Bubble level on skimmer??

[madmatt357]

Well, I just set up my first fuge along with my first skimmer. My skimmer is an ASM G-3. I made one of many rookie mistakes, I set my bubble level in my skimmer to high, and after being at work for 10 hours I come home to find about three gallons of water has overflowed from my skimmer collection cup and into my stand which leaked into the new living room onto the new carpet:eek2: .
So my question is, where do you set the bubble level. Do I set where the bubbles are level with the entrace into the collection cup, or a quarter the way up the cup or where. I am now really in the dog house with the wife over this mishap, and if I have another one like this, I am sure I will stay in the dog house.
Can someone please give me some advice with where the bubble level should be??

 

[demonsp]

Theres a wet and a dry . Im not sure on yours but on mine i can set by watching the inlet and just whene i see foam i stop and back off a little. Then adjust. I would try for a half full collection cup in 7 days, GL

 

[Fizz71]

On a new skimmer I'd start it low until it starts to actually build up sticky looking bubbles at the top then find the sweet spot. There's really no exact spot on any skimmer you just have to start low to avoid a flood (too late, I know) then move it up until you find the best spot. You want a somewhat dry looking skimmate, if it's too watery you should drop it a little. It won't hurt anything if it's really wet, it just pulls more tank water out that you need to replace and balance the salt properly...plus you have to empty the cup more often.

--Fizz

 

[madmatt357]

Thanks for the help. I have backed it down real low for now. Hopefully I can find that perfect spot on it!!

 

[MJAnderson]

I have the G3 as well. For me, keeping the bubble/water line about 1/2 way up the cone (the angled part between the body and the cup) leading to the collection cup gives me dark but still wet skimmate. If I move it all the way down to the bottom of the cone, I skim very dry and very little output. If I go more than 2/3 of the way up, it's too wattery.

 

[Gdevine]

Your new skimmer needs time to "break in" in other words build up a slime coat. Depending on your tank this can take a few hourse to a few days. Also, if you're water is really clean then you won't see any hard skimming action at all unless an event happens that kicks off the skimmer to do it's thing.

I'd keep your setting as low as possible for a few days to a week and then take it from there...slowly!

 

[Gdevine]

One more thing; you should have an overflow canister and from that an overflow tube into your refug so you don't ever have this spill over event.

 

[digeetech]

I would start the bubbles just at the bottom of the collections cup until it "slimes over". Then u can adjust to the middle and keep going up until you get one full cup ever 5-7 days.

GL

 

[NickDig]

Does skimming "wetter" remove any material running the level lower and getting drier scum does not, or remove toxins any faster? Or does it just remove them with more waste water? I ask because the scum that collects in my skimmer has to be emptied nearly daily, but it's a pretty color so it seems somewhat dense with organics.

 

[mike89t]

I have one of those cheap thin plastic cutting boards that you can fold up wedged inbetween my G3 and the Sump. That way if it overflows the cutting board keeps everything in the sump.

I usually keep my bubble level at about 1/4 to half way up the neck of the skimmer cup.

 

[mike89t]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10143820#post10143820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NickDig
Does skimming "wetter" remove any material running the level lower and getting drier scum does not, or remove toxins any faster? Or does it just remove them with more waste water? I ask because the scum that collects in my skimmer has to be emptied nearly daily, but it's a pretty color so it seems somewhat dense with organics.

Wetter will fill up your cup in a day or two. It will be more watered down but will probably pull out more stuff.

Dryer will slowly fill up your cup but it will have a very dark green color. You won't need to empty your cup as often but you might not be pulling out as much stuff.

It's just a matter of where you set your bubble level.

 

[NickDig]

So if I don't mind loosing the water or dumping it every day, I'll probably get slightly cleaner water running on the wet side, interesting, I have a pair of messy puffers in a 30, so I may turn it back up, I only recently adjusted to get a darker scum.

 

[sherm71tank]

Yeah and just remember to keep an eye on your salinity. Skimming wet like that is a great way to do small water changes in addition to skimming more out.

 

[madmatt357]

Is there a replacement collection cup I can buy that has a place for an overflow tube to be attached to?? I like the idea about the cutting board to deflect the water, but I wasn't able to see exactly how the water was coming out of the collection cup, and I don't want to go throught the process again to find out, if you know what I mean!!!

 

[arts007]

I set this exact skimmer up for my girlfriends parents on their 125, I drilled a small hole in the collection cup and put in a 1/4" 90 degree plastic barb from lowes and attached clear tubing which drains into a collection bucket...just to avoid such an overflow.

 

[HPD Turbo]

My skimmerworks great, but there a days that the level goes down and affter a few days it comes back up. Is this normal. It is not related with the weaste in the tank.

 

[hyperfocal]

Skimmers are affected by all kinds of things. I lose the bubble column in mine if I stick my arm in the tank -- maybe it's time for a shower? ;-)

 

[madmatt357]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10147628#post10147628 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by arts007
I set this exact skimmer up for my girlfriends parents on their 125, I drilled a small hole in the collection cup and put in a 1/4" 90 degree plastic barb from lowes and attached clear tubing which drains into a collection bucket...just to avoid such an overflow.

arts007, where on the collection cup did you put the barb? On the bottom, top, middle?