Protein Skimmer Questions.

[lennyd4]

I purchased a Bak-Pak DP Protein Skimmer / Biological Filter, on thursday. It is blowing out a ton of bubbles which I understand will go away in a week or so. There are 2 collection cups on the skimmer, seems like the foam only goes about an inch into the cylinder which is about 4 inches tall. I only have 40lbs live sand, 50lbs Marco Dry Rock, and 7 lbs Premium Fiji live rock in a 65 gallon tank. Live rock has only been in for a few hours now.

Should I be seeing more foam into the cup or does that come when I introduce fish or a few days after live rock is placed in tank?

Does anyone have any experience with Bak-Pak protein skimmers?

 

[skinz78]

I've never used them but I'll bump your thread for ya!

 

[lennyd4]

haha thanks

 

[mojo]

I purchased a Bak-Pak DP Protein Skimmer / Biological Filter, on thursday. It is blowing out a ton of bubbles which I understand will go away in a week or so. There are 2 collection cups on the skimmer, seems like the foam only goes about an inch into the cylinder which is about 4 inches tall. I only have 40lbs live sand, 50lbs Marco Dry Rock, and 7 lbs Premium Fiji live rock in a 65 gallon tank. Live rock has only been in for a few hours now.

Should I be seeing more foam into the cup or does that come when I introduce fish or a few days after live rock is placed in tank?

Does anyone have any experience with Bak-Pak protein skimmers?

give it soemtime. With all the new rock its pretty common for the skimmer to go nuts for a week or so. Just let it run and do a couple water changes. You will have to trust me here..

Also are you running any Carbon ? If not I would run some carbon\ Chemi pure in a bag if need be until everything settles down.

Mojo~

 

[lennyd4]

I have an Eheim Pro 2 cannister filter with 2 bags of chemi pure in one of the layers, bio pellets in the other layers. What kind of water changes are we talking about ( how often and what percentage) and also whats the reason ?

 

[gmoney243]

U don't need bio pellets yet they reduce nitrates and you don't have.anything producing waste really. Also I'm pretty sure bio pellets need to tumble so in a canister filter they might not even be.working.

 

[gmoney243]

Also protein skimmers usually have a break in period they generally work better after a week or so. And I believe the water changes he's talking about is just to get you water quality up and rdy for fish and get rid of ammonia and nitrates that can come from the rock dyin off if any is live. Which would usually cause a skimmer to go nuts and produce lots of skim, but I think you said it wasnt producing enough which is the case with air stone driven skimmers especially. I'm assuming yours is . they needa few days or so to break in. U may also have to tune your skimmer.

 

[nixer]

U don't need bio pellets yet they reduce nitrates and you don't have.anything producing waste really. Also I'm pretty sure bio pellets need to tumble so in a canister filter they might not even be.working.

he didnt say anything about bio pellets!

Also protein skimmers usually have a break in period they generally work better after a week or so. And I believe the water changes he's talking about is just to get you water quality up and rdy for fish and get rid of ammonia and nitrates that can come from the rock dyin off if any is live. Which would usually cause a skimmer to go nuts and produce lots of skim, but I think you said it wasnt producing enough which is the case with air stone driven skimmers especially. I'm assuming yours is . they needa few days or so to break in. U may also have to tune your skimmer.

bak-pack skimmers are not air stone driven

 

[lennyd4]

Hopefully in the next two days I will see some skim juice or else I will have to figure out what exactly I have to fine tune :/

 

[gmoney243]

I have an Eheim Pro 2 cannister filter with 2 bags of chemi pure in one of the layers, bio pellets in the other layers. What kind of water changes are we talking about ( how often and what percentage) and also whats the reason ?

Yes he did mention bio pellets

 

[gmoney243]

Hopefully in the next two days I will see some skim juice or else I will have to figure out what exactly I have to fine tune :/

If there's nothing producing waste the skimmer will just simmer also and nothing will bubble up to the cup. So if you started with dry rock and there's no inhabitabts u may not see any skim.