Euroreef Skimmer Help

[Salty Dog]

So, I put my new to me Euroreef 5-3 online last night. It was generating great bubbles, nice rising in the riser tube, etc. When I say riser tube, I mean the tube that leads to the collection cup. I turned it down a bit, went to bed, and went back to it this morning.

When I started, it was generating nice bubbles in the riser tube. I then started adjusting the slide tube, and the bubbles changed, and now I can't get anything of significance in the riser tube. Can't even get the bubble level to rise above the ring at the base of the riser tube. Last night after running for an hour, the bubbles were rising up the tube with the adjustment slider 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the top. It seems as though the size of the bubbles has changed as well.

I've checked the obvious things, airline, pump, etc. Pulled the whole thing out of the sump, inspected everything, put it back in - same thing.

Anyone have any ideas?

Eric

 

[delta]

Let it go for awhile, it's breaking in

 

[Scott]

Let it go for awhile, it's breaking in

And err on the side of less bubbles starting out.

I pulled almost 2 gallons breaking my skimmer in when it kicked in overnight.

 

[Salty Dog]

It's new to me, not new......

 

[delta]

Every system is different doesn't matter if it is not new, I have experienced both scenarios. But i would check the whole skimmer. Dip the air line in hot ro\di while the skimmer is running this will draw the water in and help clear out the airlines. Double check everything, if everything checks out then let it sit running for a day or two.

I think the most common mistake in evaluating any skimmer is not taking chemistry and bioloads into consideration leaving most
evaluations lacking.

 

[Salty Dog]

OK

It has now been FOUR days. I return to my original statement - first installed it, great bubbles. Great bubbles next morning UNTIL I moved the adjustment tube - then it basically broke. It stopped making the beautiful bubbles it was making before.

This unit was clean as a whistle when I installed it, including the pump, venturi, etc.

Does anyone have any ideas what I might have screwed up?

Eric

 

[jrmx635]

skimmer

let me see a picture of it running.
Pull the impeller housing off and check that there is nothing in the venturi.
even if you can blow through the tube,doesn't mean there isn't something very small in it.
the tiniest thing can screw up the air drawn into it.
my opinion is while you have it out,drill out the air nipple a little bigger,through some mesh on it and call it a day.
but anyway,remember,the venturi is the most critical part of a NW skimmer.start there

 

[delta]

Did you try moving the tube back to where it was?

 

[Salty Dog]

Yea, I inspected that. No cigar. I read something on RC that suggested the sump water level made a difference - so I just raised the water level from 7" to 9" - no change.

Again - it was fine until I adjusted the slider, then bam - dead.

Working on a picture - but it seems my digital camera was out in the car, and has been for a couple weeks

Charging now....

Eric

 

[Salty Dog]

So this is the tube that slides up and down to lower and raise the water level. I've tried it in every possible position....

 

[Salty Dog]

I'm now considering a DIY gate mod to solve the problem once and for all....

 

[delta]

Is the pump making fine bubbles? Or are you refering to the collection neck area of the skimmer.

 

[Salty Dog]

Yes, the bubbles are very fine in the main body. There were nice big ones in the neck when it was working.

For the last few days, I actually pulled the slider beyond it's travel (which pops it off), then slid it onto the top of the pipe, and it was generating enough bubbles that way (after a WHILE!) that it would produce some skimmate, but clearly that's not the proper operation - I just got it a little higher.

I'm also consdiering extending the tube with PVC to see if that helps - of course having the right size PVC would help immensely there.

 

[delta]

Hmm maybe you knocked something off the output tube and it clogged the pump. Did you clean or inspect the pump?

Although the tube will adjust thing and make it kinda work IME if a skimmer changes performance it is either the air intake or the pump are dirty or clogged. So much so I can usually tell by site of bubble action in the skimmer riser tube what is wrong with my skimmmer

 

[jrmx635]

skimer

make sur someone didn't cut that slider.
I had one of those skimmers and the small bubbles should be stopping right around the where it starts to cone into the neck.
once skimmer is start to get settled it will form bigger bubbles.
Was it cleaned before you bought it?

 

[Salty Dog]

Slider doesn't appear to be cut - I actually have the bubbles going up to where the collar is (2-3" above where the neck starts above the main body).

Again - it was working fine until I came downstairs Sunday morning and moved the slider. It's just weird - I've checked out where the slider housing meets the skimmer - nothing broke or anything.

Perplexing...

 

[delta]

How heavy is your bio load and how oversized it the skimmer?

HOw is the turbulence inn the skimmer neck? if it is heavy I would lower it to the 3\4" below the bottom of the skimmer neck (where the neck flares out)

 

[Salty Dog]

It's a 5-3 in a 90 gallon (approx 110 with sump). The bioload is significant, and likely there is some catchup as there was a Coralife Superskimmer 135 in there before.

I found that during and after feedings there was no significant change in the skimmer behavior.

The below picture shows the four days of skimmate. The tiny bubbles rise up to about the ring. Then there is nothing above that. Some larger ones form from time to time just above the ring, but they don't get any higher.

 

[delta]

Not really that bad for collection are you sure it is not working correct and your not at its sweetspot? Skimmate it pretty dark so it is pretty concentrated.

 

[Salty Dog]

Yea - I have no complaints about the density of the skimmate, just the unorthodox methodology to get said skimmate. I shouldn't have to have the slider beyond the normal limits to get just a basic skimmate.

I'll try extending the slider this weekend with PVC, and see if I can get more control over it. It's just annoying that it was working the nuts and now it's barely working.

Ugg!!