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

[hedehodo]

I have 80g net water volume 6 months old tank with heavy livestock. My nitrates is around 5ppm. I m also using prodibio biodigest and bioptim every other week. My skimmer is oversized Mini 180 v12 without RD3 pump(recommended for 400-700 liters).

In the beginning my skimmer is not producing thick skimmate. It's working in 25cm water depth until 2 weeks ago. I read the posts here and increase the water depth to 27cm. My skimmer is producing more quality bubbles now but not with enough skimmate. Last week it's produced maybe 1cm dark skimmate but not more. I have looked "mikeatjac" sent pictures and I say i had never get a skimmate like this. My wedge pipe is %70 closed to get the bubbles up to neck. If I adjust it to open a little bit then no skimmate. If i close it a little bit more so very wet skimmate I'm getting.

My live stock; (2 times feeding with pellets and flakes)
1xmedium Foxface rabbitfish
1xmedium Blue hippo tang
1xM-L Yellow Tang
3x firefish
1x yellow wrasse
5x chromis
1x ruby red dragonet
2x medium percula clowns
2x cleaner shrimp
6x conch snail

Return pump : 2000 lph
Using also filter socks (changing every week)
2x vortech Mp40 %30 reef crest mode
Phosban reactor /GFO/Carbon mixed
SG: 1,025

Any recommendations?

 

[slief]

I have 80g net water volume 6 months old tank with heavy livestock. My nitrates is around 5ppm. I m also using prodibio biodigest and bioptim every other week. My skimmer is oversized Mini 180 v12 without RD3 pump(recommended for 400-700 liters).

In the beginning my skimmer is not producing thick skimmate. It's working in 25cm water depth until 2 weeks ago. I read the posts here and increase the water depth to 27cm. My skimmer is producing more quality bubbles now but not with enough skimmate. Last week it's produced maybe 1cm dark skimmate but not more. I have looked "mikeatjac" sent pictures and I say i had never get a skimmate like this. My wedge pipe is %70 closed to get the bubbles up to neck. If I adjust it to open a little bit then no skimmate. If i close it a little bit more so very wet skimmate I'm getting.

My live stock; (2 times feeding with pellets and flakes)
1xmedium Foxface rabbitfish
1xmedium Blue hippo tang
1xM-L Yellow Tang
3x firefish
1x yellow wrasse
5x chromis
1x ruby red dragonet
2x medium percula clowns
2x cleaner shrimp
6x conch snail

Return pump : 2000 lph
Using also filter socks (changing every week)
2x vortech Mp40 %30 reef crest mode
Phosban reactor /GFO/Carbon mixed
SG: 1,025

Any recommendations?

Your skimmer is way oversized and will not produce consistently on your sized system. You need to base your skimmer choice on display volume and not total system volume. You 180 skimmer will produce skimmate for a couple days and then slow down for a week and repeat the process once the organics build up enough to generate a foam head.. In order for that 180 skimmer to be remotely consistent on your system, you will need to run the skimmer really wet to get any kind of consistency out of it but expect to have light "tea" colored skimmate and not dark skimmate. That said, if your wedge is 70% closed, you need to increase the sump level so you don't have to close it that much. I would raise the sump level 1/2" more and open the wedge a bit more so it's not closed as much. The I higher than normal sump depth will be needed to keep that skimmer producing consistently on your size display.

 

[hedehodo]

Your skimmer is way oversized and will not produce consistently on your sized system. You need to base your skimmer choice on display volume and not total system volume. You 180 skimmer will produce skimmate for a couple days and then slow down for a week and repeat the process once the organics build up enough to generate a foam head.. In order for that 180 skimmer to be remotely consistent on your system, you will need to run the skimmer really wet to get any kind of consistency out of it but expect to have light "tea" colored skimmate and not dark skimmate. That said, if your wedge is 70% closed, you need to increase the sump level so you don't have to close it that much. I would raise the sump level 1/2" more and open the wedge a bit more so it's not closed as much. The I higher than normal sump depth will be needed to keep that skimmer producing consistently on your size display.

Which skimmer do you recommend for this tank? Is dc180 w/rd3 is still oversized or mini 160 or dc150.

 

[biecacka]

I would guess the DC150 would be your best bet. I'm sure Slief will hop in an give expert advice but I think the 150 would work great on that tank. These skimmers don't need oversized at all! They are work horses.

Corey

 

[hedehodo]

I would guess the DC150 would be your best bet. I'm sure Slief will hop in an give expert advice but I think the 150 would work great on that tank. These skimmers don't need oversized at all! They are work horses.

