Water level in skimmer cup

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

I recently set up my coral life super skimmer 65g and it would not produce any skimmate unless the water level in the collection cup chamber is above where it is supposed to be. The instructions say for the water level to be at the base of the cup but it won't produce any bubbles when it's there. The water level is about 1/3 up of the cup's chamber, I included a photo for reference. Is running the skimmer like this bad or is it okay, this is my first time setting a skimmer up, and I'm a little unsure. LMK thanks!

Mydoghasfleas · Mar 16, 2021

How new is the tank, and how heavy is the bio load?

fishguy242 · Mar 16, 2021

can you post pic of entire body?,no do not want to run that high..

Jekyl · Mar 16, 2021

I have mine so the fine bubbles are right at the base of the cup

KrisReef · Mar 16, 2021

What you are doing with the elevated water level is called "wet skimming." A new skimmer may take a week or two before it starts pulling scum dry, especially if the tank is new and the water hasn't had many fish movements yet. Put the water level where the instructions say and wait. It will start skimming with time.

fishguy242 · Mar 16, 2021

hi again,think we talked before about poss prob in pump??? pic of whole body running would help a lot..

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

Mydoghasfleas said:
How new is the tank, and how heavy is the bio load?

The tank is a 60g and has a light bioload for now and is about 9 months old.

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

fishguy242 said:
hi again,think we talked before about poss prob in pump??? pic of whole body running would help a lot..

Indeed we did, ill add a photo in the morning when I get the chance.

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

fishguy242 said:
hi again,think we talked before about poss prob in pump??? pic of whole body running would help a lot..

Do those photos help?

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

KrisReef said:
What you are doing with the elevated water level is called "wet skimming." A new skimmer may take a week or two before it starts pulling scum dry, especially if the tank is new and the water hasn't had many fish movements yet. Put the water level where the instructions say and wait. It will start skimming with time.

The issue is that no air bubbles get produced when the water level is where it is supposed to be at. When it's at the directed level the water in the whole skimmer is still and no air bubbles are produced.

fishguy242 · Mar 16, 2021

hi ,is this new? the only thing i can poss see is tube inside skimmer appears to be shorter than normal??

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

fishguy242 said:
hi ,is this new? the only thing i can poss see is tube inside skimmer appears to be shorter than normal??

Yes, this is a brand new one. I just checked again and when the valve is not almost all the way open 0 air bubbles are produced. Very strange

KrisReef · Mar 16, 2021

I looked around the net and this skimmer has done similar things to other users. It takes time to figure this unit out, but some folks report that they will work. Common suggestions were to raise the unit, or lower the outflow cup so the head pressure inside the skimmer would be lowered so the pump would draw in air at a lower pump output with the water level inside at the prescribed location.

crocodile receptionist · Mar 16, 2021

KrisReef said:
I looked around the net and this skimmer has done similar things to other users. It takes time to figure this unit out, but some folks report that they will work. Common suggestions were to raise the unit, or lower the outflow cup so the head pressure inside the skimmer would be lowered so the pump would draw in air at a lower pump output with the water level inside at the prescribed location.

Thank you for that, I have also read other users have experienced similar issues. I tried to raise the unit but I was I not able to find a stable solution becasue I was worried it would fall and then overflow. How would I go about lowering the outflow cup? And is it okay to run the skimmer with this water level or will I experience more issues with it further down the road. Thank you so much for the help-- Im new to reefing and this is my first skimmer.

fishguy242 · Mar 17, 2021

hi,is it possible to return ? go with octopus hob series ,will never worry again..

my exp w coralifes ,lots,some are flawless,some cannot be trusted to hold level,possible overflow..

KrisReef · Mar 17, 2021

Without being there to handle the adjustments and see it working on your tank I can only guess about risk from overflow & performance in your situation. I have tried many skimmers over many years before I landed on a Reef Octopus (3000 External) and it's old and the acrylic is crazing but last year I replaced the bubble blaster pump instead of buying a new unit. Their equipment is that reliable. @fishguy242 isn't wrong about upgrading if you can.

I had a similar hang on skimmer set-up a long time ago and it really could not compete with RO for function and reliability. The one you have isn't useless, but the way it is operating currently, as you described, would make me concerned that it might overflow. I don't like to bash mfgr's but there are more reliable options if you can't get yours running to specs. Sometimes things just don't work for an application. hth.