Newbie Needs Guidance

[pootee_tang]

Hello All,
This is my first time getting into Saltwater side of the hobby and really need some guidance with some questions i have.

Tank Specification:
55 gallon with inbuilt overflow, 2 wave makers. 50 pounds of dry live rock with 40 ponds of Live Sand

Sump Specifications
converted a 20gallon glass tank into sump, Coralife 65Gallon Portein Skimmer , RIO 2100 return pump...Added20 pounds of live sand to the refugium part of the sump.


I currently setup Tank and letting it go thru cycling process...its been running for 2 days now.


Questions:

What shld be the water line for the portein skimmer pump? i mounted the skimmer onto the sump as it was taking too much space when i set it inside the sump....When the water line of the compartment where the skimmer pump sits goes above the flow control part of the skimmer tube the skimmer does not produce any bubbles( it looks its just sucking water in and spitting it out regarless of the bubble diffuser adjustment) but when i keep the water line as i have in the picture i can see the skimmer producing bubbles...Am i doing it right? :frusty:



Noise Reduction:

I added ball valve to the Line returning water back to the Main Tank to reduce the flow of water the pump was pushing out( as it was pumping the water out too fast which inturn dries that compartment out)...I adjusted the ball valve and found the sweet spot where everything is in balance but problem i have is that since i adjusted the Ball valve to reduce the water flow, the Pump(RIO 2100) is making noise. When it's at full flow the noise level is 40-50% less to what is makes now.
How do i tackle this issue? should i buy new pump which i less powerful than the one i have? or should i enclose it in sometype of enclosing? :frusty:


I would really appreciated any insight you guys can provide me with. Thank you inadvance

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

What type of skimmer is that? BTW welcome to R2R!

 

[pootee_tang]

thank you . Its "Coralife 65Gallon" Portein Skimmer.

 

[Eric B]

It will probably not operate correctly until it breaks in and after your tank goes through the cycle process and you start to get some bioload in the water with fish and other stuff. Right now in the cycle process you probably have nothing for it to remove. I would also maybe see if you can google that skimmer and find an instruction manual online as I don't know anything about it. Also welcome to the forums!

 

[Genesis Corals]

I like to start my protein skimmers where the bubbles reach the bottom of the neck of the skimmer when it first starts. As it builds up organic material it should overflow into the cup. This is just a starting point and I tweak it from there.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Coralife are a bit touchy. If you were to use a line and actually get the skimmer out of the water and having it sit next to the sump, on the floor, you may actually have an easier time adjusting it, as it would not be so high out of the water coulmn. Or get the bigger pump for that one.
When adding a ball valve in the return line, you need to branch off it and give the water an outlet back into the sump. Then fine tune, this won't put back pressure on the pump like your doing now.