my skimmer isn't skimming

H

harial

so yeah my skimmer is kinda not skimming. I can hear a high pitched fizzing sound but there is no foam. I have never used a skimmer but I got a HOB Remora of here used and I thought it was supposed to pretty much be plug-n-play so I set it up into my rockwork where it would not be seen and plugged it in adn now it isn't working. I don't want to take apart my rockwork(again) but I may have to.

please help
 
the skimmer is running and not producing any foam and I have the cup set to the lowest it can go. I am using a maxijet 1200. it did not come with a 'filter'(what I mean is something to make sure that bigger things like anemones, fish and shrimp don't get sucked in) so I attached a small one to the intake.

All my animals are small enough to fit through the opening and I did not really want to chance it. Anyway I have two small clowns, a cleaner shrimp, a small waratah anemone, and a small clam along with various lps and zoos. I got the skimmer for the clam and anemone. trying to keep the water quality up since at some point I'd like to try some sps like a cap or something.
 
How long has the skimmer been running? It's not uncommon for a clean skimmer to need 24 to 48 hours to start producing.
 
well it was used before but it was in pretty good condition when I got it so maybe that is it. I hope that's it. I really do not want to have to pull down all my rock again.

thanks!
 
@harial wrote:
well it was used before but it was in pretty good condition when I got it so maybe that is it. I hope that's it. I really do not want to have to pull down all my rock again. thanks! said:
I have a remora pro and they are plug and play as you mentioned. I'm assuming that you are hiding the pump behind your rockwork and that you do have water exiting the skimmer. One thing to check is if the injector is clogger...you can access the injector by removing the collection cup, you will see a white teflon screw...use a flat blade screwdriver or suitable substitute and remove the teflon screw and see if there is any debris in there then take a pin and make sure the injector tip isn't clogged. HTH

**edit** of course make sure the skimmers off before removing the teflon screw and don't overtighten it when you replace it.

Cheers!
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I will try my best to get a good look at it. unfortunatly the tank is sitting on top of my dresser and the skimmer top is actually higher than my height(if that maks any sense)And I am very short and rather round.

I think I will have one of my tall skinny friends take a crack at it if I can reach it.
 
Definitely give it some time to work before you rearrange your rockwork. Remora makes a great product and they do take time to kick in, even if it is used. Keep the collection cup as low as possible like you are already doing and give it at least 2-3 days.
 
Verify the injector is not clogged by removing the screw screw and cleaning it with the little brush that should have come with the skimmer. Be careful when removing or re-inserting the screw. If you're not careful, it may fall into the skimmer. When you re-insert the screw do not screw it all the way back in.. Thread it enough to plug the hole. This will allow more water through the injector.

Where is your pump drawing its water? Proteins tend to gather at the surface. Be sure your skimmer is collecting water from there.

Since it is used, you may want to clean the pump. Run it in a water and vinegar solution. Thoroughly rinse and reinstall the pump.

Glenn
 
Yeah, I second that about being careful not to drop that little screw. It's a bitch to get it back out if you do. Also make sure the little venturi opening is ethier plugged or has a capped hose on it. Unlike the CPR these skimmers won't work if they suck air. I've also noticed that cleaning the collection cup untill it is squeaky clean always slows skimming for a day or two. Seems to work better when it is a little bit slimmy inside. Or perhaps your tank is just too clean to produce much skimmate. How heavy are you feeding, how much waste, etc?


Then of course, there is always Vodka. 8)
 
Well I had to pull apart my rockwork anyway to get at a couple of things anyway so I pulled the skimmer out and looked at the injector and it was not really dirty at all. I mena there was some crud but not enought to clog it by any means. I also was able to get a good look at the back to look at eh water. I dont know if this will help in determining the issue with my skimmer but it was stuff that did not notice before.

1. the water level in the skimmer comes just a couple of mm into the little tube that the foam comes out of.
2. there is not any real foam, just a few mm of micro bubbles at the surface of the water.
3. my skimmer does not hang on to the tank really. it sits on the dresser so it is a bit off the tank.

do any of these thing mean anythign to anyone?
 
Heather. It sounds like your skimmer may not be deep enough in the tank to pull enough water. These skimmers bubble like crazy when they are working right, but it's hard to see through the dark smoked plastic. I think you may need to let the skimmer actually hang all the way down onto the edge of the tank. Make sure the powerhead is completely submerged and not sucking any air. If you have the MJ 1200 that had the venturi opening on the side of the intake tube, put the little plug in it. If you lost the little plug you can cut a short piece if airline tubing and tie a knot in one end and put it on the venturi opening. I've got several MJ1200s made like this, but one of my Bak-Paks has a different kind of venturi that attaches to the end of the intake tube. If you have this kind of PH I don't think it will work on the Aqua C. Put a flashlight on the side of the skimmer while it is running and you can see how much it's bubbling and how deep the skimmer cup is into the foam.
 
If none of the above applies then you may have a pump problem. See if you can borrow another pump. You can upgrade to a mag3 on that skimmer w/o it overpowering the skimmer. There's not a lot to go bad on this skimmer, I'm surprised the person you bought it from hasn't offered their take on what could be wrong. I would verify it's pumping right first. HTH

Cheers!
 
I tried cleaning it with the vigigar water solution and I sw some improvment but not a lot. So I am going to buy a new pump on thursday.
 
@harial wrote:
I tried cleaning it with the vigigar water solution and I sw some improvment but not a lot. So I am going to buy a new pump on thursday. said:
You may want to see if someone can loan you a pump first. :wink:

Cheers!
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Ron. Does the mag 3 really make a lot of difference. I think I'm going to up grade my Aqua C and use that MJ1200 on one of the other Bak-Pacs, because it is newer.

Heather, I agree, you should try a borrowed pump before buying a piece of equment you may not need. Then again, I guess you can never have to many power heads.
 
@SumpDiver wrote:
Ron. Does the mag 3 really make a lot of difference. I think I'm going to up grade my Aqua C and use that MJ1200 on one of the other Bak-Pacs said:
The mag 3 is a much better pump on this skimmer and it doesnt overpower the skimmer at all. I have to Remora Pro and was able to upgrade to the mag 5 which I did after writing an e-mail to Aqua C. HTH

Cheers!
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