Reef Octopus skimmer issue

[ebeez]

Hi there,
I have a FOWLR 120 gal with a 30 gal sump and I purchased a Reef Octopus Regal 150SSS earlier this year. The issue I am having is the skimmer will not keep a regular level in the neck. The water and bubble level rises (to the point where it overflows the cup) and then drops back down again. In summary it's like a roller coaster and I cannot get it to level off. I make 1/8th adjustments to it, leave it to see how it reacts and it will go a day or more with no reaction to the adjustment. Then all of a sudden it will overflow the cup. My PH and ALK levels are fairly static. Water level in the sump is fairly constant as well and I have an ATO set up. I did a cleaning inside and out thinking that may be the issue but still have the same behavior.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I could see if I had lots of changes going on in the tank but I don't. Wondering if the DC module is acting up? Instructing the motor to spin faster and slower? It had to be replaced already (1st month of purchase) as once you dialed down the speed you could not increase it again. Their customer service was great and they shipped me out a replacement asap.

Any help is appreciated.

[HuskerBioProf]

I have a 110sss and am having a heck of a time tuning it. It is getting closer, but it takes a lot of patience with small adjustments and waiting.

[ebeez]

I agree and most of the time I'm good with it.. this has been a painful experience of all the skimmers I have owned. I'm almost ready to dump it. It worked fine for 4-5 months but now it will not settle down.

[bif24701]

If your skimmer section has any fluctuations in water level then give up now. It won't work. Fairly stable ain't enough. Let me see your sump and skimmer. Also when I have trouble tuning a skimmer first things I do is raise it out of the water to the limit recommended by the manufacturer. Try that


Aaron

[C.Eymann]

+1 With what huskerbioprof said about the adjustments.

I was having a similar problem you are describing, skimmer is dialed in for weeks , then starts to overflow out of nowhere, like you, I though my pump was running variably,
However, what I found was that some type of build up was accumulating in the air inlet on the volute on the pump intake. No idea what it was as even an over night bath in vinegar didn't dissolve it, had to use a dental pick to scrape it out.
Still clue less as to what it was, but my solution to keep it from happening is when I remove the cup for cleaning(twice a week) I dunk the air inlet underwater, build up hasn't accumulated since.

[Bluefish9]

Is the skimmer newish? I had a 110 on my old reef tank. Skimmer was wildly inconsistent for a few weeks but then settled in and ran very well.

[ksed]

Check for salt creep in the venturi or and silencer.

[ebeez]

If your skimmer section has any fluctuations in water level then give up now. It won't work. Fairly stable ain't enough. Let me see your sump and skimmer. Also when I have trouble tuning a skimmer first things I do is raise it out of the water to the limit recommended by the manufacturer. Try that


Aaron

Hi Aaron,
Let me re-phrase then. My water level in the sump is static.. except when i do a feeding as everything shuts off including the skimmer. The skimmer is sitting at about 8 inches of I will elevate to 7 and see what happens (i believe 7-8.5 is the recommendation). Just bizarre that this occurs out of nowhere?

[ebeez]

Check for salt creep in the venturi or and silencer.

Hi ksed, Done ... and found a wad of it right at the inlet of the pump. I removed it..all clear now, lots of bubbles now just fluctuating like crazy!

[ebeez]

Is the skimmer newish? I had a 110 on my old reef tank. Skimmer was wildly inconsistent for a few weeks but then settled in and ran very well.

Hi bluefish9,
no its about 6 months old

[ebeez]

If your skimmer section has any fluctuations in water level then give up now. It won't work. Fairly stable ain't enough. Let me see your sump and skimmer. Also when I have trouble tuning a skimmer first things I do is raise it out of the water to the limit recommended by the manufacturer. Try that


Aaron

Hi Aaron,
Here is a picture of my skimmer in the sump. I have raised it and it's now exactly in 7 inches of water... the red line "pump on" (to the lower left hand corner) is the constant water level in the sump when the return pump is on. Will see how this works..

[bif24701]

Hi Aaron,

Here is a picture of my skimmer in the sump. I have raised it and it's now exactly in 7 inches of water... the red line "pump on" (to the lower left hand corner) is the constant water level in the sump when the return pump is on. Will see how this works..



Set your water level in the skimmer to just at the bottom of the removable cup, let it run there for a few days. DONT TOUCH IT! Lol. Let's see how it goes from there.


Aaron

[ebeez]

Well after some fiddling around this is what the skimmer is producing now.. more of what I am used to for the past 9 years in the hobby. I set the skimmer to the minimum water depth (7 inches), dialed the valve back down and sat and watched. I still don't why after all this time it decided to overflow :debi:

Thanks to all for the suggestions.. and a special shout out to Aaron!!

[HuskerBioProf]

Glad you got it figured out. I am getting closer on mine, but it isn't quite there yet.

[bif24701]

Well after some fiddling around this is what the skimmer is producing now.. more of what I am used to for the past 9 years in the hobby. I set the skimmer to the minimum water depth (7 inches), dialed the valve back down and sat and watched. I still don't why after all this time it decided to overflow :debi:



Thanks to all for the suggestions.. and a special shout out to Aaron!!

