Questions about the Tunze 9010 skimmer???

[Angler02]

I have had my skimmer for around 3 or 4 months now and it goes in and out on how much it pulls out. I have it on a 46 gallon reef with a 55 gallon sump. It either works really great or not so good. Right now I have the air intake opened all the way and it is not reaching the collection cup. I have a fairly large fish load so I find it hard to believe that there is nothing for it to skim. Am I missing something? Oh and recently I pulled it all apart to insure that everything was in working order and cleaned it all as well, it skimmed great for a few days and now here I am again. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[pufferchris]

if you are using in the in sump mode. make sure you didnt push the outlet pipe to far in when you re-assembled it.
i did this before and the water wouldnt reach the cup either.

 

[Angler02]

I have it hanging on the side.

 

[rvitko]

So it is being use in tank? Are you using it with sump kit that was included or not?

 

[Angler02]

The skimmer is hanging on brackets on the side of the sump. It is sumbmersed about 8 or 9 inches in the water.

 

[rvitko]

Do you have the sump kit installed (the stand pipe, solid bottom plate and coupler)? If not the reason for the poor performance is probably largely related to the water level, you should have a constant 10" water level.

 

[Angler02]

Yes all of that is installed. When I open the air intake up to where it is almost unscrewed it will bring foam to the top. But I just did this so I'm not sure how long it will last, plus it says in the book about 3 to 4 turns is optimal.

 

[rvitko]

Does water exit the pipe and the hole in the back?

 

[jnguyen4007]

You might want to take a look at the pump. I have the nano skimmer and I recently noticed that no matter how much of the air valve I opened up, it still wasn't skimming like it should be. I then shut down the skimmer, took it apart for cleaning. The pump impeller and shaft was caked with deposit and what not. I cleaned off what I could then I put the pump, impeller and the entire skimmer into a big container of RODI water, add vinegar to it, and put a pump in it to let it run. Several hours later, my skimmer, pump and parts were cleaned. I put everything back adn turned it on. Couple of hours later, that skimmer was running at full speed and doing what it's supposed to do again.

 

[Angler02]

There is no water coming out of the stand pipe or the hole in the back. I did cleam it recently and it worked fine for a few days and then went back to not skimming. The pump is throwing out foam it's just not reaching the top. Right now it is a little because I opened it to where the air valve is about to fall out.

 

[rvitko]

The water level is too low. Likely the bottom plate is not on tight. Normally when you use the bottom plate for in sump use it should stand on the bottom plate with the suction cup feet. Water is seeping out and likely you are only getting skimming when the water level is at the 9"+ level.

 

[Angler02]

Well for some reason when my friend and I re did my current sump it got set at 8 inches I just checked it. I will be moving this skimmer to my new set up in the next few months, and in that sump the water level will be at 10 inches and the skimmer will be suctioned to the bottom. I had just assumed when it was re mounted it was at the 9 inches I had previously been running it. Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated and I hope this is an easy fix. Again thank you.

 

[rvitko]

I should clarify, the water level inside the skimmer is too low, the external water level is fine, the problem is that the sump kit is not fitted properly and as a result the internal water level is not building up. Water must exit the pipe or else the internal water level is too low for the skimmer to work. Check that the bottom plate is on all the way and rest the skimmer on the bottom plate and it should work.