Skimmer settings

I recently purcahsed a Marineland Advanced In-Sump Protein Skimmer 100 Gal. This is my first skimmer and I am not sure what my settings should be at. The instructions included are of little help when it comes to settings. It says that only dry bubbles should fall into the cup and not wet ones. When I set it so bubbles are just starting to fall into the cup they instantly turn to water once the settle in the cup and it quickly fills with water and then dribbles out the top. This can not be right, can it? It just seems to defeat the purpose if the proteins are taken to the cup, only to be added back to the water and then flow out the top back into my sump.

 

If what you said is happening then your setting is too high--lower your bubbles to just below the bottom of the cone and wait a few days. you probably wont see much production until your skimmer breaks in--after a few (3) days then adjust your level accordingly. You will get the hang of it--it takes a little practice.

 

So just so I am clear....if is set to have the bubbles at the lower portion of the cone, how do the bubbles make it into the cup? Will it produce larger amounts of bubbles when the proteins are present and rise to the cup?

 

The exit for the cup should be running into a waste collector not back into the sump or system. You can buy waste collectors or some people make their own. Use a jug for now but be very careful cuz it could flood. Mine comes from precision marine and it has a floating ball that will automatically cut off the water flow if it gets full.

As far as the skimate... like said above mine took over a week to get broken in. If you have a new tank with very few fish there simply may not be anything to skim yet. It take s a little time for poop to build up to a level where it can be skimmed regularly. You'll have to play around with the right setting to get the dry foam.

 

exactly---clean clear water the bubbles just pop--imagine adding soap (protien) then it will foam---ever seen the foam on the beach?? Natures protien skimmer!!!!

 

That's correct just wait .. (days if necessary) the bubbles will eventually get big enough to make it up there. But still play around with the right bubble level.

 

yep like rob said your water level is too high in your skimmer. lower the level to where you can see it reaching but not passing the top of the main container. It will take a couple days for dry foam to start being produced but the waste in your collection cup is completely black.

 

Hmm.. I was looking at the pic of that skimmer. Does it not have a drain in the cup?

 

Thanks for all the info. I think I understand how it works now and will adjust the settings when I get home. Last questions though. Is it odd for it to not produce the bubbles right away. The reason I ask is because I have had my tank set up for like 4 months now. I have 3 clowns and a tang, hermit crabs, a starfish, and about 30 lbs of LR. It just seems that over 4 months proteins would have built up from all the livestock and the "black bubbles" should have appeared within the last 3 days that the skimmer has been running.

 

Skimmer still has to break in