need help with new skimmer before i smash it..

[queenbee]

my tunze skimmer broke so after researching for 3 days i decided to go with the coralvue super reef octopus XP1000 hob.well the the thing keeps on over flowing with bubbles.today i woke up to my floor soaked before i had to leave for work.there are so many bubbles it pushes the cap off the top of the cup.i rigged up a hose to the drain at the bottom of the collection cup and i have it draining back into the tank.i have been dealing with this for the past week.i called coralvue and he said it is because of the tap water conditioner i am using which is api tap water conditioner.i told him it was overflowing before i added the conditioner to which he replied conditioner will never leave your water.that the skimmer is over flowing because it is trying to remove it.i read that this can happen and that some people turn their skimmer off for a couple days after a water change.he also said to use prime from now on.if this is true then my 64 gallons of pre made saltwater is unuseable i keep telling my self it is new and is just breaking in but if i cant even have it on (because of the overflowing )how will it break in.the tank is 92g it's been running for almost 2 years.i do not have a sump i have a 405 fluval canister i also use tap water.just want a easy setup ya know.funny thing is when i 1st set it up i did it wrong so it didnt have a full syphon to the pump and it worked great for 2 days then the syphon broke.i am considering returning it because it is to sensitive, my tunze never did this.because this skimmer is new there are no vidoes on it or really any talk.i dont know what to do.if it is over skimming because of the conditioner would i have to drain the tank to remove it?

[reefornot2reef]

Its breaking in this will go on for about a week or more I suggest you sat it l water intake to low

[degibson84]

it is just breaking in and working hard to remove oils from the plastic and other DOC that the old skimmer may not have been removing. i have heard of people doing vinegar soaks on new skimmers to remove the oils from the plastic before using so there isn't as long as a break in period.

[reefer gladness]

I see alot of these posts regarding HoB filters, skimmers, refugiums, etc. Because most reef tanks are drilled the majority of the products like skimmers are intended to be placed in a sump leaving a short selection of HoB products that generally seem to have compromised performance compared to their sump-dwelling cousins.

Two suggestions, stop using tap water and get yourself an RO/DI unit. And consider picking up a drilled tank and drilled sump. If you're patient there's a good chance something will turn up on craigslist. We've seen some amazing deals turn up on craigslist from people moving or getting out of the hobby.

[degibson84]

I see alot of these posts regarding HoB filters, skimmers, refugiums, etc. Because most reef tanks are drilled the majority of the products like skimmers are intended to be placed in a sump leaving a short selection of HoB products that generally seem to have compromised performance compared to their sump-dwelling cousins.

Two suggestions, stop using tap water and get yourself an RO/DI unit. And consider picking up a drilled tank and drilled sump. If you're patient there's a good chance something will turn up on craigslist. We've seen some amazing deals turn up on craigslist from people moving or getting out of the hobby.

this is some good advice. not even going to craigslist just people that knew we were reefers contacted us and in the last month we bought two complete set ups for $1000 a 300g and a 155g. $500 for each both tanks are drilled with sumps and we are in the process of putting them all together at the same time.

[ddelozier]

I have a Reef Octopus xp2000. Raise the level of the cup, and or turn the return elbo so the water level inside the skimmer is lower.

[queenbee]

wow thanks for all the response's.yeah i wish the tank was drilled but it's not.i bought it cause it was on clearence for $250.00 corner tank top and stand.thanks guy's you have given me hope.i took the top of the cup off and put my tunze cup on top of this one and it seems to be keeping the bubbles in

[queenbee]

Skimmer is working awsome took like 2 1/2 weeks to break in though.what i did was i ran a hose from the collection cup and ran it into the tank the 1st week.Then i took the hose and had it empty into a big bucket and i just let it skim like crazy till bed i did this for another week or more.Then finally ugh it was working!!Oh and one thing i learned is to turn down the skimmer when feeding frozen food's man did i have a mess to clean up

[queenbee]

Oh and what color should the skimmate/crap in the collection cup be? sometimes i set it to be really dark thick green then sometimes kinda like a tea color?When i have it set for that tea-ish color the cup fills up fast,like 5-7 hours.i dont know what the heck it should be at lol

[ddelozier]

the skimmate on my Reef Octopus hob skimmer varies depending on the height of the cup. When the cup is first emptied, and the skimmer started, the skimmate is a weak tea or light green color. It tends to darken. I run my cup high, becase i prefere a dark dry skimmate.

[BLADEYAMAHA]

Let it break in first, a week or two.