WOW, I'm such a newb!

A

acemow

Member
I have been researching a lot to figure out my protein skimmer, don't know what kind it is, I'm totally NOT mechanically inclined, couldn't grasp the concept of how it even works. Tonight my husband found a flow adjuster that sticks into the air intake tube. I just saw it laying in bottom of my tank cabinet, didn't know what it was for. Duhh!!! Now I'm lookin in threads to find out what the flow adjustment should be. I guess I'll take some pics and see if someone can ID the type of skimmer it is. The inherited tank didn't come with manuals or anything, I've just researched and asked questions to figure out what things are and how they're supposed to work...I do much better with the chemistry side of things!
 
A

acemow

Member
I'm gonna have to take the skimmer out and clean it during WC tomorrow to get a pic, but it looks to be a recirculating skimmer, so I'm narrowing it down a bit
 
A

acemow

Member
Here are some pics of skimmer I want to try to identify. I'm working on adjusting it now to get rid of micro bubbles. Moving the sponge up the outflow tube helps eliminate the fountain effect.
 

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Basile

Basile

Well-Known Member
Hang in there, i'm also not really mechnical, and i did well so far. By the way, No ideas on your skimmer; didn't i tell you i was useless LOl . Some one will figure it out.
 
A

acemow

Member
Thanks Basile! I'm hoping some one recognizes the type of skimmer. It has a GX 1000 submersible pump and that's the only thing that has any identifying markings on it..
 
Basile

Basile

Well-Known Member
acemow said:
Thanks Basile! I'm hoping some one recognizes the type of skimmer. It has a GX 1000 submersible pump and that's the only thing that has any identifying markings on it..
Click to expand...

A Gx a what? i could turn a screw if my life depended on it! But i can turn pancakes much yummyer.LOL
 
DrHank

DrHank

Well-Known Member
What you have is a needlewheel skimmer. The air is drawn into the pump through the clear hose. It's chopped up by the impeller in the pump. It's then sent into the body of the skimmer through the elbow. The pipe with the foam collar should move up and down. That adjusts the water level in the skimmer. You want to start out with the water level at the bottom of the neck of the skimmer. The bubbles will create foam that will gradually work its way up and spill over the top of the clear pipe on the inside of the skimmer. The bubbles will pick up the gunk that is in the water and move it in the foam into the collection cup.

When the cup fills, you remove it from the skimmer and clean it out. The little black device on the end of the clear tube is a valve that you can turn one way to increase the bubbles in the skimmer and the other way to reduce the bubbles.

Hope that helps. By the way, I can turn a screw and flip pancakes, but not both at the same time.:whstlr:
 
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