbles, they will start to cling together and be pushed into the collection cup. The flow of water through the skimmer body and the amount of air will determine how much skimmate you will get, if it is dry or wet...and consequently depending on your bioload, all these things take some time or are considered a break-in period. Once you are happy with the skimmate production, you just need to clean and maintain your skimmer and pump with cleanings to get the continued production of waste. Hope this helps. Happy reefing!

 

[mfinn]

What many people do ( myself included) is to get a small container that the skimmer will fit in and function. Then add atleast a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and freshwater and let it run overnight ( 12 hours).
This helps remove the tiny amount of manufacturing chemicals and oils that remain on the plastic/acrylic.
This will speed up that break-in time.

 

[Mike J.]

Sometimes when you add a skimmer to an aquarium that hasn't had one the cup will fill up with what looks like plain water, it isn't. You might find that you'll need to dump the first couple of cups out, not back into the aquarium, to get it to settle down.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Sometimes when you add a skimmer to an aquarium that hasn't had one the cup will fill up with what looks like plain water, it isn't. You might find that you'll need to dump the first couple of cups out, not back into the aquarium, to get it to settle down.

Lol I just went through this. I was like what the heck!? Now I know. thanks for the tip.

What many people do ( myself included) is to get a small container that the skimmer will fit in and function. Then add atleast a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and freshwater and let it run overnight ( 12 hours).
This helps remove the tiny amount of manufacturing chemicals and oils that remain on the plastic/acrylic.
This will speed up that break-in time.

Awesome! I actually did this just because I'm anal about cleaning everything before it goes in the tank. Didn't know it would help with break in. Cool.

 

[Fish_Bagger]

Plug it in and yell at it everyday until the micro bubbles go away, lol.

 

[GHill762]

Plug it in and yell at it everyday until the micro bubbles go away, lol.

+1, that's what I did and now I'm producing skimmate with the best of em..

I also cursed about the constant overflowing for a week..

 

[Fish_Bagger]

It actually works for me every time. By the time the tanks cycles it's ready to go.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Either wait for 2 weeks or give it a vinegar bath when you get it. Then install it. The vinegar removes the resin from the acrylic.

 

[specvjeff]

I've always just given it a good rinse to clean off any dust or debris left from manufacturing. As for "breaking it in", I've just let it run with the water level in the skimmer low so that it won't overflow. The micro bubbles typically take a week or so to completely dissipate.