Super Reef Octo Uers I NEED HELP ASAP

[rcdude1990]

hey guys i just got in the mail my sump so now im doing a little test drive before i place everything under the tank.

i have the super reef octo 3000 internal skimmer and a trigger systems36 sump ruby

thank god the skimmer fits and i got it running, my question is

the instructions say place it in 9" of water, but at that level of water the gate valve is about 3/4 submerged, i raised it with egg crate so that the gate valve is not submerged. from the outside of the sump i placed a ruler... the water level from the bottom of the sump to were the water is is 9.5inches... i placed 4 pieces of 1/4" egg crate under the skimmer so that means the skimmer is off the floor 1 inch. from the bottom of the skimmer to the water level is 8.5. so far so good? the gate valve like i said is a little tiny bit submerged

secondly, im going crazy on adjusting the gate valve. i powered the skimmer on and the bubbles i guess raised the water so much it was just going right into the skim cup. i quickly unplugged it and turned the gate valve all the way off.

so i restarted it and the level was about 2" shorter than the neck of the skimmer. i should be aiming for were the neck is right? meaning no water should be higher than the piece of take off to wash the cup right?

so right now i have the skimmer at that level, but the bubbles are not rising up, they just stay at the neck. usually big bubbles get pushed up and take gung out, but mines not doing it.
can it be because im using fresh brand new saltwater with LR i bought from a MR'er?ill try taking pics of it really quick

water level without skimmer on ( a little over 9.5")

Water level when skimmer is on (9.5")

skimmer bubble vs water level at neck

with skimmer cup off... so as you can see when i remove it its at the level were water just ends right there

gate valve under a little bit of water

is it placed already and set up correctly??
the picture that shows the bubble vs water level pic was taken after about 9 hours of the skimmer on.
is there just nothing to skim because its fresh mixed new salt water that was sitting in a bucket with the LR for about 3 days?

 

[fishman1069]

The skimmer is going to need time to break in. It usually takes a couple of days. You should be ok at the height you have it set at but if you have problems down the road, you might want to pull a couple of pieces of the eggcrate to get the correct water level

 

[rcdude1990]

ok pulling it out is not a problem, i thought i was doing something wrong lol, and what about the bubble vs water level inside the skimmer? is that at the correct height?

its sappose to be like that right? when im cleaning the cup i should just simply pull it off and clean it and not like lower the gate valve, pull it out clean it, then put it back and raise the gate valve right?

also if i pull pieces out down the road then the gate valve will be submerged unde rwater, is that a problem?

 

[robscool]

ok pulling it out is not a problem, i thought i was doing something wrong lol, and what about the bubble vs water level inside the skimmer? is that at the correct height?

its sappose to be like that right? when im cleaning the cup i should just simply pull it off and clean it and not like lower the gate valve, pull it out clean it, then put it back and raise the gate valve right?

also if i pull pieces out down the road then the gate valve will be submerged unde rwater, is that a problem?

Like the other member said, you will need at least a week, sometimes more, before these skimmers break in. As long as your gate valve is not completely submerged, this will likely not be an issue. You just don't want to have the gate valve submerged completely because that will cause back pressure in the skimmer body.

My advice is to leave the gate valve completely open for at least 1 week. Then every other day you adjust the gate valve by 1/4 turns (these SRO skimmers are VERY sensitive). The whole break in process will likely take 3 full weeks for you to get this tuned to the exact place you need it.

As for cleaning the collection cup. Once you have your gate valve set and tuned, do not move it. Just pull the collection cup off, clean, replace.

 

[rcdude1990]

Like the other member said, you will need at least a week, sometimes more, before these skimmers break in. As long as your gate valve is not completely submerged, this will likely not be an issue. You just don't want to have the gate valve submerged completely because that will cause back pressure in the skimmer body.

My advice is to leave the gate valve completely open for at least 1 week. Then every other day you adjust the gate valve by 1/4 turns (these SRO skimmers are VERY sensitive). The whole break in process will likely take 3 full weeks for you to get this tuned to the exact place you need it.

As for cleaning the collection cup. Once you have your gate valve set and tuned, do not move it. Just pull the collection cup off, clean, replace.

but with the gate valve fully open water goes all the way to the top of the skimmer and basically just overflows with water, so im basically pulling out water

 

[masterswimmer]

The skimmer vs water level is fine the way it is. I would not under any circumstance remove any of your egg crate to lower the skimmer in the sump (unless you change the material you use to a different material and keep it at that height). You don't want the gate valve submerged any more than it is.

I agree with the rest of the suggestions from robscool. Give the skimmer time to break in and slowly adjust the gate valve to fine tune the bubble level.

I believe you're using the opposite term to describe the function of the gate valve. When the gate valve is completely open, water will discharge through the gate valve without going up the skimmer neck at all. When the gate valve is closed, water will rise up the collection cup and pour out of the cup. When closed, water has no where to go but up, up, up the cup.

Russ

FYI, turning the gate valve knob counter-clockwise will open it up. Turning it clockwise will close it and water will rise in the skimmer.

 

[robscool]

but with the gate valve fully open water goes all the way to the top of the skimmer and basically just overflows with water, so im basically pulling out water

so the skimmer overflows regardless of whether or not the gate valve is fully open or fully closed?

 

[pappy1299]

The skimmer is in to deep of water. I have a sro2000 and I have it in 6 1/4 " of water. Google what is the best water depth for that skimmer by people that own that skimmer.

 

[rcdude1990]

The skimmer vs water level is fine the way it is. I would not under any circumstance remove any of your egg crate to lower the skimmer in the sump (unless you change the material you use to a different material and keep it at that height). You don't want the gate valve submerged any more than it is.

I agree with the rest of the suggestions from robscool. Give the skimmer time to break in and slowly adjust the gate valve to fine tune the bubble level.

I believe you're using the opposite term to describe the function of the gate valve. When the gate valve is completely open, water will discharge through the gate valve without going up the skimmer neck at all. When the gate valve is closed, water will rise up the collection cup and pour out of the cup. When closed, water has no where to go but up, up, up the cup.

Russ

FYI, turning the gate valve knob counter-clockwise will open it up. Turning it clockwise will close it and water will rise in the skimmer.

gotcha maybe im thinking of it wrong, so when people say put it fully open for a few weeks you mean, all the way that the water level in the skimmer is below the neck... gotcha when i head home ill doo that, thanks again for all the help EVERYONE

 

[pappy1299]

My skimmer was making good skim in a few hours. I think the skimmer is to deep in the water. But anyway good luck.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

I think it needs 6-6.5" of water i might be wrong

If this is the one

http://www.saltwatercritters.com/inc/sdetail/3674/4121

 

[shookONES]

I have the SRO XP1000sss running in 7.25" of water and its a beast. These skimmers are great, but a bit of a PITA for the first few weeks while they break in. Take everyone's advice and open the gate valve all the way. Let it run wide open for a few days, and progressively close it over the next week or two until you get your desired skimmate.

 

[rcdude1990]

yea i might have to just run it wide open and wait, i have it just runing now as a test to make sure i have no leaks, tonight i will be doing the whole move and exchange of the wet/dry.

i think im going to leave it the skimmer at the height it is now, if i bring it any higher then i get micro bubbles in the second chamber

 

[OUT TO SEA]

I also have an SRO 3000 INT and it takes 3-4 weeks for it to break in. Although they recommend 6"-10" inches of water. I found it performs best when sitting in 6.5 " of water. I have the skimmer sitting on a 3 inch platform inside the sump. The ATO on the sump is set to 9 1/2 inches of water.