Skimmer woes

[Marchillo]

Having skimmer woes in new setup. Fish have been in for almost 3 weeks.

So the setup is strange but how it's intended

Drains into two filter socks, middle chamber is fuge and third chamber contains skimmer, ATO, and return pump.

Skimmer is a discontinued reef octopus xp1000 space saver and ATO is JBJ.

ATO is clipped to the sump so it won't accidentally move.

So it overflowed last week so I took it slow. Over two days I got it to a good level. Producing good foam. Water level was right above minimum line.

I empty the cup Saturday and wipe out neck etc. Water level has remained constant for two days producing decent foam (bioload on tank is low)

So today I fill my top off bucket. I didn't move the bucket. It's a Home Depot bucket with the cover cut in half and I just dump water into that bucket to fill.

So I fill it. About an hour later I check and my skimmer is overflowing like crazy.

The biggest problem is it splashes and I can't afford water damage in the stand. Luckily I was home both times it happened.

What could be the cause. I have the skimmer boosted on eggcrate to get it to the right level. I am staying cautious in terms of the water level being at the minimum.

The ATO filling that chamber is obviously not the best design. Is it simply a break in period? Frustrating to get it to work a few days and it overflows for no apparent reason.

I know have the ATO and skimmer unplug to allow evaporation. There isn't a to of extra water in there

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Marchillo]

Here are some photos:

These were taking after the overflow - the water is never that high in the sump

The first photo is the float switches. I have the clipped on (not seen) so they don't move around. One is higher than the other by one level - not sure which one is sensor 1 and which one is sensor 2. Someone else set it up for me and I don't have instructions

Picture two is the skimmer right next to it. The skimmer sits on 3 pieces of eggcrate to get it to the recommended 5.5 inches as recommended. The third photo is the hose that is used to top off. It tops off on top of the valve. Wouldn't think that would matter at all. The water level is slightly below the valve.

I have the unit set at mode B. I just read that mode A is recommended.

So I am not sure if the skimmer is going crazy - pulling up too much water which is causing the ATO to dump more water in or if the ATO is dumping water in which is making the skimmer rise and overflow.

Does anyone see any issues with how this is setup? Again the Aqueon Proflex Sump uses this setup in their instructional video - though I've read its not ideal.

Thoughts?

[thegrun]

There usually is a break in period for skimmers, but I highly suspect that the problem is that you have the skimmer in the same chamber as your return pump, so that even with an ATO there is too big of a water level fluctuation with will make it impossible to get a consistent skimate. For many skimmers even a 1/4" fluctuation in water height will cause it to overflow.

[Marchillo]

This is one of the ways they tell you to set it up. Crazy.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/proflex-model-2-sump-75-gal

Click on second picture.

Would it help if I had my Water dump into another chamber? That maybe tough to configure.

[mushumatt]

What section is your skimmer located in? As thegrun stated, it's problem in your return section where your water level will fluctuate with evaporation. You want the skimmer in the middle section, it's the only place it will work properly. The return section or the third section you will see evaporation and even the little difference will throw off your skimmer.

[Marchillo]

I don't understand why they would design it that way then. If you look at the link I provided you can see they have it set that way.

Id rather not put it in the middle for the simple fact Id rather keep the cover on to avoid additional evaporation.

If I keep the skimmer real low can I avoid this?

[mushumatt]

It won't work, as the water evaporates it will still throw off your skimmer water level. Evaporation is not a bad thing, and I would bet that the cover you are speaking of really does not do much...

[Marchillo]

I've got a lot of things going against me here. The stand is pretty closed up. It has 4 sides and no opening in the back. I added two fans and a vent which are keeping the whole thing dry with the sump covered. I also keep the side door cracked where the skimmer and pump are located. Taking the top off will cause evaporation and most certainly moisture.

This is certainly frustrating.

Can I rig an ATO so it triggers every 1/16 of an inch?

It's crazy it works for 3-4 days and then overflows. Man I need some sleep!

Ugh

[mushumatt]

You could setup an ATO, well I would Reccomend on regardless. But you will probably run into the same problem when the water evaporates.

[Marchillo]

I do have an ATO I'm wondering if it needs to be setup so it triggers more frequently.

Here is where I get stumped.

Skimmer sits in 5.5 inches of water. I have the ability to stay between a min and a max water line that are 5 inches apart. I'm staying at the min. So water evaporates and the skimmer goes down a bit. Water fills up and skimmer goes back to where I set it.

So what goes wrong? Did it create a chain reaction that the ATO kicks in, skimmer sucks in more water, ATO kicks on and boom I'm screwed?

[Marchillo]

Because in theory if an inch of water got dumped in then my skimmer water would be 4 inches from the Max line not 5 inches. Unless as I mentioned the chain reaction.

[mushumatt]

Regardless of having your ATO being triggered more frequently or not the evaporation of the water is throwing off your skimmer and causing it to overflow plane and simple. Your skimmer is designed to be ran at a set depth. There is nothing that you can do to fix this other then looking at a different skimmer that doesn't need a steady water level or moving your skimmer to your middle chamber. Unless you can too off your tank constantly to keep the water level constant which would be hard to factor in the evaporation rate as it does change throughout the seasons. It's a crappy problem, but it is what it is. Next time you should research everything before you jump into something ( something I learned the hard way with this hobby). I personally do not buy anything unless I have researched every aspect of said purchase.

You could look into a recirculating skimmer or external skimmer.

[Marchillo]

I appreciate the advice and I welcome more feedback on this ATO, Sump, Skimmer combination as I try to work through this.

Let me say this for anyone reading along. First off I have thick skin so I'm not offended. Too often people assume on RC that people "jump into things" or don't do their research. Trust me if I read anymore fish stuff I'll need to quit my job to do this full time and/or find a new wife. Some things you just don't know to research or you realize after you are experiencing the situation/problem. Trust me there are many things about this new setup I love and a couple things that drive me crazy and are problematic. If I could hit a reset button I would. But assuming things like that isn't helpful. I've been doing this since November and haven't lost a fish. Maybe I got lucky or maybe I'm doing just enough research to do something right.

Heck I just had a hardwood floor installed that I'm 95% satisfied with it. But that other 5% I didn't know I needed to address until after it was installed. Do I have them come rip up the floor and start over? I live with it and next time I do a project like that I'll have that knowledge. I could have researched flooring a lot more and still wouldn't have known what I know now through the experience.

Again thank you for the feedback. I totally agree my setup is flawed and I'll have to figure it out.