Skimmer Operation?

[phastroh]

I own the dreaded Coralife Skimmer and it is the 125 model.

No I have not had any of the issues I have read about so far. The only time it has overflowed is when I add water to the chamber where the water pump it uses is in.

Not sure why this happens but it does and I am always there to turn it down or off as I add the water. I just re-adjust it real quick and it stays steady.

In the instructions it describes dry and wet skimming which most of you probably know is just having the microbubbles either high or low in the chamber. Well that is what the book says.

I can't turn the Skimmer all the way open or it will overflow. If I had a strainer hooked up to return the overflow back to the tank I could but there is no way to turn it all the way open without a flood. It is not that I want to but just wondered why it can be that open if it just makes water go everywhere.

Now here is my point.

I like to keep the microbubbles about 1 inch high up from the bottom of the cup. At this setting it just barely ever deposits crud into the cup.I figured it was because I have no fish yet and only rocks and critters.

But I did notices as the water evaporates the microbubbles get lower and lower. Not an issue because I can easily adjust it and it stays where I want no problem.

I have had at most 1/2 inch of waste after 10 days.

Once I have a few fish will this new crud just make the skimmer push it up and over more steadily and not just a little every 2 hours if that.

I will say that I don't have any other skimmer to compare but this one has so far worked fine.

 

[phastroh]

I was just reading about the Nitrites and Nitrated so I wonder if mine is higher because of the way I am using the skimmer.

If you read above you will see what I mean.

 

[Bifferwine]

You mean because it overflows back into your tank periodically?

 

[phastroh]

No it overflows into the collection cup if I ad water to the last chamber of my sump where the waterpump going to the skimmer is.

It is hanging on the 3rd chamber of the skimmer with the pump in the 3rd chamber and the return piped over to the sponge between the 3rd chamber and the refugium.

 

[phastroh]

Yeah as bad as people complain I set it and it stays. It is not touchy to me.

I mean yeah you turn the intake and it adjust right away and stays. If anything it lowers a hair.

I just don't know how much bubbly I should have dropping into the cup. I barely get any and I have the microbubbles about one inch into the cup. I want to raise ti because it seems I get a lot of dry crud in the inside of the cup before it bubbles over.