first time using skimmer

Just send it to a collection container.

In my opinion, it's silly to make protein skimmers
with collection cups. I think they all should just
be made to feed into a separate collection
container. via hose.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


KurtG wrote on 6/6/2007 10:04 AM:
George Patterson wrote:
If the water is filthy and the skimmer is one of the high-efficiency
models, you'll see this sort of thing. That's not normal.

Mine always looks like that, although it moves like a glacier. For some
reason, my foam refuses to condense, so after it forms, it will give the
illusion of a slow motion boiling over mass of foam.

Without an anti-foaming agent, the will occupy every space available and
then foam out of every orifice that it can find. I haven't heard of
this happening to anybody else.

--Kurt

It depends some on the model of the skimmer, It will
take some getting used to, and it will depend on how
wet you want the skimmate. Also every time you put
your hand in the water, the oils from your body will
pop the foam, and cause it to not function properly
for a while. Also it takes a few days for the new
plastic of the skimmer to break in.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


ITGuy wrote on 6/5/2007 12:17 AM:
Well here is what is happening. The videos I see of skimmers show a frothy
foam boiling over into the collection cup.

Right now all I have is bubbly water, no foam or froth. When I adjust the
air inlet valve, where should the top of the bubbling water be? down in the
tube, or up top about ready to boil over?

The instructions weren't too clear and I have no idea what I should be
seeing in the very first day of operation.


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:CL39i.7933$V01.78@trnddc02...
ITGuy wrote:

Anyway, it seems to operate...the column is filled with bubbles. But no
gunk is coming out and the return water puts lots of micro bubbles in my
tank.

I even stirred up the tank so that some of the crap rose up into the tank
hoping it would suck alot of it out.
Skimmers don't work that way; at least, you hope they don't pull out crap
you have to stir up.

Skimmers remove suspended proteins from the water. These are usually
invisible, but some can be seen as sort of an oily film on the surface. If
you don't have decay products, such as dead fish, uneaten food, or fish
urine and feces, there isn't anything for the skimmer to remove.

George Patterson
If you torture the data long enough, eventually it will confess
to anything.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

After I do a complete clean on my skimmer, it usually takes a day or two
to get any output. It will generate a nice white foam, but no output.

Just be patient. It's definitely a slow process, but you'll be amazed
what it does generate in a day or two.




ITGuy wrote:
I bought a new skimmer and this is my first time ever using one.

It is a hang on the tank type and is rated for 180 gallons, but I have it on
an already established 30 gallon tank. Reason I got it so big is I plan on
setting up a 55 gallon in the near future.

Anyway, it seems to operate...the column is filled with bubbles. But no
gunk is coming out and the return water puts lots of micro bubbles in my
tank.

Am I doing anything wrong, or have I just not had it set up long enough.
This is the first day its in operation.

I even stirred up the tank so that some of the crap rose up into the tank
hoping it would suck alot of it out.

Well here is something I noticed this morning. Quite a few bristleworms,
can't tell if they are dead or not, floating at the top towards the back of
the tank. I heard that a skimmer removes the proteins that some of the
clean up crew need. If this is the case, could I be killing my clean up
crew with the skimmer?


"ITGuy" wrote in message
...
I bought a new skimmer and this is my first time ever using one.

It is a hang on the tank type and is rated for 180 gallons, but I have it
on an already established 30 gallon tank. Reason I got it so big is I
plan on setting up a 55 gallon in the near future.

Anyway, it seems to operate...the column is filled with bubbles. But no
gunk is coming out and the return water puts lots of micro bubbles in my
tank.

Am I doing anything wrong, or have I just not had it set up long enough.
This is the first day its in operation.

I even stirred up the tank so that some of the crap rose up into the tank
hoping it would suck alot of it out.

ITGuy wrote:
If this is the case, could I be killing my clean up
crew with the skimmer?

I doubt it. A skimmer is a fairly passive device and it would take much
longer to starve worms.

It's more likely from stirring things up.

