Bubble King Setup, Tuning and trouble shooting thread. Post your questions here!

Scott,

If I remember correctly, you recommended the outlet not be below water. You said this is what RE recommends and could possibly airlock my skimmer on restart which was why the skimmer overflowed a bit upon restart.

Either way, I have tried multiple times to have the outlet below the water and it literally kills the water level inside the skimmer body to the point that closing the wedge pipe does nothing to raise the water level adequately, I'd also have to run the pump at almost full power to get the water level back up inside the skimmer body. I've also tried adjusting the baffles in the dreambox to raise the water level after putting the outlet below the water. In the end, the skimmer doesn't function well when the outlet is below the water , this is the case for me, not saying it will be for everyone. This skimmer functions much better with the outlet above the water. It's noisier but man does it pull some nasty fish poo out of the water in record time. I drained my cup last night before bed and this afternoon, it's already a 1/4 full again.
 
mike810 said:
Scott,

If I remember correctly, you recommended the outlet not be below water. You said this is what RE recommends and could possibly airlock my skimmer on restart which was why the skimmer overflowed a bit upon restart.

Either way, I have tried multiple times to have the outlet below the water and it literally kills the water level inside the skimmer body to the point that closing the wedge pipe does nothing to raise the water level adequately, I'd also have to run the pump at almost full power to get the water level back up inside the skimmer body. I've also tried adjusting the baffles in the dreambox to raise the water level after putting the outlet below the water. In the end, the skimmer doesn't function well when the outlet is below the water , this is the case for me, not saying it will be for everyone. This skimmer functions much better with the outlet above the water. It's noisier but man does it pull some nasty fish poo out of the water in record time. I drained my cup last night before bed and this afternoon, it's already a 1/4 full again.
Click to expand...

Have you tried setting the outlet pipe at an angle so the water exits the pipe at just below the water level but a bit of the opening is still able to get some air? That is normally the recommended setup for this skimmer. I wish I had a Deluxe myself to play with here but I don't so I am kind of grasping at straws so to speak. You would want the effluent side of the pipe facing downstream but given you have a Dreambox with the lids cut, I can imagine that might be difficult. How deep is the level inside the sump? How far closed on the wedge pipe have you gone? I am guessing that if you close the wedge pipe enough, the level inside the skimmer will be fine but it could overflow on startup because the water can't get out fast enough until a siphon occurs which is a sign that the wedge is closed too much. Normally I would recommend a sump depth of around 9.5" or so.. I am thinking that if the wedge we were left almost wide open and you raise the telescope pipe enough to get the level where you want it, that leaves you with the exit pipe out of the water?
 
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Hey Scott,

I do have the pipe just below the water level a tad but just above the water level a bit to vent the air. Its at an angle facing down stream of the skimmer pump. I believe it's sitting in 9.5-10" of water, I can't remember. I'm not complaining, it's a beast of a skimmer and I've never had the cup fill with nasty black skimmate on the daily like I do with the deluxe. I'm glad you talked me into the deluxe, it's probably the best skimmer I've ever owned.
 
mike810 said:
Hey Scott,

I do have the pipe just below the water level a tad but just above the water level a bit to vent the air. Its at an angle facing down stream of the skimmer pump. I believe it's sitting in 9.5-10" of water, I can't remember. I'm not complaining, it's a beast of a skimmer and I've never had the cup fill with nasty black skimmate on the daily like I do with the deluxe. I'm glad you talked me into the deluxe, it's probably the best skimmer I've ever owned.
Click to expand...

It's the one skimmer I would trade my Supermarin for. I love the Deluxe.
 
slief said:
It's the one skimmer I would trade my Supermarin for. I love the Deluxe.
Click to expand...

This skimmer kicks butt! I drain it last night before going to bed. This is how much skimmate it's pulled since being drained. I'm having to drain it daily.

IMG_3354.jpg
 
slief said:
Holy cow... What speed are you running the pump at?
Click to expand...

