New Skimmer help

You need Salt Water to create bubble in a skimmer. Fresh water does not bubble at all!

J

 

Yup,,
it may burp and thats it if your using Fresh Unsalted....

Grab a Five gallon bucket Mix 1lb of salt in it and let it skimm for a few hours..

This sometime works to get the buggs out instead of playing with it in your tank or BTub. Even a big Tuppa ware bowl or even a Ice Cooler can double as atank to get it dialed in. .. Then you just install in your tank set and forget....Well check it in a a hour and readjust if needed.

 

Ok, I have set up my 55 gallon (WOO HOO!!!) I got about 20 lbs of live rock to start with (Getting more on pay day...) And I have filled the tank with fresh RO/DI water and mixed in some salt salinity is just about perfect now.
I took the pump apart and cleaned it (Found several baby star fish in there....RIP )I put my skimmer in and plugged in the pump but it's still NOT working!!!!

 

What is it doing now?

 

Its bubbling in the main chamber but it still isn't reaching up to the collection cup. Its about 1 1/2 -2" under it.
I did check the air intake and it had been clogged but I cleaned it out and I have cleaned each piece of the impeller as well.

 

That sounds perfect. OK just spent 20 minutes trying to find some info on Excalibur skimmers and still found very little. I think Amcarrig had one at on time.

J

 

So its not supposed to go up to the collection cup? How does the gunk get in there then?

 

It should go up the neck but not into the cup.
here is a pic of my skimmer you can see the bubbles are going up the neck but not quite into the cup



Give is a couple of Days to knock the dust out

 

Camera isn't doing so great, so I just drew on an old picture with paint so forgive the crudeness. :

 

Message from Tangster regarding your problem:

You're using the wrong pump. The Rio 800s has a paddle wheel impeller to mix in the air. A 600 will never work.

http://www.fishsupply.com/spwti-00801.html