Troubleshooting my skimmer!

[TheNowMovement]

I have had my Bubble-Magus C 3.5 for about 6 months now, and I cant get it to consistently skim anything! The water level is right where it needs to be... the valve is set to max skim... though that valve controller doesnt really do anything...Is there anything that can be done to get this skimmer to run consistently?

 

[Mike J.]

Shouldn't have to set a skimmer on max. Sounds to me like the water it is sitting in isn't deep enough?

Water level 8 - 10 inches?

 

[TheNowMovement]

It is. Its sitting at 8.5 actually! Im running it in a vinegar bath right now because i cant get the pump off of the skimmer... dont have the tools... lets see if this does anything... it'll be like resetting the skimmer from the beginning from what Im reading.

 

[Mike J.]

At six months it's due for a cleaning; they'll stop producing bubbles when the impeller is dirty. Keep up informed. Don't keep it in vinegar for very long, maybe eight hours. Vinegar is an acid and will decompose rubber parts. I stopped using vinegar for my pumps and use bleach instead, much safer. Vinegar is okay for other parts.

 

[TheNowMovement]

I am doing an hour in vinegar/water mix, then another hour in just plain water... then a good rinse out and then its going back in... Do you think this is enough cleaning to get it running somewhat normal? im really hoping this makes it work well. Im in no position to buy another skimmer.

On another note, I have never gotten this skimmer to work without going anywhere less than max... any less and it pulls out tea looking skim... which i feel is practically useless.

 

[Mike J.]

Sound okay. Keep us informed 'cuz I very familiar with Bubble Magus skimmers.

 

[TheNowMovement]

Its running better now... but in my experience with my bubble magus, I have never seen it pull really dark gunk out of my tank... never smells bad or anything... Mike J., In your experience with bubble magus, have they ever pulled out really slimy gunk from your tank? Im just curious cuz I have been fiddling with this thing since day one, and I cannot get it to skim really well! any advice or anecdotes on your experience would be awesome! Thanks

 

[phillrodrigo]

Are you setting it to skim wet or dry. Either way it should stink. Skimming wet just looks alot wetter.

 

[TheNowMovement]

well im shooting for dry... but there isnt really a setting or anything for that! Im running it as thick as i can so that the gunk builds up... but i dont really have a choice.. the skim is always wet! Im not a huge fan of the wet skim... i dont feel it gets nearly as much out... Im really thinking about getting a new skimmer sometime soon, it is christmas and birthday.. maybe i can swing something better... Im just not understanding why this skimmer wont skim dry!

 

[Mike J.]

The bubbles should be about an inch up into the neck. Putting it in 10 inches of water greatly increases its performance.

 

[TheNowMovement]

well... ive cleaned it, took it to my LFS to see what they think, ive taken it apart to see if its dirty... nothing has made this help... Ive come to the conclusion that the pump is failing.

Do any of you know what kind of pumps i can replace this pump with? I know it uses the rock sp1000, but is there maybe a bigger, maybe better pump that will still fit and work well with my skimmer? Im digging deep to not have to replace this thing! lol

 

[Mike J.]

Bubble Magus Skimmer Replacement Pump Atman Ph1100
Actually I would order from Seaside Aquatics - same as Bubble Magus. https://seasideaquatics.com/parts/bubble-magus-m-1.html

 

[TheNowMovement]

would any of the bigger model Rock sp's work on this skimmer as well? It seems like it would be common to put the dimensions of everything on the pump to see if it fits your body... I see some sites sell pumps as upgrade packages, but dont even know if it really fits what it says it does... annoying!

I only ask because i didnt like the pump that my skimmer came with to begin with, and since i have to either replace the pump or buy a new skimmer... buying a new pump sounds like the cheaper route, i was gonna get a reef octopus when the funds would allow it... Or I was gonna get a better pump from bubble magus that would still fit my skimmer body. Any thoughts on this are greatly appreciated.

 

[DSpate]

I have a bubble magnus NAC6 on a 90G heavily stocked tank, and it doesn't pull out that much either. The system is a 90G growout system for clownfish. It's fed heavily around 5 times a day. Theres over 500-600 fish in there.

Although sometimes the skimmate smells, it normally doesn't, and has a tinge of grey/yellow/brown color to it. The neck of the skimmer is constantly brown and gummed up with crud. Maybe the answer to this would be a skimmer neck cleaner..

I've had this skimmer for 2 years or more, and it's consistently been the same exact way.

I've come to the conclusion that bubble magnus is not a great skimmer. I have an SWC cone skimmer in my broodstock tank, around 50G system, and it has a really dark skimmate that smells pretty bad. That tank is fed once every other day.. constant water changes on both systems...