Changing 75 gallon over to Reef:Questions
- Thread starter felixpaws
- Start date
LOL It happens.
Yeah, there should definitely be far more bubbles than what's in the pic.
I believe, that only one shaft is broken. I am running an air pump to both skimmers, and not sure how else to run it. If I take the airpump off it overflows into the collection cup. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.:wall:
I found a site with instructions for them, and it states that the airline cap should be removed, but that didn't help, at all. Both filters rattle, a lot, but that may be due to the air being forced into the powerhead. I've looked, online, and can't find anyone who is selling an impeller or new powerhead of this type. The whole unit set me back less than $50, and I'm tempted to just buy a third unit, and replace the one with the broken shaft. The zoa is still alive, today. I do my 10% water change, tomorrow. I have mixed up my saltwater, already. I'll clean the filter cartridges of any particulate matter(there was some newspaper that I couldn't remove, from shipping). All my lights are on for 10 hours, now. Should I lessen them, and adjust how long the different spectrum lights are on? The lights are on timers, and I can adjust them so that only two come on at a time(simulating dawn/dusk, or so that actinic are on, but not 1200K). The only problem is that I have mixed the 1200K, with actinic, as far as order goes. I was trying to even out the colors, and get the same lighting consistency, so, if the first set of two bulbs come on, it's actinic, and 1200K, and same with the other two, sets of two. Should I just have one set of actinic, one set of 1200K, and one mixed? How long should daylength be? I'm already getting brown diatoms, and it's been less than a week. I've already made the mistake of throwing a few NLS marine pellets in, and some omega one color enhancing flakes(not on the same day, and only once, for each). Looks like I'm off to a bad start. :newbie: It's two separate skimmers, so, two pumps. I may have broken both impeller shafts. They're pretty cheap. The air pump is pumping so much air in that the tube connecting the powerhead to the main body doesn't fill, entirely. If I decrease the air flow, it overflows. If I adjust the water level, it still overflows. AAARGGH! :1zhelp:
I found a site with instructions for them, and it states that the airline cap should be removed, but that didn't help, at all. Both filters rattle, a lot, but that may be due to the air being forced into the powerhead. I've looked, online, and can't find anyone who is selling an impeller or new powerhead of this type. The whole unit set me back less than $50, and I'm tempted to just buy a third unit, and replace the one with the broken shaft. The zoa is still alive, today. I do my 10% water change, tomorrow. I have mixed up my saltwater, already. I'll clean the filter cartridges of any particulate matter(there was some newspaper that I couldn't remove, from shipping). All my lights are on for 10 hours, now. Should I lessen them, and adjust how long the different spectrum lights are on? The lights are on timers, and I can adjust them so that only two come on at a time(simulating dawn/dusk, or so that actinic are on, but not 1200K). The only problem is that I have mixed the 1200K, with actinic, as far as order goes. I was trying to even out the colors, and get the same lighting consistency, so, if the first set of two bulbs come on, it's actinic, and 1200K, and same with the other two, sets of two. Should I just have one set of actinic, one set of 1200K, and one mixed? How long should daylength be? I'm already getting brown diatoms, and it's been less than a week. I've already made the mistake of throwing a few NLS marine pellets in, and some omega one color enhancing flakes(not on the same day, and only once, for each). Looks like I'm off to a bad start. :newbie: It's two separate skimmers, so, two pumps. I may have broken both impeller shafts. They're pretty cheap. The air pump is pumping so much air in that the tube connecting the powerhead to the main body doesn't fill, entirely. If I decrease the air flow, it overflows. If I adjust the water level, it still overflows. AAARGGH! :1zhelp:
Woo-Hoo!!!
