Protein Skimmer

[Banana Man]

So i just got my first protein skimmer. It's small and cheap but it's just to tide me over for a while with my small 20 Gallon tank before i get the new big tank. It came with some really poor setup instruction diagrams but that was it.

I have it tuned so that bubbles are coming about 1/6 the way up the inner cone but i dont understand how this gets dirt out of the tank if the bubbles never go above the opening at the top of the cone? Yellowish water seems to be collecting in the cup surrounding the cone. After 3 hours the outer cup is about 1/3 full with yellowish water. How does it get into the cup? Is it just from condensation maybe?

Also, should water even be collecting in the outer cup? By the looks of it i dont think it's going to stop filling up with water and if this happens i would need to be emptying the cup ever 8 hours!

 

[Amba]

It will foam up eventually after your skimmer breaks in and slimes up. Forget you have a skimmer for about a week (just check that the cup won't overflow). It will be useless until it breaks in.

 

[Cheeser]

what kind of skimmer is it?

 

[Banana Man]

Thanks!

It's a 5w Nano Skim by Blau Aquaristic.

 

[tzsetzse]

Once your skimmer is "broken-in", you should tune it so that a drier foam is produced at the top of the collection neck. By breaking in, I refer to adjusting the water flow so that the tea colored water is replaced by a chocolate brown/dark green effluent.
Every skimmer is different. By different I mean that they perform according to the system to which they are attached. Bioload is the primary determiner here.
Experiment! That's one of the joys to this hobby. LEARNING.

 

[Banana Man]

How far up the collection neck should the foam go when it's broken in? Should it be set to just reach the opening at the top?

 

[Ted]

each skimmer is going to be a little different. Also depends on if you want a wet skim or a dry skim. Once it is broken in you well need to tune it in to your tastes. Very small adjustments and then wait a day. Then adjust again...its a endless cycle...but hey it gives you something to do with the tank so its all good...:Cheers: