skimmer problem (no skimate)

[vincent1972]

hello,
i bought 3 days ago a new skimmer (bm nac66) because my old one (deltec ap702) is broken.
now the BM is producing a lot of very tiny bubbles in the neck , but no foam that rises.
what i see is also that the tiny bubbles turns brown after a while , but still not raise.
i know a new skimmer needs to break in .
my tank is 130 gallon and due many problems with my past skimmer and home problems the nitrate level is very high ?
so normally the problem would not be low bioload or so.
who can help/answer me please?
did i buy a crappy skimmer???

[Robb in Austin]

No, it's a good skimmer.

Have you adjusted it? What is height of water it's running in?

[vincent1972]

Bubble magus recommend between 9.8 inch and 10.6 inch.
the water level in my sump is 10.2 (just the middle of the recommended depth).

i adjust it that the bubbles starts where the collectioncup in attached on the skimmer body.

if i adjust it more then the microfoam rises a little bit but stops and don't go up in the neck
if i turn de adjustment pipe further open then the level in the skimmer is far to low .

i see that the tiny bubbles push on the underside of al bubbles , but not raise and the microfoam is collored brown after awhile
so i don't know what it is.

[milto29]

Originally Posted by vincent1972

Bubble magus recommend between 9.8 inch and 10.6 inch.
the water level in my sump is 10.2 (just the middle of the recommended depth).

i adjust it that the bubbles starts where the collectioncup in attached on the skimmer body.

if i adjust it more then the microfoam rises a little bit but stops and don't go up in the neck
if i turn de adjustment pipe further open then the level in the skimmer is far to low .

i see that the tiny bubbles push on the underside of al bubbles , but not raise and the microfoam is collored brown after awhile
so i don't know what it is.

Its probably still breaking in.

[reefgeezer]

It could just be a break-in period. I'm told there is a slight film/oil left on the skimmer's surfaces after manufacturing. That film has to be washed away before the skimmer will operate properly. I seen many here who run vinegar water through a new skimmer to help break it in.

[vincent1972]

could be the break in periode take 3 days or longer in a older tank with high nitrate level?

[rounder45]

the break in period could last a few weeks. Go ahead and adjust the bubble level down a bit. Adjust to where it seems the bubbles are not rising fast( very little velocity). It will produce foam from there. Once it is producing good consistent foam, then slowly raise the level.

[vincent1972]

now i have also another problem.


my sump and display tank are cloudy because the bubble magus produces a billion micro bubbles and they escape from the skimmer outlet pipe.
and the skimmer stil doesn't produce foam.

the skimmer sits in the right waterheight in the sump.
the adjustment is normally good.

what now?

[rounder45]

Wait it out. It too shall pass.

[vincent1972]

he"s still not skimming :-(

[vincent1972]

it runs now for 6 days and still produce nothing , just tiny bubble in the skimmer body.

i have run skimmers from different brands in the past like aquamedic , deltec and they never take this long to break in.

i think it's a bunch of crap this bubble magus.
i bought it brand new .

i think i gonna sel it because it doesn't do the job i want.
like the nac66 is running now then i even can pul it out and ran no skimmer

[vincent1972]

i'm gonna pull it out and let it run for a day or 2 in a box with ro water + vinegar.
that's the last thing i'm gonna try , because i'm going crazy on this skimmer