Bubble king mini 180

[Pedro3178]

Came across this forum and wondered if someone could please give me some advice.

I have a bubble king 180 that I am having an issue with. I have came down three separate mornings now to find my skimmers water level as dropped all the way down with hardly any foam at all , if I turn off skimmer and turn back on it returns to normal operation with no other adjustments at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pedro3178

Came across this forum and wondered if someone could please give me some advice.

I have a bubble king 180 that I am having an issue with. I have came down three separate mornings now to find my skimmers water level as dropped all the way down with hardly any foam at all , if I turn off skimmer and turn back on it returns to normal operation with no other adjustments at all.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

First thing I would do is take the pump completely apart, remove the impeller and clean it thoroughly by soaking it in vinegar for no more than 10 minutes and give the impeller a good scrub with a soft dish brush and scrub the inside of the magnet cavity with a tooth brush. You want it looking like new when you are done. Don’t soak the o-rings though. Remove any o-rings before soaking in vinegar. Also check the venturi port where the airline connects to the pump for salt creep. Make sure you remove and clean the bearing insidethe block as well (remove that o-ring before soaking the bearing in vinegar) and scrub the end of the impeller shaft below the magnet. Post 2 of this thread discusses the bearing.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2573406

Lastly, if there is any feeding at night such as mysis, that will kill the foam head for up to several hours. Are there any other things going on in your tank at night? Maybe microbubble scrubbing or something else that could impact surface tension of the water?

[Pedro3178]

Thank you for the reply

I did take the skimmer apart to check for anything but it was all clean , I did use a soft toothbrush just to clean while I was there but I only removed the first part of the pump body at the front ( 3 screws hold it on ) I didn’t disassemble the impeller as it all look clean, I also didn’t soak anything , just gave it all a good clean. The skimmer has only been in use for 2 weeks now.

I do feed mysis and know exactly what you mean, the skimmer will stop foaming and simply drop down to my set water line for an hour or so then returns to normal. The issue I have is not that it’s not skimming but the actual water level drops so low in the chamber to around 4 inch above the pump with hardly any foam , when I power down skimmer , wait a minute, power back on it instantly returns to normal with no other adjustment, it’s as if the pump has lost some power.

Oh, I have the skimmer in 21cm of water.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pedro3178

Thank you for the reply

I did take the skimmer apart to check for anything but it was all clean , I did use a soft toothbrush just to clean while I was there but I only removed the first part of the pump body at the front ( 3 screws hold it on ) I didn’t disassemble the impeller as it all look clean, I also didn’t soak anything , just gave it all a good clean. The skimmer has only been in use for 2 weeks now.

I do feed mysis and know exactly what you mean, the skimmer will stop foaming and simply drop down to my set water line for an hour or so then returns to normal. The issue I have is not that it’s not skimming but the actual water level drops so low in the chamber to around 4 inch above the pump with hardly any foam , when I power down skimmer , wait a minute, power back on it instantly returns to normal with no other adjustment, it’s as if the pump has lost some power.

Oh, I have the skimmer in 21cm of water.

Did you buy this skimmer new? If not, I would pull the impeller out. Heck, i would pull it out anyways just to make sure the bearing is inserted properly and to give it a thorough inspection. Also, take a look at the inside of the pump cover as well as the face of the needle wheel to make sure the impeller isn't hitting the inside of the pump cover. To me it sounds like you get getting some friction in there or possibly some air blockage since you are noting a lack of foam. Friction typically comes from inside the magnet cavity and or where the end of the shaft sits in the bearing. If you bought it used, the other thing to check is the foam filter in the silencer. I would take the silencer apart, clean the foam in some water, let it dry out and then put the silencer back together. While you are at it, inspect the pipe inside the silencer for dust and blockages.

[Pedro3178]

Hi,

I bought skimmer from a friend, he was planning an upgrade that didn’t happen due to personal circumstances, he sold it to me and I am the first to use it since he bought it around 6-7 months ago, he has offered me my money back but I feel this is probably something simple...

I have stripped it done again and will add pictures . The bearing did not come out with impellar and I didn’t want to force it, it looks clean and seated correct though. I could see a way to take silencer apart ?

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[Pedro3178]

[slief]

It definitely looks pretty clean. It's hard to fell from the pictures of the needle wheel if rubbing was in issue. Does it look to you like the needle wheel rubbed on the inside of the volute? You might be able to see marks on the inside of the volute if that was the case. How old is this skimmer? Also, how many fish are in the tank and how much are you closing the wedge pipe to keep the level up inside the skimmer?

