9010 8 week break in?

[lapizzaro]

Hi Roger I thought I could find the answer in the manual and on RC but I guess I failed and need your help. I have a brand new 9010 and I have been trying to configure it for my system but its not working and I'm pretty frustrated.

I hardly get any skimmate - after 8 weeks - and the water normaly does not rise through the oulet pipe or the hole at the back of the skimmer.

The pump is working and occasionally (very rarely) I get something in the cup but not much. Putting it midly in eight weeks in a heavily stocked sysytem all the skimmate I have captured could not fill half the cup. I know I have DOC because I know have an outbreak of cyano and hair alage plus my nitrates are rising.

The bottom piece is on tight. Do you have any ideas? Thanks

 

[smatter]

Do you use a lot of food additives like Selcon or other HUFA additive? Phyto and zooplankton, especially dried varieties really seem to collapse the foam in mine for a long time. Oils from my skin stop foaming too. I went to my local Farm & Fleet store and bought some shoulder-length plastic exam gloves for when I put my hands in the tank.

 

[rvitko]

It shouldn't take that long, the basic problem though seems to be that the water column is not high enough, water must exit the pipe and the hole in the back. Do you have any photos of how it is installed?

 

[lapizzaro]

Roger - once again thanks for your prompt reply- I don't have pictures but I can get some. I moved the skimmer to my frag tank which has nothing in it and it seems to be working better -water is exiting from the back and I am getting much more skimmate. I think it has something to do with the surface the skimmer was sitting on. In the sump I had it sitting on an eggcrate to raise the height.

Smatter - I noticed some actions - not sure what since I am always fiddling in my tank- do causethe foam action to lower