Skimmer Fluctuating

[MarkoD]

I've had my skimmer for about 6 months now. its a vertex in 250

it worked great up until couple weeks ago. i am unable to dial it in, it seems like most of the time the bubbles dont even reach the top of the skimmer cup.

and sometimes the bubbles fill up the cup and just sit there.

the foam seems too thick and the bubbles arent bursting it seems

any idea how to fix the issue?

[fishytime]

gonna ask the obvious questions.....have you cleaned the air intake recently?.....have you cleaned the skimmer body or pump?....

[MarkoD]

Originally Posted by fishytime

gonna ask the obvious question.....have you cleaned the air intake recently?.....have you cleaned the skimmer body or pump?....

yup i took it out and cleaned it all after i noticed it not working as well..... still not working well

[Proteus]

Have you added anything to your tank in the last month

[reefwars]

check to see if the pump is on tight, when the plumbing is not pushed together tight it will go out of whack. if you had it out for a cleaning and had the pump off just make sure its on there tight


if thats not it you could check inside to see if any arms or knubs are broken off inside on the impeller(??)

[MarkoD]

I haven't added anything really significant. And I took it apart to clean it because it wasn't working properly

[Arok3000]

I don't know if you checked it when you cleaned it, but mine does something similar about every 6 months.
Inside the venturi fitting, at the air input part, but in a really hard to reach place, I get salt buildup that impedes the flow of air sporadically. My bubbles will collapse, I'll adjust it, then they'll overflow with a bit more air, then I'll adjust it back. It drove me nuts until I eventually soaked it in vinegar and used a little pick to clean out the salt.

[bignose]

I have a in180 with the same problems. Tagging along.