Corey

Yeah that's what I am doing wrong with oversized skimmer. I found a second hand dc150 maybe I can buy it. But i will setup a new tank in a year or two which will be (~160Gal total volume inc. sump) double the size of my tank(80gal) . If I put dc150 to new tank it will be enough or I have to upgrade to dc180wRD3? I dont want to pay a fortune every year

 

[slief]

Which skimmer do you recommend for this tank? Is dc180 w/rd3 is still oversized or mini 160 or dc150.

What is your display volume? If you display volume is under 80 gallons, then the Double Cone 180 will be too large. I like the double cone 180 better due to the RD3 pump but it would be oversized and you would need to run it really wet to keep it consistent. Size wise, the Double Cone 150 would be a better choice and more consistent once you get it tuned properly. The Double Cone 150 uses an adjustable volute that you turn to get the skimmer set correctly. It takes more time to fine tune and get it performing well. It's more sensitive to water level in the sump as well.

 

[hedehodo]

What is your display volume? If you display volume is under 80 gallons, then the Double Cone 180 will be too large. I like the double cone 180 better due to the RD3 pump but it would be oversized and you would need to run it really wet to keep it consistent. Size wise, the Double Cone 150 would be a better choice and more consistent once you get it tuned properly. The Double Cone 150 uses an adjustable volute that you turn to get the skimmer set correctly. It takes more time to fine tune and get it performing well. It's more sensitive to water level in the sump as well.

My DT is 70gal brut or I can say 60gal net water volume. My sump level is very consistent but I heard so much about overflowing dc150. If I need to afraid about overflows of dc150 I can go to mini 160 route. I ask 180 w rd3 because I want to change my DT in a year or two to 120Gal net volume.

 

[slief]

My DT is 70gal brut or I can say 60gal net water volume. My sump level is very consistent but I heard so much about overflowing dc150. If I need to afraid about overflows of dc150 I can go to mini 160 route. I ask 180 w rd3 because I want to change my DT in a year or two to 120Gal net volume.

The 180 would be much better suited for the 120 but that is a year or two down the line. The 150's can be sensitive and like I said, they are more difficult to tune but once you get them set, they are pretty solid skimmers. The mini 160 is also a good skimmer that would be well suited to your size tank. It isn't as adjustable like the Double Cone 150 which has the adjustable volute. Most people that have issues with them double cone 150's overflowing haven't found the sweet spot with their volute adjustment and sump level. Once you find that sweet spot for the volute and the sump level that works for your setup, they are very stable and solid skimmers. Generally the best volute adjustment for the double cone 150 is between 3 & 4.5 full turns out on the volute from fully closed and a sump level between 6 & 7".

 

[hedehodo]

The 180 would be much better suited for the 120 but that is a year or two down the line. The 150's can be sensitive and like I said, they are more difficult to tune but once you get them set, they are pretty solid skimmers. The mini 160 is also a good skimmer that would be well suited to your size tank. It isn't as adjustable like the Double Cone 150 which has the adjustable volute. Most people that have issues with them double cone 150's overflowing haven't found the sweet spot with their volute adjustment and sump level. Once you find that sweet spot for the volute and the sump level that works for your setup, they are very stable and solid skimmers. Generally the best volute adjustment for the double cone 150 is between 3 & 4.5 full turns out on the volute from fully closed and a sump level between 6 & 7".

Thanks your fast replies slief. Today i found and buy a second hand dc150. Its like brand new Owner told me that he is running this skimmer in 8" sump depth with 3 nozzle turns. Should i start from 7" or below?

 

[slief]

Thanks your fast replies slief. Today i found and buy a second hand dc150. Its like brand new Owner told me that he is running this skimmer in 8" sump depth with 3 nozzle turns. Should i start from 7" or below?

Try it there and see how it works. Every tank is different. Thinks like salinity, amount of fish waste, feeding, dissolved oxygen all have an impact on the skimmer so you will need to fine tune and see what works best.

 

[hedehodo]

Try it there and see how it works. Every tank is different. Thinks like salinity, amount of fish waste, feeding, dissolved oxygen all have an impact on the skimmer so you will need to fine tune and see what works best.

I m running skimmer in 8" sump depth, 2.5 turned nozzle with fully open vedge pipe. Now its producing light yellow skimmate. I tried to open the nozzle to 3 turns but it's giving more wet skimmate. Overall I m very impressed the skimmer. it's very quiter than my old mini180.

Do you reccomend me to raise skimmer a little bit to 7.5" (19cm) or 7"?

 

[slief]

I m running skimmer in 8" sump depth, 2.5 turned nozzle with fully open vedge pipe. Now its producing light yellow skimmate. I tried to open the nozzle to 3 turns but it's giving more wet skimmate. Overall I m very impressed the skimmer. it's very quiter than my old mini180.

Do you reccomend me to raise skimmer a little bit to 7.5" (19cm) or 7"?

I would try raising the skimmer 1/4" or lower the sump level 1/4" which should give you drier skim and darker skimmate. You don't want to raise it too much at a time as a little bit can make a big difference.

