9002...3 days breakin and not skimming

[cpieczonka]

hi guys... i bought a bc 29 about one month ago and installed the tunze 9002 3 days ago...i have it filled to just at or under the wavy line

i see bubbles in the chamber if i remove the collection cup, but no skimmate has been produced...

at this point all i have in the biocube is live rock and some cuc as i think i am finally coming to the end of the cycling period

i have tried to adjust the blue nozzle all the way one way then all the way the other way and the amount of bubbles in the chamber appears to be the same

my questions then:

is it possible that i dont really have that much bioload and that is why the skimmer is not producing?

could it be instead that the breakin period is not done?

or more than likely i have done something wrong...i just have the collection cup sitting in the chamber is there some sort of vacuum that there should be making it seal better

any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks in advance


chris,
biocube noob

 

[jlikes]

It took between 5-7 days before I finally started skimming. I had air adjustment fully open but nothing for days then all at once it started over filling cup. Then I had to start closing air adjustment 1/4 turn at a time. It took probably a 1/2 dozen times to finally get it adjusted and stop over filling collection cup. This skimmer break in period was longer then any skimmer I have had.

 

[pdkinsel]

Give it a bit more time and adjust accordingly. It will produce very good results once broken in. I am getting great skimmate on my 26.

 

[cpieczonka]

thanks both for the response i will give it a total of 7 days before i start to panic

 

[cpieczonka]

based on what you both say why is the breakin period so long?
i am now at day 5 and still no skimmate...

oh well...will wait for 2 more days

 

[smatter]

Wait as long as it takes because it will skim if you have DOCs. There are oils that need to break down from the manufacturing process, don't panic. If you are putting your hands in the tank a lot that will slow the break-in as well. Some supplements, filter medias, and food additives can affect it too.

 

[cpieczonka]

well at this point the skimmer produced bubbles as when i pull the collection cup off it looks like a bubbling 7up can....i still see no skimmate collected

i have no fish...but i still dont know if the skimmer is functioning or not

my presumption is that becuase i only have cuc that there is no real bioload to remove...thanks in advance

 

[wolrey]

Before you put it in the tank, did you take the skimmer apart. Sometimes in shipping, part of the ventri can come loose and then would need to be pushed back in. If you couldn't flood the cup by opening the air valve all the way, the air hose might be pinched or clear elbow at the end of the hose might not be pushed all the way into the ventri.

You could also try opening the air valve (turn left) 1/4 turn. Then wait a day and see what happens. Its important when making air valve changes to allow the skimmer plenty of time to adjust.



Jeff

 

[cpieczonka]

thanks for the reply...as it hasnt worked in a week i did take it all apart and am now sure that everything is attached right with no kinks

what do u mean by flooding the unit...i essentially see no liquid coming into the collection cup

 

[smatter]

Do you maintain a constant water level? The 9002 works best if it does not fluctuate. I would recommend opening the screw until the bubbles rise in the reactor until just past the bottom of the cup and leave it alone. If you open the air all the way the cup should flood with water.

 

[cpieczonka]

yes everyday i top it off so that the water level is at the designated line

interesting though that i have opened the valve all the way and i cannot get the unit to flood with water

 

[sprite]

im in the same boat as you with mine...what gets me is its been like that since i plugged it in and last night i come home from work and i have foam, look at it 10 minutes later and its down below the collection cup again