Brand new setup - Skimmer questions...

Discussion in 'New To The Hobby' started by wisper, Dec 18, 2008.

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  1. wisper

    wisper Plankton

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    Location:
    Calgary, Alberta
    Hey folks...

    Very new to the hobby and this is my first post. I have a 95g tank with a 20g sump. I picked up an ASM G1X skimmer. I mixed up the salt water (with tap water and a de-clorinator) and fired up the system. The skimmer immediatley filled and overflowed the collection cup. The instructions that came with the skimmer are brutal other than they say what the initial height of the overflow tube should be. After a day of running like this I added about 90lbs of live rock and have seen no change with the skimmer. I called my local fish store and he said the de-clorinator is likely my problem and to just let it run for a week.

    My questions are...

    1). What should the water level be in the sump? I understand I need enough room to allow for drainage caused by power outages but I am not sure how deep the skimmer needs to be.
    2). Will this crazy thing calm down in a week?
    3). Should I leave the skimmer running and overflowing back into the sump? Or turn it off and then back on in a week?

    Thanks in advance!
     
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  3. RemickJ

    RemickJ Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    Does the skimmer have an adjustment? have you messed with that. My guess would be that as long as the pump is full underwater you should be fine. I could see if it was foaming over or something because of the chemical but to fill with water does not make sense. Almost sounds like it's out of adjustment.
     
  4. wisper

    wisper Plankton

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    There does not appear to be any adjustment on the skimmer or the pump. The skimmer came with the pump so I figure it should be well matched to the skimmer. The only thing I can mess with is the output tube of the skimmer (up or down) and this also does not make a difference...
     
  5. IBMGeek

    IBMGeek Montipora Digitata

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    Dont know about that particular skimmer but it looks a lot like my NW200. Try placing the skimmer a bit higher in the water column (Im guessing this is your problem).

    Took a quick picture of mine so you see what I mean. Your skimmer should have something like that tube on the left where you control the level of water. Also notice my water level in relation to the skimmers body. I have the water level inside the skimmer right around that grey union on the top.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2008
  6. infamous

    infamous Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    Tape water Yikes.. Get a RO/DI system.

    The skimmer will be the least of your problems.

    For the water level in the sump, when u shut off the return pump, water will start flowing back into the sump. Leave enough space so that it won't overflow into the fuge or it'll flood your house.

    As for the skimmer i would return it and get one that doesnt need adjustment like the Urchin Pro with Mag Drive 3 should run about $250. It can be used for tanks upto 120G and doesnt have any min. height requirements, the pump just has to be submerged.

    Since you are a beginner focus more on water quality and lighting. Once you get those right then you can worry about high end skimmers.

    Do you have a controller or a pH probe? If not invest in those.

    For a 95 gallon tank RO/DI is a must. You can get a cheap one at Bulkreefsupply.com

    I have a 7 stage one i got from them and my tap water is 114 ppm.

    Good luck with your setup and take advantage of the people on 3reef. They have been through a lot and can save you time, money and frustration

    One more thing POST PICTURES :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2008
  7. =Jwin=

    =Jwin= Tassled File Fish

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    Are you sure that skimmer has no adjustment? Skimmers bubbling like crazy and overflowing out of the top means that they are running "rich" or letting too much air in. My skimmr has an adjustment knob on how much air is allowed in, and we run it almost fully closed to get the right amount going.

    Is this a completely new tank? As in cycling the rock and all of that fun stuff? If so, you shouldn't run the skimmer until the cycle is complete anyways. The skimmer gets rid of waste, but you need waste to cycle your tank. Waste becomes ammonia, bacteria eat the ammonia turning it into nitrite, other bacteria eat the nitrite turning it into nitrate. If you are running a skimmer, which removes the waste, your cycle will take forever.

    With regards to the water level in the sump: have it low to begin with, and the unplug the return pump. This will cause a back siphon on the return hose and the sump will start filling with water. When the siphon breaks (either it can't suck up any more water, or you have a safety feature to break it earlier), water will stop coming in etc etc and then when that stops, you can fill your sump up higher with pre mixed salt water until it's as close as you can stand from the top. Turn the pump on, the water level will go down as the top portion of the display tank fills back up. Turn it off, you it should go right back up to where you left it in the sump. We personally have about 2 inches to spare from the top when we turn the pump off.

    And don't forget, if it's about to overflow, PLUG THE PUMP BACK IN!!! :D :D :D

    Do you have more info on your system? How old it is, blah blah blah? :D Pics?:trampolin
     
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  9. Peredhil

    Peredhil Giant Squid

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    I'm glad you're getting a lot of help on your skimmer!

    Something else though, if you just set this tank up - you've got nothing to skim yet (it won't hurt to run it now, but it's probably not necessary). So to answer question 3, I would say turn off the skimmer and get it running sometime around the end of your cycle or later.

    That is to say, you've got time to figure out the skimmer. Good luck.
     
  10. Iraf

    Iraf Snowflake Eel

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    G1x is nearly identical to my G2 leave the pipe adjustment set at it's highest level for a week or two, you wont have livestock anyway to worry about

    that allows it to get properly broken in, then you can adjust it down and empty the cup

    as said before I wouldnt have used tap water though your likely going to have major issues with algaes and outbreaks for the entire life of the tank
     
  11. infamous

    infamous Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    Thats what i'm trying to adress here, he's brand new to this hobby. SKimmer is not the issue here. Sump water level perhaps.
    But focus on water quality and chemistry.
    Forget about the stupid skimmer for a second.;D
     
  12. wisper

    wisper Plankton

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    Thanks for all the info folks.

    Ok - I'm taking a deep breath and forgetting about the skimmer (and will unplug it) for a couple of weeks...
    I will focus on getting my sump level good - thanks =Jwin= for the info. I'll try to get some pics posted over the weekend.

    Do you guys really think the treated tap water is going to be that much trouble? I have got my hands on a filter that will remove chlorine and what not and will be using that going forward for water changes... but if it's going to cause that much trouble maybe I will swap the water now...