[slief]

Pedro,
I replied to your questions via email as I was forwarded your correspondence from Germany.

[Pedro3178]

Originally Posted by slief

Pedro,
I replied to your questions via email as I was forwarded your correspondence from Germany.

Ah! Thank you...

I had a good look and I certainly can’t see any marks or what looked like rubbing of any kind.

I would need to check when I get home but if I remember correct it’s about 3/4 closed to get the level up in the skimmer. The skimmer was purchased January this year.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pedro3178

Ah! Thank you...

I had a good look and I certainly can’t see any marks or what looked like rubbing of any kind.

I would need to check when I get home but if I remember correct it’s about 3/4 closed to get the level up in the skimmer. The skimmer was purchased January this year.

I am thinking you are going to need to raise your sump level so that the skimmer is in deeper water. Three-quarter closed is way too much. When the load in the system is too low relative to the skimmer size, the skimmer will need to be in deeper water and this is to be expected since this skimmer is pretty well oversized for your current display size. This skimmer is best suited for at least a 100 gallon or 400 liter display with a very heavy load (1/2” of fish per gallon or about 50” of fish) to maintain proper foam fractioning which has a direct impact on the level inside the skimmer. The more waste in the water the less depth needed for the skimmer to maintain a proper level inside the skimmer body without having to restrict the output as much. What’s likely happening is that a siphon is being generated out of the drain side of the skimmer due to the waste pipe been closed so much and restricting the flow out of the skimmer. It can take several hours or more for a siphon to develop but once the surface tension of the water is just right a siphon can form and out the skimmers drain pipe and that will drop the level inside the skimmer down within a couple inches of the level of the drain pipe. I would raise the sump level enough so that you have the wedge pipe no more than half closed. In fact I would raise the sump level to the point where the water level inside the skimmer is up to about 2 inches below the white part that the collection cup sits on with the wedge pipe wide open. That would be your driest skim setting and you would only have to close the wedge pipe fraction to adjust the skim wetter. My guess is that you will need to raise the level in the sump several CM’s so that you can raise the level up to that point while the wedge is wide open.

[Pedro3178]

I can't really tell how much its closed but here is a picture of it for you.....




I have it now sitting in around 24cm of water.

My fish stock is as follows...

2 tangs ( one large and one medium )
3 trigger fish ( two large and one medium )
2 Clown fish
6 Blue chromis

Feeding is pellets twice a day then mysis once , around 2-3 cubes.

If this happens again i will take a video this time before i turn off.

What i did notice tonight was in the clear plastic tube going from silencer to pump was air bubbles inside it? i don't know if this is normal or not.

Thank you

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pedro3178

I can't really tell how much its closed but here is a picture of it for you.....


I have it now sitting in around 24cm of water.

My fish stock is as follows...

2 tangs ( one large and one medium )
3 trigger fish ( two large and one medium )
2 Clown fish
6 Blue chromis

Feeding is pellets twice a day then mysis once , around 2-3 cubes.

If this happens again i will take a video this time before i turn off.

What i did notice tonight was in the clear plastic tube going from silencer to pump was air bubbles inside it? i don't know if this is normal or not.

Thank you

That looks to be closed a lot. I would suggest raising your sump level as I mentioned above. You are restricting the output more than it should be. Your fish load is really really low for that sized skimmer. Regarding the air in the silicone hose, that should subside once you get it settle back in but I would remove the silencer and make sure the silicone tube is connected to the bottom of it and not kinked inside the wedge pipe and or between the wedge pipe and the pump.

[Pedro3178]

Update.....

I have not had any issues at all since increasing water level slightly, I now have constant foam at the neck and nice dark skimmate. I have fed heavy on mysis just to be sure, level drops to set water level and returns to normal after around 40 min.

Your help and time was very much appreciated

[slief]

Originally Posted by Pedro3178

Update.....

I have not had any issues at all since increasing water level slightly, I now have constant foam at the neck and nice dark skimmate. I have fed heavy on mysis just to be sure, level drops to set water level and returns to normal after around 40 min.

Your help and time was very much appreciated

Great to hear! It should also be much easier to fine tune now too with the deeper sump level and the wedge pipe open much more.