So, based on your post that it wasn't enough foam(after searching through a hundred websites, and e-mailing the aquatraders website), I went to my skimmers, and tried adjusting them, again...and(drumroll, please?) I have foam, no noise, and it's running great! :clap::y220e::hi:
::rofl:
:woot::dance: I plan on leaving the level in the chamber low, until I'm sure it won't overflow, but I'm totally, stoked! (nevermind the 80's surfer reference) Is it more possible, now, than before, that the zoa will survive? Now, I just need to put the foam filters back on, to reduce micro-bubbles. So, my advice to others, with this skimmer:Attach an air pump, replace the air inlet knob for a better air valve(I used my penguin 550 venturi knob, adjust the level, to make sure it doesn't overflow(this will need to be done, often. I adjusted it at least ten times, over two or three days.), let it run crappy, for a few days, then, try adjusting the airflow. My impeller is broken, and running loose in the shaft, and it still works, beyond my expectations(and let me tell you, it hasn't even, really, started to produce foam, yet.). Let it break in.
So, based on your post that it wasn't enough foam(after searching through a hundred websites, and e-mailing the aquatraders website), I went to my skimmers, and tried adjusting them, again...and(drumroll, please?) I have foam, no noise, and it's running great! :clap::y220e::hi:
::rofl::woot::dance: I plan on leaving the level in the chamber low, until I'm sure it won't overflow, but I'm totally, stoked! (nevermind the 80's surfer reference) Is it more possible, now, than before, that the zoa will survive? Now, I just need to put the foam filters back on, to reduce micro-bubbles. So, my advice to others, with this skimmer:Attach an air pump, replace the air inlet knob for a better air valve(I used my penguin 550 venturi knob, adjust the level, to make sure it doesn't overflow(this will need to be done, often. I adjusted it at least ten times, over two or three days.), let it run crappy, for a few days, then, try adjusting the airflow. My impeller is broken, and running loose in the shaft, and it still works, beyond my expectations(and let me tell you, it hasn't even, really, started to produce foam, yet.). Let it break in.During the break in yuo are going to get a bunch of faom just rolling over the edge even when its turned all the way down. This is just as simple as your tank being full of nutrients that the skimmer is trying to preocess. The tank hasnt ahd a skimmer on it before so its going crazy trying to keep up.
You need to have a bunch of saltwater and freshwater made up to top off with to comensate for the loss of the water that will overflow for the first while until it starts to get things under control.
You will notice the same thing happens, but to a lesser extent every time you feed your tank, especially coral food.
You need to have a bunch of saltwater and freshwater made up to top off with to comensate for the loss of the water that will overflow for the first while until it starts to get things under control.
You will notice the same thing happens, but to a lesser extent every time you feed your tank, especially coral food.
Thanks! I didn't know all of that. I've been having problems with keeping it from overflowing, like crazy. I did a 10 gallon water change, today. When I re-started the skimmers they wouldn't stop overflowing, again. I've lowered the water level, and increased the air flow. I was hoping it just needed to build up some proteins on the walls(what people call breaking in, maybe?), so that it won't pop the bubbles before they can reach the top, and enter the collection cup. I'll try letting it overflow with weak bubbles, and empty the cup, often. I let it run all night, and I didn't get any foam out of it. When I first adjusted it, yesterday, it foamed fine. Really dry foam. I saw, on youtube, that the best height for the water was just at the top of the reaction chamber. Is this correct? Can someone tell me how long should I have my day length, and how should the bulbs be arranged? Should I start a new thread for that or just continue, here? The salinity went down a little. I assume it's from cleaning the filter cartridges, and floss, and not letting them drip dry enough. I tried to raise the salinity of the change water, to offset the imbalance, but it didn't work. It's still below 1.025. Any suggestions? I planned on letting some water evaporate, to raise salinity. Is this a bad idea?
just top off with saltwater instead of freshwater until you get the salinity you are looking for. this way it doesnt jump quickly.
Yes the microbubbles should be right at the top of the reaction chamber and the foaming bubbles should work thier way up the tube from there
Yes the microbubbles should be right at the top of the reaction chamber and the foaming bubbles should work thier way up the tube from there
You can keep asking questions in this same thread... The title isn't specific to just one or two questions, so you're welcome to keep asking questions here all together in one place and it shouldn't create any confusion.
