Adjusting a skimmer

[ocd_mariner]

I don't think Im getting the most out of my asm g3 skimmer, basically because Im not sure its adjusted right

I've got the gate valve and recirc mod, but over the course of 1 week, it filled the collection cup maybe 1/3 full of darkish water.

If you take a look at this thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=898737), you can see about halfway down, ct_vol has super dark gunk piled up in his collection cup. Mine looked nothing like this.

Any tips on getting the skimmer in the sweet spot?

 

[gflat65]

It's more getting it adjusted for the water level it is going to run at and keeping the water level constant. Do you run auto top off? Where in the system is the skimmer? You want it in a different compartment than the one with the ATO switch (for consistent water level). For adjustments, mine is very touchy. I make tiny turns on the gate valve and let it run for 15-20 minutes and readjust until it is bubbling where I want it consistently. I've had issues with it surging foam and overflowing, but have added a 7 gallon reservoir for collection (ASM G5).

 

[ocd_mariner]

The water level stays constant where the skimmer is. Its in the first compartment of the sump before the bubble traps.

Am I wanting the bubble to be at the very top of the collection cup, just before overflowing, at the neck of the skimmer, just before the collection cup, or ...where?

Thanks for the input so far.

 

[gflat65]

That depends on how wet you want to run. I run mine pretty dry. I'd shoot for the bubbles to be at least half way up the neck, though. I am going to start running mine a little wetter soon (got some Rubbermaid tub renovations to do...). Watch it, though because it can start going nuts for no apparent reason until it is broken in (and even a little after adjusting). How long has the skimmer been running in the tank? If not very long, you may have to baby it a little until it is broken in for your water.

 

[ocd_mariner]

Skimmer has been running about 3 weeks. I adjusted the bubbles to just over the top of the neck/bottom of the collection cup.

Once this is broken in, how much skimmate can I expect to get, just a benchmark really.

 

[DMBillies]

I may be reading your post wrong (or not have enough knowledge of your set-up, but if your skimmer input is just before the bubble traps is it possible that your skimmer is sucking in too many air bubbles from the return? Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like if your skimmer is getting too much air it could cause a lot of variability in what the pump feeds into the skimmer and cause the level of the water in the skimmer to fluctuate after being adjusted. Just a guess...

 

[ocd_mariner]

After reading a bit in the asm skimmer thread, Im going to try reducing the amount of water the skimmer is sitting in to see if that helps.

If not, Ill be back