help with reef octopus skimmer
- Thread starter OU11BB
- Start date
... Also wanted to add I have a ton of microbubbles that are not going away either.
Scotty1772
New member
yes, could take a day to a couple weeks...patience
wildman926
Active member
6" max water level, preferred is 5.5" - 5.75".
How old is skimmer? Do you have the "new" venturi? Ask Jeremy in their forum here if you don't know.
It should skim properly from day one. The skim may get better as time goes on, from my experience.
How old is skimmer? Do you have the "new" venturi? Ask Jeremy in their forum here if you don't know.
It should skim properly from day one. The skim may get better as time goes on, from my experience.
I have a reef octopus also. After checking to make sure I have the proper water level, all connections good, that the skimmer is seated properly, etc., it will take a few weeks to break in and the micro bubbles will work themselves out 95%. I freaked out a little bit cuz i read somewhere that micro bubbles kill fish. I had bubbles for a few days. No casualties.
It took me several hours and patience to dial mine in. I would make a very small adjustments to the tube and wait 30 min to see how that little adjustment will affect the skimmer (this is why it took so long). I would keep an eye on it and see if it started overflowing, then obviously i would dial it back, but most of the waiting for me was to get it to where the bubbles would start getting close to the overflow cup and waiting as they build on one another and get higher and higher on their own. Also, don't do anything immediately after feeding. Feeding changes the dynamics of my skimmer for a few minutes immediately after. I also added carbon for a few days and pulled it out because it also threw off my skimmer. This was just my experience. Good luck.
It took me several hours and patience to dial mine in. I would make a very small adjustments to the tube and wait 30 min to see how that little adjustment will affect the skimmer (this is why it took so long). I would keep an eye on it and see if it started overflowing, then obviously i would dial it back, but most of the waiting for me was to get it to where the bubbles would start getting close to the overflow cup and waiting as they build on one another and get higher and higher on their own. Also, don't do anything immediately after feeding. Feeding changes the dynamics of my skimmer for a few minutes immediately after. I also added carbon for a few days and pulled it out because it also threw off my skimmer. This was just my experience. Good luck.
wildman926
Active member
Did you wash it thoroughly before use? The so called "break in" is just to allow the oils from manufacturing to be removed during the initial use if you have not fully cleaned it. It also allows a slight film to coat the skimmer internally. Regardless, it should skim as soon as you start using it, unless your bioload is too small.
HERE is a posting of someone with a brand new Octopus skimmer, and skimming like crazy after a bath and 6-7 hours of use.
Dapg8gt
New member
As above just be patient and make sure it's in the right depth.. It's recommended to just let them run close to wide open for a while to break them in (slime coat on skimmer body) to reduce the surface tension of the bubbles rising up the tube.. It will work itself out if it's setup right.. Just don't try to set it too high in the neck initially until you get used to the way it reacts to change.. Most of the time you will lose the foam head while feeding but some things cause skimmers to go crazy like epoxy on new frags etc.. Just wait it out and in a day or 3 you will be good to go 
Dapg8gt
New member
Anytime I do waterchanges feeding or anything like that I usually turn the skimmer off.. Is it a hang on back? And also some water conditioners will make them go nuts if your using tap water..
If it's a hang on skimmer you Def should shut it off as most are sensitive to change and really are best suited with an ATO like the ozmolator or another that can be used in tank..
