Temperamental Skimmer

[PCDS]

Hi everyone,
Sometimes after I've cleaned my skimmer cup, there is a delay of a day or so before the muck starts collecting again, which may possibly partly related to the fact that I would have done a water change as well. But since I last cleaned it a few days ago, there has been no skimmate.
I am careful not to touch the inside of the collection cup with my hand and just use the cleaning brush.
The bubbles are there - and I definitely know there is organic waste to collect from my tank. It is not long since I last dismantled and fully cleaned my skimmer.( It was working fine afterwards so I don't think I broke it ). I will do so again if there is no skimmate in the next day or so. I was wondering if anyone had a similar issue after water changes/ cleaning.
It is a Tunze 9016 skimmer.

 

[SaltNoob]

I don't have an answer for you, but I do have a question?


Is it bad to touch the inside of the collection cup with your hands?

I'm wondering if any harm could be done by doing so.

 

[PCDS]

I don't have an answer for you, but I do have a question?


Is it bad to touch the inside of the collection cup with your hands?

I'm wondering if any harm could be done by doing so.

It was in the instruction manual, so I've just taken care not to.

 

[DaveK]

It seems the manufacturer is worried that if you touch the inside of the collection cup, oils and stuff from your skin might cause the skimmer to not work as well.

Considering all the various glop a skimmer picks up, I find the manufacturer's statement "rather hard to believe".

You may see some delay after you clean a skimmer until it actually collects anything. Often you need to get a slight buildup of slime in the inside of the collection cup for the skimmer to work it's best. Sometimes this is reffered to as the break in period.

Until you get the air and water mix in the skimmer just right, if may not work at it's best. Also, be sure and check that the route taken by the air is not blocked with salt build up. With a good skimmer, once you have it set up and tuned in, you should be able to "set it and forget it".

 

[Therapy]

Without seeing the skimmate during normal operation, it is tough to call. My OPINION is that the skimmer generally needs a little time to build the proper adhesion of the nutrients to the bubbles to produce the asked for skimmate "muck". After shutting it down all of the foam collapses. Turning it back on the process starts over and builds again. The bubbles collect the nutrients thus getting tougher and don't collapse and thus get pushed to the top. This is why cleaning or touching the inside of the "Up-tube" is not wise as this will slow and weaken the bubbles touching it. The inside of the collection cup is irrelevant since the nutrients have already been exported at this stage.

This is why you can never get it set "just right" with any new skimmer operation. But we learn what is pretty close after a while through familiarity.

Then again, maybe I really don't have any idea at all..... but this is my hypotheses.

 

[PCDS]

Thanks everyone. It was skimming very well until the last time I cleaned it. Some thing maybe disrupting the flow inside. I will have to dismantle it and check.

 

[SaltNoob]

So I shouldn't be scrubbing all the muck off the insides of the collection cup?

Never mind.

Just reread.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

for what it's worth... I clean mine at the sink weekly, inside & out, neck & all, I touch everything with my hand & a piece of blue/white filter floss I use to clean with... never worry about oils from my hand or whatever... rinse it with warm running tap water, replace. If takes a bit to get going again at peak performance... but that's just part of it, for mine hope this helps

lots of good advise from all above ^

 

[Therapy]

I'm with you Nano. Clean it well and don't worry about the little bit of extra time. You will have to do this anyway every month or so. So..........

 

[PCDS]

Just to update. I dismantled and cleaned the skimmer. No blockages but there was some detritus. I vacuumed out all the detritus in that section of the sump and by taking the suckers off the bottom of the skimmer, lowered it a little so that the water level was closer to the "Mark".
Started up again. Will watch to see if it starts skimming. Fingers crossed!
I've also taken off the sponge from the water outlet. The baffles in the sump should get rid of the bubbles and I'm on a nitrate reduction mission!

 

[PCDS]

Working again !
Smelly cup to clean again in a few days!!