skimmer question

[Expensive Sushi]

My tank has been up for about 4 months. I just added a skimmer yesterday. ASM-1. No gunk yet! Just pure white foam. Is that normal? When should I expect to see some gunk?

I do have a high water to fish ratio. About 150 gallons and only four fish but the tank has been up for 4 months.

 

[brandonst878]

Give it some time. Before you know it you will have more gunk than you know what to do with. The skimmer just needs to get broken-in. Just make sure you are getting foam and not water and you'll be okay.

 

[cstires]

It's got to break in before you will produce any skimmate. This can take up to 4-6 weeks time depending on the skimmer.

 

[mflamb]

The best way to break in a skimmer is to run it in a mix of water and white vinegar for a few hours, then in water to rinse it. Change the rinse water a few times. Then install it on the tank or sump.

 

[triggerfish1976]

Make sure that the waterline in the skimmer is not to high. I have an ASM G-6 and I also had white foam until I got the water level just right. I try to get the top of the water/white bubbles to rise to top of the neck and bottom of the collection cup. I left it like that for about 24 hours and it started to form brown foam on top of the waterline. The skimmer produced enough skimmate within the next 24 hours to allow it to start collecting into the cup. I have produced a steady skimmate ever since. You will also want to make sure and keep your sumps water level as stable as possible. ASM's seem to have a sweet spot for producing maximum skimmate and it is partly due to a constant water level in the sump.