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02/20/2017, 07:03 PM | #1 |
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Skimmer is just fizzing - no foam
The last couple days I have been fighting with my skimmer. It's just fizzing, and rarely produces the "foam" like it should. Here you can see pics of where I have the "fizz" line, near the top up in the big cup, and the water line you can see is near the bottom of the main body, with lots of bubbles in between. Any ideas why it's just fizzing?
It's a simplicity DC120 skimmer. |
02/20/2017, 10:47 PM | #2 |
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Whats the salinity?
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02/21/2017, 04:14 AM | #3 |
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Like always parameters of your tank help. Im sure you probably checked but, possible obstruction (venturi, piece of lint from sock in needle wheel/impeller...etc). Also, have you had your hands in the tank a lot lately? Oils in the skin can effect the elasticity of the foam in a skimmer, same thing if you were eating or cooking and then put your hands in the tank. Smaller the tank the more susceptible it can be to that kinda problem. A regular water change can help depending on problem. Ooo, lol... if you can use a small, soft bristle, old (cleaned) tooth brush or aquarium safe sponge and clean out that skimmer throat a bit. Help keep the efficiency of that cone up. Good luck!
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02/21/2017, 07:12 AM | #4 |
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02/21/2017, 07:13 AM | #5 | |
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02/21/2017, 07:14 AM | #6 |
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Parameters:
0 ammonia 0 nitrite 20 nitrate Phosphate 1.06 (high) Calc 380 Mag 1340 Alk 9.6 |
02/21/2017, 11:07 AM | #7 |
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how high is the water in the skimmer area? Normally adjusting the skimmer output will shoot the foam up, in your case the water line of the skimmer is way low IMO.
drop some RO water in the air line, I doubt there's blockage there since you have a nice mixture of air/water by the images |
02/21/2017, 11:23 AM | #8 |
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It's possible there is an issue within the water. Run some fresh carbon. You might want to inspect your aquarium products to verify that they are in good working order and not leaching anything into the tank. If all is well, I would sit back and enjoy. The skimmer seems to be working nicely.
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02/21/2017, 11:23 AM | #9 |
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Skimmers will act this way after your hands have been in the tank, or the neck has just been cleaned, etc. Assuming you have made sure there is no air blockage or anything all you can really do is set the level and wait it out, it may take 1/2 day or something to settle in. It's also possible there is nothing much left to skim if you have a light bioload.
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02/21/2017, 12:30 PM | #10 |
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Thanks for the advice all. I did not feed the tank much the last 2 days, there are 3 fish plus CUC, coral, nem, etc. It's a 43 gallon reefer 170. I also cleaned out the neck really good as advised. The water line is in the picture, and yea it's pretty low. I can also try to raise the water line and see if that helps. I'll report back how it goes! I just fed the tank frozen foods and reef roids so the skimmer should pull something now when it turns back on.
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02/21/2017, 02:13 PM | #11 |
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How does your water look? It could be that it's just pretty clean water and nothing to make it skim
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02/21/2017, 03:40 PM | #12 | |
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02/21/2017, 04:31 PM | #13 |
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I mean I guess it's possible? With 20 nitrate and 1.00 phosphate though I guess I was expecting there would be more in the water column for the skimmer to pull. I made adjustments and no change so far. After I fed the tank today, the skimmer pulled a bit of foam for a while but is back to fizz again.
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02/21/2017, 04:42 PM | #14 |
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I made a new food that added fish oi into it, it leaves a light film and ever since no foam..... Gotta figure that out.
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02/21/2017, 05:28 PM | #15 | ||
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02/21/2017, 05:51 PM | #16 |
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This is why I believe a skimmer can be too big.
Once it settles in and the tank gets some filth going, it will be better. I have found carbon dosing even a little bit helps with skimmate production also. |
02/21/2017, 05:57 PM | #17 |
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02/21/2017, 07:15 PM | #18 |
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Yea it's a light bioload so far. I have an orchid dottyback in QT that will be a 4th fish.
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02/21/2017, 09:45 PM | #19 |
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As others noted, your load is really low (virtually non existent) plus that skimmer is way oversized for your tank and load. There isn't enough dissolved organics left in the water for the skimmer to generate enough foam to fill the neck. In the absence of DOC's, the skimmer can't make foam since there aren't enough proteins to bind the bubbles together. Instead the skimmer will generate bubbles that burst at the surface just as it's doing now. That skimmer will never be very consistent on your tank and it won't skim well until the dissolved organics build back up at which point it will skim for a few days and then drop off again just as it's done now. Unfortunately it's not an ideal ideal skimmer for a tank the size of yours especially with such a low load unless you like your dissolved organics to be all over the map and elevated more than they should be. You will need upwards of 10x the fish in that tank to have it reasonably consistent based on it's specs which would be overstocking the tank. Your best bet would be to get a skimmer that is more appropriately sized for your display.
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02/21/2017, 10:08 PM | #20 | |
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02/21/2017, 10:34 PM | #21 | |
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02/22/2017, 10:30 PM | #22 |
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I ordered an icecap k2-50 today. Seems like a popular choice for the reefer 170. It also has a tiny footprint so it gives me more flexibility in my sump.
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03/12/2018, 03:33 PM | #23 |
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How do u like the k2-50. How good is it performing
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03/13/2018, 06:21 PM | #24 |
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Little Help: My skimmer on my dc120 just went out and I cant read the label on the top of the skimmer. Would you mind taking a look? Whats the model number? is it the vsc1200 or the vsc2000? I would really appreciate it.
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03/14/2018, 09:49 PM | #25 |
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there is an air intake on it Looks like a white screw. make sure its not turned down(closed). If it is slowly open until optimal height and consistency. Thanks
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