ARGH! Protein skimmer issues!

[susieq728]

So I took everyone's advice. I spent about $350 today and got general equipment to do a water change, a nice lighting system with T5HO lamps for my fish, a real anemone (a bubble since my clown was trying to make a home in algae!) I killed the glass anemone I had in my tank, got 2 hermit crabs that weren't from this area since I've also begun to figure out the person who set up my tank, isn't as bright as I thought initially...

So, amongst various other treatments, I bought a protein skimmer. She showed me how to use it at the store and I guess after my water change, etc. I'm just tired or lost all of my "mental directions". I have it with the pump in the back of the sump, it's resting on the side of my sump and for whatever reason, even when I adjust the air flow, it won't make a "Cyclone" at all, in fact all it wants to do is fill the cup up completely with water, which then flows onto the floor if I don't unplug it in time. Anybody have any suggestions? Any help would b GREATLY appreciated!

 

[strout]

I am not the expert here and I looked for your other post to see what you had going on with your tank, but couldn't find it. Maybe you could give the pros a bit to work with, alittle something about your system, what kind of skimmer did you buy?

 

[TRe]

definitly need to know more about the skimmer/ sump set... is it in the correct water level?

 

[susieq728]

Thanks Strout, I appreciate it! Well I have a sump that's filled with live rock, I'm not sure exactly how the filter works I know I have a pump running water from the sump into my tank that's in the bottom of it, water flows over the carbon and white, loose filter into the dry/live rock side. It's a 55 gal. and my friend who set it up turned out to not know as much about tanks as he claimed to. He told me that a glass anemone was a good thing, like a positive anemone to have in my tank! He gave me a hermit crab that was Native to GA (I assume this from my convo. with my pet store owner) because it ate several conch I've ordered, (about 4) My puffer picks at my small filter snails, but there's over 100 in my tank so it's not going to kill them. I have a clown, a bubble anemone as of today, a spotted hawkfish, a valentini puffer and now two small hermit crabs. I have quite a bit of live rock in my tank and as of today I've tested it, did a 30% water change (the tanks been set up approx. 5 mos. and I've never done one) bought a chemi pure for my filter and a few other little odds and ends. I'm really new to this so I'm very much in the learning stage and thusfar have learned that the person who got me started, didn't know as much as he thought he did....

I'm not sure the type of skimmer it is, the cup screws off and sits outside of the sump over the top of the main container which from what I was shown today when working properly should make a cyclone shape when airflow is adjusted correctly, pushing foam up into the cup. There's a pump that goes into my sump, which has rubber tubing that runs into the skimmer. Another bit of, hard plastic tube runs into the sump as well forcing water back out of it into the sump. I'm not sure if I'm missing a piece (I don't think I am, I got it used but the woman I bought it from was going to use it in a tank she just set up in her shop but the sump was too small for it.) I'm on the verge of taking it back Monday and saying the hell with it and paying $10-20 extra bucks for a brand new one,although she told me if I ran into sangs she'd help. The light I bought also is a dud as well. It won't stay on. It was on for 10 mins. now it's dead. So it's going to be a week before I have a decent light system for my newly acquired anemone. I'm hoping he won't die before then due to the light conditions.

 

[susieq728]

That's what I'm wondering. Does the second tube that runs water back into the sump need to be at water level? If so, I'm going to need new hosing to make the pump reach the bottom of my sump or something because she told me today my water level should be maybe a half an inch to an inch at best from the base of the live rock. Is that correct? She did say too little water would make it work improperly.

 

[TRe]

without knowing what type of skimmer its kinda hard u know? best bet would be to ask whoever you bought it from or take a picture

 

[TRe]

if your just now doing your first water change in 5 months and dont have the proper lighting the anemone is going to die.... btw pc's are NOT enough light for a bubbletip anem

 

[susieq728]

Sux! You think it'll die within a week? I'm hoping maybe I can find a way to make due until I get the new one in next week. It was the only one she had in stock that would fit my tank... She said she uses the T5HO's (pc's?) in all of her tanks. She's got one over a, prob. 100+ gallon with lots of coral, feather dusters, etc. in her reef tank. Yeah I did my first water change today, put some calcium + buffer in there, and reef accel. to try to get purple algae growth in my tank. (Which won't happen now anyway since I'm DOA on a light situation for a week.) Do you think I should add more lights than just the two provided by the set up I have? I have a little $ left from taxes, I'd rather get what I need now. Thanks for the help Tre.

 

[susieq728]

Kay, it's a crappy pic I took with my phone so I hope it's decent. I actually just thought of something. I think I'm gonna take the anemone back to the shop Monday so she can keep it for me until my replacement light gets here if you think it will likely die otherwise.