It's running at 48 watts and has consistent foam production all day. It took awhile to dial in this skimmer but rasing the telescopic tube is what did it for me In Regards to the water level In the skimmer body. Then It was just a matter of playing with the pump speed. Wedge pipe wide open.
 
My skimmer just recently started foaming out of the holes in the lid and ever used to do this. Any idea what would be causing this?


IMG_2018.jpg
 
I know my cup is pretty high right now but it will do this from an empty cup all the way to full. It's making a mess all over the sump and even flooring in front of tank.


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I got a new Double Cone 180 about 5 weeks ago. I see in some of the set-up recommendations you specify 18-20 watts. My controller stops at 20 watts. I would like to verify the settings you would recommend for a heavily stocked 120 gallon aquarium. Sump depth, motor power and wedge valve. Thanks for all your help Scott.
 
GQuinn said:
I got a new Double Cone 180 about 5 weeks ago. I see in some of the set-up recommendations you specify 18-20 watts. My controller stops at 20 watts. I would like to verify the settings you would recommend for a heavily stocked 120 gallon aquarium. Sump depth, motor power and wedge valve. Thanks for all your help Scott.
Click to expand...

You must have the latest generation controller. I'd start at 20 watts and go from there and adjust the speed if needed until you get the foam the thickest possible for your load and system. You will want to play with those settings a bit to find what works best for you. Sump depth I'd start at would be between 8 - 8.5" and adjust the level where bubbles turn to foam in the body up to about an inch below the collar where the neck attaches to the body by closing the wedge pipe a bit. If you have a lot of dissolved organics, then adjust the level inside the body a little lower. Keep in mind that there is no one setting that works for every system. Everybody's load is different in terms of the amount of dissolved organics, the surface tension varies from one tank to the next and salinity can also make a difference from one tank to the next. Thus, these are guidelines to get you in the ballpark.
 
ClownsRCoo said:
My skimmer just recently started foaming out of the holes in the lid and ever used to do this. Any idea what would be causing this?


View attachment 379428
Click to expand...

Most would dream of having foam like that.. Now you know why they are called Bubble Kings :lmao:

I wonder if there is some sort of a spawn or bloom going on in your tank. I would pull the pump nozzle off and inspect for salt creep in the venturi port. If salt is building up in there, it restricts the airflow which could cause in change in the air bubbles and will also raise the level inside the skimmer. This could be a precursor to an overflow if that's the case. If so, clean the salt creep out of the port. If it's not that then it's likely something in your water. If you are dosing something new, that can cause it and I am sure it's safe to assume you haven't done a cyano treatment. You could always clean the lid and add a bit of vegetable oil via a paper towel to the underside of the lid and lid ring. That should cause the foam to breakdown on contact.
 
I didn't know about that vegetable oil trick. I have a bad outbreak of cyano but haven't used anything to treat it so no additives that are known to cause the skimmer to go nuts. Was just curious because it's just started doing it out of the blue and I haven't figured out why yet.


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Been looking at the BK's for my new SPS setup. Any recommendations? My tank is 80g + 40g sump, med-heavy bioload. Double Cone 150 or 180 I'm considering...
 
James404 said:
Been looking at the BK's for my new SPS setup. Any recommendations? My tank is 80g + 40g sump, med-heavy bioload. Double Cone 150 or 180 I'm considering...
Click to expand...

Double Cone 150 or Mini 160 would work great. You could also go Mini 180 or Double Cone 180. The Mini's as well as the double cone 180 would be easier to tune than the Double Cone 150. The 180 sized skimmer would need to be run wet to keep them consistent but if you truly have a medium to heavy fish load and feed a decent amount, the Double Cone 180 should work pretty well for you.
 
Thanks the tank isn't set up yet but I like to keep many fish including anthias and feed heavy in my previous tanks. I'm leaning towards the 180 I just don't want to over size and be inconsistent.

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Ended up buying the double cone 150, super excited to have my first BK!

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