so iv got a coralife 225 skimmer its not the best and was used by my lfs for a while before i got it but its still trucking along alright. i know im gonna have to replace the pump eventually but most of the time it works alright and when it acts up its only because it doesnt seem to be able to pull enough air to make the right amount of bubbles in the skimmer chamber. so my question is, is theere any benefit/risk if i ran the line to a air pump and pumped some extra in?
skimmer question.
- Thread starter Brandon42
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mcarroll
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It will be hard to get right, but shouldn't hurt anything if you want to try. Worst case scenario: put everything back to normal 
What I would suggest is to take the whole skimmer apart and give it (another) good cleaning.
Pay special attention to the air intake fittings/plumbing. Also to the impeller and impeller-well.
It can be helpful after cleaning to let the parts completely dry out so you can see calcium deposits more easily. Thinner layers are completely transparent and smooth as plastic when wet, but they turn white when dry. Vinegar soaking and a toothbrush (nothing harsher - especially not on the impeller) should take care of any remaining residues. Let this be your final check before reassembly.
If you do that and still have air intake issues, then most likely the impeller needs to be replaced. Possibly the pump, but the impeller should be cheap and is much more likely to be the problem.
2¢
What I would suggest is to take the whole skimmer apart and give it (another) good cleaning.
Pay special attention to the air intake fittings/plumbing. Also to the impeller and impeller-well.
It can be helpful after cleaning to let the parts completely dry out so you can see calcium deposits more easily. Thinner layers are completely transparent and smooth as plastic when wet, but they turn white when dry. Vinegar soaking and a toothbrush (nothing harsher - especially not on the impeller) should take care of any remaining residues. Let this be your final check before reassembly.
If you do that and still have air intake issues, then most likely the impeller needs to be replaced. Possibly the pump, but the impeller should be cheap and is much more likely to be the problem.
2¢
OP
OP
Brandon42
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It will be hard to get right, but shouldn't hurt anything if you want to try. Worst case scenario: put everything back to normal
What I would suggest is to take the whole skimmer apart and give it (another) good cleaning.
Pay special attention to the air intake fittings/plumbing. Also to the impeller and impeller-well.
It can be helpful after cleaning to let the parts completely dry out so you can see calcium deposits more easily. Thinner layers are completely transparent and smooth as plastic when wet, but they turn white when dry. Vinegar soaking and a toothbrush (nothing harsher - especially not on the impeller) should take care of any remaining residues. Let this be your final check before reassembly.
If you do that and still have air intake issues, then most likely the impeller needs to be replaced. Possibly the pump, but the impeller should be cheap and is much more likely to be the problem.
2¢
i was actually in the process of taking it out and cleaning it when i got this idea lol. the impeller doesnt seem to be damaged at all im thinking the main issue is what you said and the air port gets clogged because i can usually pinch the tubing and what ever is jammed will suck through that mixed with it being a older heavily used pump. but i did not ever thinking about letting it dry to see the calcium build up i will give that a try as well! and youre right worst comes to worse i just put it back to how it is normal. just thinking maybe a little extra air flow will help it out a bit.
OP
OP
Brandon42
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2015
- Messages
- 638
- Reaction score
- 356
It will be hard to get right, but shouldn't hurt anything if you want to try. Worst case scenario: put everything back to normal
What I would suggest is to take the whole skimmer apart and give it (another) good cleaning.
Pay special attention to the air intake fittings/plumbing. Also to the impeller and impeller-well.
It can be helpful after cleaning to let the parts completely dry out so you can see calcium deposits more easily. Thinner layers are completely transparent and smooth as plastic when wet, but they turn white when dry. Vinegar soaking and a toothbrush (nothing harsher - especially not on the impeller) should take care of any remaining residues. Let this be your final check before reassembly.
If you do that and still have air intake issues, then most likely the impeller needs to be replaced. Possibly the pump, but the impeller should be cheap and is much more likely to be the problem.
2¢
The air pump running to the skimmer actually worked perfectly, it did take a bit of adjusting and messing with it to get it right. But I have not lost bubbles in the skimmer sense finally getting it balanced out!
