what does it mean to "dial in" protein skimmer

Seagals · 08/24/2012, 01:01 PM

As the title suggests, what does it mean? When i think i have mine all set, come back the next day and its overflowing, or if my ATO kicks on or i feed my fish or change carbon or pads and the water raises in the throat and overflows and i have to start again.

Is this normal? or when members say "dial in" the set it and leave it? if so, than what am i doing wrong?

I always understood you want the bubbles at the top of the throat popping.

KafudaFish · 08/24/2012, 01:16 PM

Your water height in the tube is high enough to allow the bubbles to travel up the neck to the lid and empty into the collection cup but not so high that you get a bubble cannon that overflows in a few minutes as you describe.

Some are more picky than others and very small changes have big impacts. Any time you stick your hands in the water or feed the oils can break the bubble height. After some time it will restart and bubbles will rise again. Also each time you clean the skimmer neck it will take time to build again.

Some hints:

Read your instructions to see what the correct water height is (the amount of water the skimmer sits in).
If you are trying to dial in your skimmer start with the valve all the way open meaning the bubbles are at the lowest height.
If the bubbles are not getting high enough, close the valve with a minimum change (small changes can be bad).
Wait, check height etc, repeat.

Once you get your bubbles rising to the top, hitting the top plate and the skimmate deposits into the cup you can 1. leave it alone 2. raise the water level again for wet skimming 3. lower it again for a drier skim.

If you feed or do a WC you don't have to start over again. If you have it dialed in and you fed your tank at 5 pm then by 5:30 - 6 it should be back to where it was before.

worm5406 · 08/24/2012, 01:29 PM

Turning it off during feeding or tank maintenance helps also correct? Even if it is for like 20+ minutes?

reefergeorge · 08/24/2012, 02:52 PM

What type of skimmer is it? Some are more finiky than others.. I had to cut back air on mine to get it to be stable.

08/24/2012, 01:01 PM	#1
Seagals Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: USA Posts: 127	what does it mean to "dial in" protein skimmer As the title suggests, what does it mean? When i think i have mine all set, come back the next day and its overflowing, or if my ATO kicks on or i feed my fish or change carbon or pads and the water raises in the throat and overflows and i have to start again. Is this normal? or when members say "dial in" the set it and leave it? if so, than what am i doing wrong? I always understood you want the bubbles at the top of the throat popping.

08/24/2012, 02:52 PM	#4
reefergeorge Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St Louis MO Posts: 4,222	What type of skimmer is it? Some are more finiky than others.. I had to cut back air on mine to get it to be stable. __________________ $35-50 for a <1" frag of some stupid named thing that came from a colony you bought for $40-60 wholesale and chopped into 20-40 pieces? No thanks. "JasonH" Current Tank Info: 125 aggressive reef, DIY led lighting, swc cone skimmer, 33 gallon sump, posiden Ps3 return.

08/24/2012, 01:16 PM	#2
KafudaFish Cyprinius carpio Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 4,496	Your water height in the tube is high enough to allow the bubbles to travel up the neck to the lid and empty into the collection cup but not so high that you get a bubble cannon that overflows in a few minutes as you describe. Some are more picky than others and very small changes have big impacts. Any time you stick your hands in the water or feed the oils can break the bubble height. After some time it will restart and bubbles will rise again. Also each time you clean the skimmer neck it will take time to build again. Some hints: Read your instructions to see what the correct water height is (the amount of water the skimmer sits in). If you are trying to dial in your skimmer start with the valve all the way open meaning the bubbles are at the lowest height. If the bubbles are not getting high enough, close the valve with a minimum change (small changes can be bad). Wait, check height etc, repeat. Once you get your bubbles rising to the top, hitting the top plate and the skimmate deposits into the cup you can 1. leave it alone 2. raise the water level again for wet skimming 3. lower it again for a drier skim. If you feed or do a WC you don't have to start over again. If you have it dialed in and you fed your tank at 5 pm then by 5:30 - 6 it should be back to where it was before.

08/24/2012, 01:29 PM	#3
worm5406 Not afriad to admit wrong Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: South of WashDC in Maryland Posts: 7,774	Turning it off during feeding or tank maintenance helps also correct? Even if it is for like 20+ minutes?