It's ok if you don't have the bulbs arranged so the switches work out to actinics only and daylights only. The bulbs can be arranged however you want them to be to get the overall effect you like. You can still use the timers to have smaller amounts of bulbs come on at first and stay on longer than when all the lights are running. Ultimately, I wouldn't recommend running at max lighting (all bulbs on) more than 8 hours a day. Reduced lighting (typically thought of as actinics only) can be any reasonable time period before and after that you're ok with, and I've seen people go as short as 30 minutes and as long as 2 hours. There's a lot of personal preference involved.
It's ok if you don't have the bulbs arranged so the switches work out to actinics only and daylights only. The bulbs can be arranged however you want them to be to get the overall effect you like. You can still use the timers to have smaller amounts of bulbs come on at first and stay on longer than when all the lights are running. Ultimately, I wouldn't recommend running at max lighting (all bulbs on) more than 8 hours a day. Reduced lighting (typically thought of as actinics only) can be any reasonable time period before and after that you're ok with, and I've seen people go as short as 30 minutes and as long as 2 hours. There's a lot of personal preference involved.
Thank you!
Both those suggestions are really appreciated. For some reason, I just didn't think to top off with saltwater. One problem, though. Since I have glass lids, I don't need to top up, often. It's hot, this week, so, I hope I'll need to. Will a salinity(is it salinity if you measure with a refractometer or Standard Gravity, I forget, and keep forgetting to check my instructions.) slightly lower than 1.025 be a problem? I believe it's between 1.025, and 1.020. I'm using those cheap dip, and test strips, and it shows everything in acceptable parameters(alkalinity, PH, nitrate, but not ammonia). How long should it take, before I start showing high nitrates, and nitrites? I figured on waiting a month, before I added some snails, and a hermit crab or two. I've heard some bad press on the blue legged hermits, so, I plan to add only a couple, and see how it goes. (Plus, on my 40 gallon, years ago, my blue legged killed all the snails, and then each other for they're shells, so, I'm a bit hesitant.) Should I turn on two bulbs, then two more after 15 minutes, the final two after 30 minutes, and the reverse at lights out, with the total amount of time at 8 hours? Does it matter which order? Say, front to back or back to front? I'm starting to get some algae growth(brown diatoms), and some macroalgae(on the live rock. They look like a tiny pine trees). I'll reset the time, tonight. The Zoa is still alive, but seems smaller, today. Of course, the lights hadn't been on for long, when i looked at it. Lots of pods running around. Some bristleworms, and a mini-starfish. I saw a small worm of some kind, also. Cool stuff. Thanks.
Both those suggestions are really appreciated. For some reason, I just didn't think to top off with saltwater. One problem, though. Since I have glass lids, I don't need to top up, often. It's hot, this week, so, I hope I'll need to. Will a salinity(is it salinity if you measure with a refractometer or Standard Gravity, I forget, and keep forgetting to check my instructions.) slightly lower than 1.025 be a problem? I believe it's between 1.025, and 1.020. I'm using those cheap dip, and test strips, and it shows everything in acceptable parameters(alkalinity, PH, nitrate, but not ammonia). How long should it take, before I start showing high nitrates, and nitrites? I figured on waiting a month, before I added some snails, and a hermit crab or two. I've heard some bad press on the blue legged hermits, so, I plan to add only a couple, and see how it goes. (Plus, on my 40 gallon, years ago, my blue legged killed all the snails, and then each other for they're shells, so, I'm a bit hesitant.) Should I turn on two bulbs, then two more after 15 minutes, the final two after 30 minutes, and the reverse at lights out, with the total amount of time at 8 hours? Does it matter which order? Say, front to back or back to front? I'm starting to get some algae growth(brown diatoms), and some macroalgae(on the live rock. They look like a tiny pine trees). I'll reset the time, tonight. The Zoa is still alive, but seems smaller, today. Of course, the lights hadn't been on for long, when i looked at it. Lots of pods running around. Some bristleworms, and a mini-starfish. I saw a small worm of some kind, also. Cool stuff. Thanks.