 

[reefid]

I have increased my water level to around 10" and wedge pipe is fully open, almost 24hrs it run on 10" depth. That is how the skimmer foaming like. Will have to wait my friend to make an acrylic stand . Skimmer will trial run on 9" depth as soon as I got the stand.

Thanks

Hendrik

 

[slief]

I have increased my water level to around 10" and wedge pipe is fully open, almost 24hrs it run on 10" depth. That is how the skimmer foaming like. Will have to wait my friend to make an acrylic stand . Skimmer will trial run on 9" depth as soon as I got the stand.

Thanks

Hendrik

That's not too bad. Obviously wet but given the light load relative to the skimmer size, it's expectable and acceptable. 9" will allow a bit more control via the wedge pipe and will keep the skimmer from being as sensitive to overflows like it would be at 10". Just keep an eye on it.

 

[ReefClownMIA]

Will have to wait my friend to make an acrylic stand . Skimmer will trial run on 9" depth as soon as I got the stand.

Hendrik,

If you're on Facebook, check out the skimmer stand I've recently built... This is NOT a Royal Exclusiv product...
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/844772218979484/

 

[hedehodo]

I would try raising the skimmer 1/4" or lower the sump level 1/4" which should give you drier skim and darker skimmate. You don't want to raise it too much at a time as a little bit can make a big difference.

I raised the skimmer to 7.5" (~19cm) from 8". Now it's producing a little more dry skimmate like green. Still not coffee like. I didn't touched the wedge pipe which is fully open and nozzle with 2,5 turns. I recognized that skimmer body full of big bubbles not producing fine bubbles.

Here is a picture of 3 days of skimming pictures.

 

[slief]

I raised the skimmer to 7.5" (~19cm) from 8". Now it's producing a little more dry skimmate like green. Still not coffee like. I didn't touched the wedge pipe which is fully open and nozzle with 2,5 turns. I recognized that skimmer body full of big bubbles not producing fine bubbles.

Here is a picture of 3 days of skimming pictures.

The problem is that your skimmer is extremely oversized for your display. Correct me if I am wrong but you have a 66 gallon display plus your sump. If you want to see consistent skimmate, you will need to run it wet like you are and that won't produce very dark skimmate. From what I see in the last picture, it doesn't actually look to bad. Especially given how oversized this skimmer is for your display size. You can play with the volute adjustment a bit and see if you can darken the skimmate up by increasing the amount of air going into the skimmer via the volute. Since you don't have enough protein in the water for this size skimmer, I wouln't expect very dark skimmate in kind of quantityn though,. In the absence of enough proteins/dissolved organics for the skimmer, it will produce much larger bubbles that pop at the surface instead of generating good foam. I would try playing with the volute adjustment some and see if you find a bit better spot that makes a more solid foam head but I wouldn't expect much better than you have right now if you want to see dark skim. You can try lowering the sump level a bit too as that will dry out the skim a bit more but the drier you get it, the less skim you will see and the less consistent the skimmate production will be.

 

[hedehodo]

The problem is that your skimmer is extremely oversized for your display. Correct me if I am wrong but you have a 66 gallon display plus your sump. If you want to see consistent skimmate, you will need to run it wet like you are and that won't produce very dark skimmate. You can play with the volute adjustment a bit and see if you can darken the skimmate up by increasing the amount of air going into the skimmer via the volute but since you don't have enough protein in the water for this size skimmer, I wouln't expect very dark skimmate in kind of quantity,. In the absence of enough proteins/dissolved organics for the skimmer, it will produce much larger bubbles that pop at the surface instead of generating good foam. I would try playing with the volute adjustment some and see if you find a bit better spot that makes a more solid foam head but I wouldn't expect much better than you have right now if you want to see dark skim. You can try lowering the sump level a bit too as that will dry out the skim a bit more but the drier you get it, the less skim you will see and the less consistent the skimmate production will be.

Slief please correct me if I am wrong "is double cone 150 is oversized for 66gal DT?" I changed my skimmer from mini180 to dc150 last week with your recommendation

 

[slief]

Slief please correct me if I am wrong "is double cone 150 is oversized for 66gal DT?" I changed my skimmer from mini180 to dc150 last week with your recommendation

Oops.. No, the DC150 is perfect. You may want to go further out on the volute. Most run 3.5 go 4.6 turns out on the double cone 150 but it's really more about what works best for your system. Things like load, salinity, sump depth all play a critical role in what settings are best and every tank is different. I would suggest experimenting a bit more with the volute though. You can always go back to where you are now but the volute is an important tool for really fine tuning that skimmer.

 

[hedehodo]

Slief, will I just turn the volute on or should I raise the skimmer 1/2" more?

I can start with volute adjustment.