--Kurt

Look to see if you are getting so many bubbles in
the tank, that the bubbles are sticking to the
worms, and floating them up.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


ITGuy wrote on 6/5/2007 8:39 AM:
Well here is something I noticed this morning. Quite a few bristleworms,
can't tell if they are dead or not, floating at the top towards the back of
the tank. I heard that a skimmer removes the proteins that some of the
clean up crew need. If this is the case, could I be killing my clean up
crew with the skimmer?


"ITGuy" wrote in message
...
I bought a new skimmer and this is my first time ever using one.

It is a hang on the tank type and is rated for 180 gallons, but I have it
on an already established 30 gallon tank. Reason I got it so big is I
plan on setting up a 55 gallon in the near future.

Anyway, it seems to operate...the column is filled with bubbles. But no
gunk is coming out and the return water puts lots of micro bubbles in my
tank.

Am I doing anything wrong, or have I just not had it set up long enough.
This is the first day its in operation.

I even stirred up the tank so that some of the crap rose up into the tank
hoping it would suck alot of it out.

"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
...
Look to see if you are getting so many bubbles in the tank, that the
bubbles are sticking to the worms, and floating them up.

Ya...thats is what is happening. They are alive. The skimmer even sucked a
few of them up.

Someone said the bubbles will go away when the skimmer starts producing.

And right now the skimmer water is bubbling several inches below the top of
the collection cup tube. I didn't think I wanted bubbling water overflowing
into the cup. Am I correct in thinking that if I leave it at this level
that it will start to foam later and then start going into the cup?

Also, I see all these videos or pics of foam/froth boiling over into the cup
and makes me think this cup will fill up with water and gunk within a few
hours.....I'd hate to think I'd have to come home every few hours from work
just to keep the cup from overflowing.

Yep, I'd advise that you reduce the air input.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


ONJ wrote on 6/5/2007 10:50 AM:
"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
...
Look to see if you are getting so many bubbles in the tank, that the
bubbles are sticking to the worms, and floating them up.

Ya...thats is what is happening. They are alive. The skimmer even sucked a
few of them up.

Someone said the bubbles will go away when the skimmer starts producing.

And right now the skimmer water is bubbling several inches below the top of
the collection cup tube. I didn't think I wanted bubbling water overflowing
into the cup. Am I correct in thinking that if I leave it at this level
that it will start to foam later and then start going into the cup?

Also, I see all these videos or pics of foam/froth boiling over into the cup
and makes me think this cup will fill up with water and gunk within a few
hours.....I'd hate to think I'd have to come home every few hours from work
just to keep the cup from overflowing.

"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
nk.net...
Yep, I'd advise that you reduce the air input.

Ok, so if I understand you correctly. Even though it is just bubbling water
at this point and no foam, should I reduce the air input and should the
bubbling water be spilling into the cup? Keep in mind at this point thats
all it is, bubbling water, no foam yet.

My fear is if I do it will fill up during the day when I'm at work and
overflow.



Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


ONJ wrote on 6/5/2007 10:50 AM:
"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
...
Look to see if you are getting so many bubbles in the tank, that the
bubbles are sticking to the worms, and floating them up.

Ya...thats is what is happening. They are alive. The skimmer even
sucked a few of them up.

Someone said the bubbles will go away when the skimmer starts producing.

And right now the skimmer water is bubbling several inches below the top
of the collection cup tube. I didn't think I wanted bubbling water
overflowing into the cup. Am I correct in thinking that if I leave it at
this level that it will start to foam later and then start going into the
cup?

Also, I see all these videos or pics of foam/froth boiling over into the
cup and makes me think this cup will fill up with water and gunk within a
few hours.....I'd hate to think I'd have to come home every few hours
from work just to keep the cup from overflowing.

ITGuy wrote:
Well here is something I noticed this morning. Quite a few bristleworms,
can't tell if they are dead or not, floating at the top towards the back of
the tank. I heard that a skimmer removes the proteins that some of the
clean up crew need. If this is the case, could I be killing my clean up
crew with the skimmer?

Bristle worms eat things much more substantial than the crud a skimmer removes.
Something else is killing your worms.

George Patterson
If you torture the data long enough, eventually it will confess
to anything.