Thank you!

That's looking great! Let it run right there for a few days. Don't touch it! Lol. You have to let it break in. If after a week your Skimate is still so light make a tiny adjustment and let it work for another week. I also use a controller to ensure that my skimmer delays startup 2 min after power is restored for after I tune it back on. This allows the return pump time to get the water level in the sump to normal levels. If not it will overflow again.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160823/bdac35a07552f5cebe724e0cb0b93ec4.jpg

This is 2 days on my SRO-5000. The skimmer is in 7" of water, my air intake goes through a CO2 scrubber and this is the result. Reducing air intake, increases water intake and raises water level.


Aaron

[bif24701]

Glad you got it figured out. I am getting closer on mine, but it isn't quite there yet.



Can I see your skimmer and sump?


Aaron

[HuskerBioProf]

Can I see your skimmer and sump?


Aaron

I sent you a PM.

[tassod]

I'm having the same issue as the OP on my new Sro5000 Ext. does it matter if it's external?
Running a mag9 as a feed pump with a valve to dial it back. Does it matter if the output is submerged in the sump?

[bif24701]

I'm having the same issue as the OP on my new Sro5000 Ext. does it matter if it's external?
Running a mag9 as a feed pump with a valve to dial it back. Does it matter if the output is submerged in the sump?



Can I see a picture or video of your setup?

Are you dialing back the feed pump, or the skimmer out flow?


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[tassod]

Can I see a picture or video of your setup?

Are you dialing back the feed pump, or the skimmer out flow?


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Here are some pics:

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y420/tassod/Mobile%20Uploads/D66DC631-3F4D-47F6-B0BD-8B734744276F_zps4cfvzw8l.jpg (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/tassod/media/Mobile%20Uploads/D66DC631-3F4D-47F6-B0BD-8B734744276F_zps4cfvzw8l.jpg.html)

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y420/tassod/Mobile%20Uploads/48FF3CF9-678B-4360-8FA8-72F067698024_zpssvy4377j.jpg (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/tassod/media/Mobile%20Uploads/48FF3CF9-678B-4360-8FA8-72F067698024_zpssvy4377j.jpg.html)

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y420/tassod/Mobile%20Uploads/C343DC17-47C4-4972-961E-3315BAEEBBE0_zpsejoozpq2.jpg (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/tassod/media/Mobile%20Uploads/C343DC17-47C4-4972-961E-3315BAEEBBE0_zpsejoozpq2.jpg.html)

I have dialed back the feed pump because if i dont it just overflows continuously. I've also dialed back the output of the skimmer but whenever i feel i have it at the right level, a few minutes later its overflowing, then when i adjust the level down it comes down quite a bit to the level you see in the pics.

[roberthu526]

Do you happen to notice when it overflows and when the bubble level drops? I know some frozen food will cause bubble to increase and some will cause it to drop. LRS for example will cause a little overflow and PE my sis will usually cause a drop for me.


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[tassod]

Do you happen to notice when it overflows and when the bubble level drops? I know some frozen food will cause bubble to increase and some will cause it to drop. LRS for example will cause a little overflow and PE my sis will usually cause a drop for me.


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Actually, now that you mention this i did notice consistent drops when feeding PE my sis shrimp.

[tassod]

My previous pics are from last night, skimmer has not been touched all day today and this is where its at right now

http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y420/tassod/Mobile%20Uploads/1232A2BA-34DA-4AF2-8C4D-A0DAB8A924A7_zpsub56wnyo.jpg (http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/tassod/media/Mobile%20Uploads/1232A2BA-34DA-4AF2-8C4D-A0DAB8A924A7_zpsub56wnyo.jpg.html)

[roberthu526]

Actually, now that you mention this i did notice consistent drops when feeding PE my sis shrimp.



I think it's because the PE my sis is very oily. Every time I rinse the thawing cup I need to use hot water and fish soap. The bubble level usually remains low for a few hours then come back up. I never paid attention to how long it takes for the skimmer to get back to normal.
Also I am using a 150int model FYI.


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[bif24701]

Open the skimmer valve all the way, and the feed pump all the way. Slowly raise the water level with the skimmer valve.


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[tassod]

If i open the feed pump all the way, the skimmer just overflows. Since i have gotten home the level seems to have stabilized and i have not touched it since yesterday...i will report back if anything changes.

[bif24701]

If i open the feed pump all the way, the skimmer just overflows. Since i have gotten home the level seems to have stabilized and i have not touched it since yesterday...i will report back if anything changes.



It will over flow even with the out put valve wide open?


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[tassod]

It will over flow even with the out put valve wide open?


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Yes, the first day I installed it it was overflowing even with the output valve wide open, that is why i put a valve on the feed pump. I have not tried though since then opening the feed wide open although its pretty close to being that right now.

[tassod]

Well i got home today and it was overflowing again which triggered my float switch in the sump and shut it off. Where should my proper water level be? I'm assuming since this is external that the water level in the sump does not matter?

As far as it overflowing if the output valve is wide open, it will only do that if the re-circulation pump is on, should have been more clear on that.