Sorry But I Have Another Skimmer Question

[craigybaby37]

Sorry to be a pain but ive got another question about my V2 120 nano skimmer......had it set up since last tuesday and it was filling the collection cup every 3 to 4 days...........and this morning i emptied the collection cup and when i come home from work at 5 and the collection cup was almost full with foam squeezing out the lid of the collection cup??

Is there any reason to why it should be filling up so fast???

 

[jeasko]

if the nano is anything like the v2 400 it will likely take approx 2 weeks to settle properly, the v2 range seem to be prone to this but there are no hard and fast rules, like wise you may be skiming a little to wet, personally at this point i would turn it down slightly if possible then build it back up slowly so that the foam in the venturi cup is about half way again.

just have to give it time im afraid.

 

[craigybaby37]

Have had a play around with the water adjuster and have dropped it down so that now the bubbles are finishing half way up the collar inside the colection cup.

Think it may of just been overflowing into the collection cup as the foam was getting very close to the top of the collar.

 

[SkiFletch]

Ah the wonders of physics and chemistry . The amount of foam made by a venturi-injected skimmer is directly related to the surface tension of water, the amount of dissolved organics, the speed of the impeller, and the amount of oils suspended in the water. And since all these values are changing rapidly in a new tank with a new skimmer, the rate of bubble creation will change drastically too. If more foam is creatd, you skim wet and can get out of the top of the cup, if less foam is created, you skim dry and may not be effective... Solution, wait a few weeks for the tank to settle into more of a steady state and let the powerhead get a little dirty and gummed up. That way it will at least spin at the same speed and make your life much easier.

In a pinch, if the skimmer is really going nuts, stick your hands in the tank and move them around a bit. The oils from your skin inhibit bubble formation and will temporarily quiet a skimmer. Might give it enough time to settle back down to normal

 

[craigybaby37]

so ive just got to keep an eye on it everyday and then adjust it accordingly. thanks for that at least i know whats going on now.

 

[jeasko]

now why did i guess you would know the answer to why this happens ski on a more serious note its good to know for future info as well, cheers for answering that one ski

 

[craigybaby37]

ha ha yea ski always has the answer....cant say ive seen him stumped on anything yet.

 

[SkiFletch]

And now that I'm a moderator, all stumpings can be stealthily removed

J/K, nobody's perfect, not even me. I'm still learning every day in this hobby too

 

[craigybaby37]

Yea ime very new to the hobby and 8 months in and ime still learning lots.......skimmer seems to be gettin better its only filled half the collection cup today.

When people talk about air to water and weather its skimming wet or dry do you go by where the water goes to bubbles or where the bubbles meet the air???

Because if i go by where the bubbles meet the air the water turning to bubbles is below where the collar starts in the collection cup, And if i have it so that the water to bubbles is half way up the collar in the collection cup this is when the water overflows into the collection cup filling it up very quickly and ime sure its not doing its job properly this way.

 

[emsvaughan]

Ive just bought the V2 400. and have the same thing. i emptied the cup last night at 9pm, and when I came down this morning at 6 it was full again. Ive just turned it down a bit, and will play around with it, until its right

 

[jeasko]

emsvaughan

also you will be pleased to know that the v2 does get quieter with time as this was a big concern for me! but unfortunately you feel like your forever messing arround with it for the first few weeks!

and Ski thats just cheating

 

[emsvaughan]

emsvaughan

also you will be pleased to know that the v2 does get quieter with time as this was a big concern for me! but unfortunately you feel like your forever messing arround with it for the first few weeks!

and Ski thats just cheating

Now that is something that will be music to the Wife's ears, as I have taken over our living room with both my tanks. So it getting quieter will be good. Yeah I have been messing with it for the past few days, you really dont have to turn it much for it to alter either.

 

[SkiFletch]

When I say air-water interface I mean where water ends and bubbles start. Other people may define it differently

 

[craigybaby37]

thats ok then then as thats how ive been measuring it........seems to be setling down now so its all good, however there is one slight problem as the skimmer is designed to hinge from the bottom and come appart so you can clean the inside,pump etc but on the left hnd side of the unit whee the 2 halfs clip together there are tiny air bubbles escaping and getting blown around the tank. o well ill just hope that after time it gets gunked up an seals itself.