zygote2k May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 I have an ASM G1x skimmer with a less than 6 month old pump that barely makes any skimmate (about 1/2" per week). The pump has been cleaned, the main body has some scale and critter build up, but nothing significant, the air hose is clear and the frothy water is halfway up the collection neck. No matter what I do, it just doesn't produce much skimmate. Nitrates are creeping up too. Any suggestions/pointers/help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 How do the bubbles look, nice and fine as they should be? Anything in the system that could be causing the nitrate rise like dirty foam pre-filters or dirty filter socks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k May 3, 2010 Author Share May 3, 2010 I'm sure the inefficiency of the skimmer is causing a rise in nitrates- there are no mechanical filters of any type on the system. There's about 300# of liverock and 3-4" of sand on the bottom. It gets regular 10% w/c weekly. Feeding is handled by an auto-feeder with the exception of daily nori for the tangs. The frothy mix looks like it is supposed to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabrego May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 How large is the systems water volume? How much livestock? Did the skimmate issue just start or has it always been a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k May 3, 2010 Author Share May 3, 2010 150 gallons, skimmate has gone down about 3 months ago. 12 fish- one of which is Buttercup. An otherwise healthy reef tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabrego May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 Sounds like the problem I was having and still have sometimes with my euro reef RS 135. Do you use an air valve? What is the water level relative to the skimmer body? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 Are the bubbles collecting and rising up the neck or does it act like the surface tension has been broken. What SG is the tank at? A drop in SG negatively affects skimmer performance. If you take a power head and blow at the rocks do you see a lot of detritus? Maybe there isn't enough circulation to keep the particles in suspension long enough for the skimmer to remove them. They instead settle in the main tank and breakdown creating the nitrates. Good flow in the sump is also important for that same reason. Could the tank's live rock or sand bed be releasing stored nitrates. Any new fish that have started to dig at the sand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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