Vertex Skimmer club

just ordered mine the 180 Gen 2 from PA hope to get it soon so i and start on my sump build then the stand. be it that was just one of my orders from PA this weekend. They got a good bit of my tax return. lol
 
I'm in the club....just recently got a in280...gave it a vinager bath and it started producing skimate within a few hours. It puts out as much if not more skimate than my MRC 2 dual beckett using half the electricity....
 
Have a in-100 think gen 3 not sure, but when the pump turns on after feeding it has a boil over and the cup fills up and drains into my catch jug, is this normal? Have unit in 7 inches of water , clean unit all parts, still doing it , have valve mostly closed, edge of stickers line up with each other , bubbles come up about half way in the neck, any thoughts, thanks craig
 
Craigsmini said:
Have a in-100 think gen 3 not sure, but when the pump turns on after feeding it has a boil over and the cup fills up and drains into my catch jug, is this normal? Have unit in 7 inches of water , clean unit all parts, still doing it , have valve mostly closed, edge of stickers line up with each other , bubbles come up about half way in the neck, any thoughts, thanks craig
Click to expand...

how old is the skimmer? the pump could still be "breaking in" if it's young.

also, make sure your air hose is clean.
 
Bought used off eBay, guy had it 3 to 4 months , I've had it up and running for 3 months, ran clean water through air hoses and cleaned top hole of output tube
 
Craigsmini said:
Bought used off eBay, guy had it 3 to 4 months , I've had it up and running for 3 months, ran clean water through air hoses and cleaned top hole of output tube
Click to expand...

any difference?

if not i would just suggest opening the wedge pipe a bit after feeding and the pump coming back on - then easing your way up to the more "closed" position.
 
Vertex skimmer Mod

Vertex skimmer Mod

smoyer:

I saw your pic of the pump mod on your IN280 posted last June. I just bought at BB5000 to put on my IN250. Could you tell me what fitting you used to connect the pump to your skimmer body.

I have looked at the pic a few times, but can't quite tell what you did.

Thanks for your time.
 
Please helm Vertex IN-100

Please helm Vertex IN-100

Hi all,

I just got a used in mint condition Vertex IN-100 skimmer. I am having a little problem getting it to start working the way it should. I have taken the pump apart and cleaned it, checked the air intake for anything clogging it, checked the output for back pressure and placed it in 6" to 8" of water to see if it makes a difference and nothing.

My 72G w/ sump/wetdry filter (which I will convert to a sump/refugium soon) tank has been up and running for about a month now. I have LR, LS snails and a clown fish in it. This is the first time I run a skimmer on it.

The Skimmer keeps making wet bubbles, overflowing the collection cup and the foam is going everywhere in the sump. The output is also releasing a lot of micro bubbles which are making their way to my display tank through my return pump. I have the skimmer seating in roughly 7" of water. I have the air pipe on "Full Open" and I ran it for the whole day yesterday and last night. It go a little better this morning, but I can still see bubbles in my tank and the skimmer still overflowing the collection cup into the sump.

How long is the break in period on these usually? Am I doing something wrong? Is it because it's a newly stablished tank? Anything I can do to fix the problem?

PS: I started a thread in bostonreefers.org but didn't get much help. I ma hopping someone here can help me.
I have picturres of what the skimmer is doing at http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?120874-Help-with-Vertex-IN-100-skimmer

Any imput is welcomed.

Thanks everybody.

Higor
 
higorc remove the cup lid and let the skimmer just run, the bubbles should just break at the top and not overflow. Have you just glued all of your rock together? Are you running carbon right now?
 
I have a quick question about the Vertex IN-100 skimmer, but I guess it could be asked of any skimmer. The collection cup has a drain with a plug in it. Does anyone every run a tube from this drain into a larger container so you don't have to drain the skimmer as often? I was thinking about draining into like a 1 gallon milk jug. Any thoughts?
 
Waggs said:
I have a quick question about the Vertex IN-100 skimmer, but I guess it could be asked of any skimmer. The collection cup has a drain with a plug in it. Does anyone every run a tube from this drain into a larger container so you don't have to drain the skimmer as often? I was thinking about draining into like a 1 gallon milk jug. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've done this with previous skimmers. . . you may also want to add a valve on the drain hose so that you can manually drain it to the jug.

This will also add a safety feature incase your skimmer goes nuts and starts overflowing. I would rather it overflow in the sump than the floor ;).
 
ReefMonkey13 said:
I've done this with previous skimmers. . . you may also want to add a valve on the drain hose so that you can manually drain it to the jug.

This will also add a safety feature incase your skimmer goes nuts and starts overflowing. I would rather it overflow in the sump than the floor ;).
Click to expand...

You have a good point there. That sure would stink to get into the carpet or sub floor. Would work for that quick drain while doing some light maintenance.
 
used in-80 is way too noisy. it's skimming good. i have it sitting on eggcrate and it's still noisy when i lift it up. new pump?
 
Just got a brand new BB 3000 to pop on my IN-180. The neww BB is replacing an older one that had rust issues. Love the improvements on the new BB 3000. Skimmer is performing better and a little quieter.
 
So I have a USED Vertex IN-180 with factory pump sitting in 8.5 inches of water. For the last month it was very easy to dial in. Now in the last two days even with it wide open the water level inside the skimmer sits half way up the collection cup. Ive taken the pump out cleaned it made sure the venturi wasnt plugged. Im at a loss of what could be causing this. Someone please help. I dont want this thing to overflow while Im away from home

UPDATE!!!
Well after a little more tinkering I found out the root of the problem. The elbow for the airline was clogged with who knows what sort of nasty. But all is good and running like a champ again!
 
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