9010 not skimming after 3 days?

[goldfishbowl]

Hi,

I have a Tunze 9010 DOC in a Tunze compact 16 sump. I believe I have set up the skimmer properly. The bubbles create a foam with the cup off, but this doesn't raise above the level of the top of the skimmer or climb up the cup?

It's been on for three days and I have tried adjusting the air intake and this only creates more flow and bubbles, but none of which raise up into the cup. I have to look down the top of the cup to see if any foam is being produced.

This is in an established tank that previously had an MCE 600 which produces loads of skim, but the 9010 isn't producing anything and my tank is starting to suffer a little.

When I feed the fish I will get very wet skim foaming, but that's about it for an hour and the skimmer will stop producing any foam and no more will rise into the cup.

Any ideas, anything I can do to make the skim start? Am getting concerned that it's taking so long!

Cheers

Stu

 

[rvitko]

How high is the water around the skimmer? Are you sure the drain hose is entering in the right area? The hose from the overflow to the sump should be in the smalll compartment right next to the skimmer.

 

[goldfishbowl]

Yeah the drain from the main tank to the sump is in the small compartment in the sump. The level of water is just below the tide mark on the skimmer. The water overflows nicely into the second part of the sump to be returned to the tank.

There is foam, but it's not rising into the cup. If I take the cup off I can see it there bubbling and foaming away, but for some reason nothing rises into the skimmer cup. Normally on my old skimmer, I would get skim every day. The Tunze one is pulling off anything, until I feed the fish every other day and it pulls of some very watery pale skim for about an hour.

Any ideas?

Stu

 

[rvitko]

Just give it a few more days, generally from my experience at 3 days is about when it starts skimming so it should start to work soon. Also, be sure you didn't open the air too much, too much is just as bad as too little as the high turbulence can break the foam.

 

[crumbletop]

If it hasn't started yet, I wonder if there is a possiblity that pods or something got into the system and clogged the venturi? I'm not sure if that would effect things or not.