 

[mlipst]

This is a Coralife skimmer, and is very sensitive to the water level in the sump chamber the pump is located in. If the water level is too high, you will pump water up into it until it blows out the top. My experience is no more than six inches of water in that chamber. This is their web site:

Oceanic Systems | Products | Coralife Super Skimmer

but they don't have manuals available on line. You could try to contact to get more info.

 

[mlipst]

Also, the return from the skimmer to the sump should be in a hang on basket that always remains above the water level in the sump chamber. There also needs to be an air line supply which connects to the input of the skimmer pump. If this is missing, you have a non-functioning unit.

 

[TRe]

if T5HO is what your getting depending on the fixture and whether they have indivual reflectors you may be fine.... if pc's are what your getting you wont be fine... a week isnt going to kill it but its not going to do it any good! you added calcium? what was your calcium at before you added? and what is it now? a general rule of thumb in this hobby is if you arnt testing for it than dont supplement it! also you want to research every piece of equipment aswell as fish and coral BEFORE you buy it that way you can make sure your not throwing your money away on something your going to have to upgrade in 2 months ect...

 

[susieq728]

Ah ha. Does the air line supply connect to the top of the air adjustment? If so I think I'm missing something. I only have one piece of thick hose. I know the shop I got it from will give me whatever I may need tho she's really good about that. Thank you!

 

[susieq728]

Ew, I need to test it then! I tested everything else. Pre water change the ammonia was at 1. So, I was thinking about testing it in a few days to see where I'm at now. I did 30% because I waited SO long to change it. The fixture has two lights on it and both have a reflector. I just have to get one that's working right! It stretches all the way across my 55 gal. I put like, 10 drops of the calcium milk buffer into the sump. I have a few ployps that have managed to live with terrible lighting and water quality on some figi rock I got from ebay. I'm hoping they'll improve.

 

[mlipst]

The air hose connects to the inlet of the pump. There should be a small plastic cylinder, with two top ports, that sits in a little recessed area near the bottom of the collection cup. One port is open and the other has thin tubing connecting it below water level to the pump inlet. Also, the red dial at the top of the water outlet is used to fine tune the water flow to get the proper bubbling and foam production.

You need to bring your ammonia down significantly.

 

[susieq728]

So two hoses total? I have one, conntected to the pump. I don't have a thin one tho. I think I'm just going to exlpain it to her and see if she can help me out with the missing parts. The person who she bought it from (it's used) prob. didn't bring in a piece or something. Yeah, I'm hoping that the water change since it was about 18 gallons will help. I'm going to test it soon just to see. I have 4 fish in there, so I'm sure they could use the clean water!

 

[TRe]

hate to be the bearer of bad news BUT.... that light isnt going to cut it for an anem... you were on the right track with the whole T5 thing but it sound like you got a crappy coralife strip light or something! on a 55g to be successful you will need like 6 bulbs over it... i know someone who has kept a reef tho not the best reef for a few years with a bunch of those 2 bulb fixtures over it..... and if the lady at the lfs is telling you this light is going to keep that nem alive than i wouldnt listen to anything she says because apperantly she's just out for the buck!

 

[susieq728]

Hmmm. Sucks! Yeah, I need to get it right. And yes, it's prob. a strip light, it just sits over the top of the tank or can sit on a glass top, two lights in the actual fixture.... I may do a swap with her or something. I don't really want to keep anything I can't care for properly. Sounds like I need to think about actually building a set up myself to go over the tank.

 

[mlipst]

I agree with TRe that this person at the lfs is not doing you any favors with her incorrect information. The fact that she would sell you a skimmer missing the equipment to feed air into it, and pretend to explain how it works to boot, tells me she doesn't know a whole lot about saltwater equipment. Air injection is what causes the proteins to foam and be removed. Kind of like whipping egg whites to make meringue.

 

[susieq728]

Hmmm. Yeah the guy in there today told me that there's an airhose that needs to be on the top. He said he'd fix it for me. I paid $40 for it and it's a fair size. She showed me how to adjust hers, etc. See she didn't use mine as an example. But yeah, you'd think she would have been paying more attention when she rang me up. I think she means well, but doesn't know as much as she should. They're holding on to my anem for me now. I'm considering doing a trade for something else I need just because I don't want to kill a anemone by not providing it what it needs. Do you think one bubble anem would be ok if given the proper supplements under a dual strip light unit? It's not the coral life it don't think, the lights are incredibly thin and diff. brand. She had coral life in there but they told me straight up tonight, no other light they had would be a "quick fix" adequate enough to sustain my anem over this week. I fig. I could get a $25-30 bulb to tide me over and serve as a back up if ever needed but they said no. I'm going to start testing my calcium too and get some nice garlic-flavored algae to rubber band around my live rock Fri. for my fishes. I'm learning!