Skimmer not skimming

[chs724]

I dont know why its not working but i am fiddeling with my skimmer and all it does is bubbeling arround with not producing foam. When i glued some corals thats the only time foam is building. Whats also Strange is that the water which evaporates in the skimmer and collects in the Cup is dirty. So there is dirt in the water. Pls help

 

[Daddy-o]

without knowing your exact skimmer. More air and deeper in the water

 

[BlennyTime]

Do you have any livestock in your tank? It could be there is nothing to skim.

Also, less is more when adjusting skimmers. Should make small adjustments and see how they do over hours, then go from there.

 

[chs724]

yes its a nano cube and i have 3 fish 4 crabs and 2 shrimp

 

[MichaelReefer]

yes its a nano cube and i have 3 fish 4 crabs and 2 shrimp

How old is the tank? Is it a brand new skimmer? They take a few weeks to break in.

 

[Seabiscuit]

With 3 fish, 4 crabs and 2 shrimp you are going to have something to skim, but if you have corals you may not. I'm guessing you don't have any corals since you did not mention them. Look at your air bubbles first. If you have a gut feeling that you have enough bubbles, you may not need to increase aeration. I would start by making the water level higher so that the waste bubbles reach the collection cup. You may have to lower your skimmer farther down into the aquarium if it is a submersible. I also have a nano tank. My skimmer mounts onto the rim of the aquarium and the skimmer is submersed into the aquarium. My skimmer uses only an aerator and does not have a mechanical pump. I had the opposite problem where it started out skimming too much. I slowly raised the level by 1/4" increments, then I fine-tuned by 1/16" increments. Give it at least 10 hours to see how much waste water accumulates into the collection cup.

 

[Kryptonian]

Few things.
1. Is the skimmer new? A new skimmer can take up to a week or longer sometimes to effectively start skimming.
2. Depending on brand, you want about 3/4th of the skimmer out of the water. Check manufacturer instructions.
3. Dirt does not evaporate for the same reason that salt in the water does not evaporate, so dirt cannot be evaporating from your water into the chamber. Most likely, the skimmer is more effectively skimming during the darkest hours of the night around 4am.
4. Glue for corals will definitely make a skimmer over-skim for a few hours. This is normal.

Try very slowly tuning the skimmer to where the very top of the foam barely trickles over the edges of the cup. If new, just give it time.

 

[chs724]

With 3 fish, 4 crabs and 2 shrimp you are going to have something to skim, but if you have corals you may not. I'm guessing you don't have any corals since you did not mention them. Look at your air bubbles first. If you have a gut feeling that you have enough bubbles, you may not need to increase aeration. I would start by making the water level higher so that the waste bubbles reach the collection cup. You may have to lower your skimmer farther down into the aquarium if it is a submersible. I also have a nano tank. My skimmer mounts onto the rim of the aquarium and the skimmer is submersed into the aquarium. My skimmer uses only an aerator and does not have a mechanical pump. I had the opposite problem where it started out skimming too much. I slowly raised the level by 1/4" increments, then I fine-tuned by 1/16" increments. Give it at least 10 hours to see how much waste water accumulates into the collection cup.

I actualy do have many corals. 15 softies, 2 lps and 2 sps. So you think the corals do consume all?

 

[Seabiscuit]

I actualy do have many corals. 15 softies, 2 lps and 2 sps. So you think the corals do consume all?

Your corals will consume a lot. My skimmer collection cup capacity is very small. I am getting a few ml of waste water that is solid yellow-brown each day. If you look inside of your collection cup and see lots of bubbles popping into it, but there is no scum water, it's probably because you have not many waste proteins and the bubbles are mostly carrying clean water through your skimmer.