# Protein Skimmer bubble diffuser question...



## Heymybigfish (Jul 30, 2007)

are these things supposed to shoot out bubbles?


mine is brand new less than 24hrs of use so far and its like shooting out BILLIONS of bubbles....my entire 55gal tank is filled with minibubbles...but the water is very clear...just not by the diffuser, where it is litterly like blowing up millions of bubbles.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

those micro bubbles are common in new skimmers, sometimes they just need a break in time... what brand skimmer is it? and are their any fine adjustments you can do you slow down the bubble count??


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## Heymybigfish (Jul 30, 2007)

its a CoralLife Super Skimmer...it was about 130 bucks.,,...i guess its breaking in maybe...but what if all these mini bubbles dont go away...hmmm...could it affect fish and stuff (i dont plan on adding fish for about 6 weeks), i have tried to adjust it alot, between both valves, but nothing works to modify the amount of bubbles.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

is your return line cut so the bottom of the tube is an inch or so off the bottom of the diffuser like it says? what part of the diffuser are the bubbles comming from exactly? the slots on the bottom, or overflowing the sides?


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## Heymybigfish (Jul 30, 2007)

i have cut the tube so its at LEAST 1" away from the white pad...

the water is over flowing the sides..but the bubbles are being shot out the bottom of the unit, where the holes are....the water is meant to come out there, but i was unsure if the bubbles are a no no...or if its because its a new unit.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Adjustment and break-in are needed to be rid of the bubbles. If you can adjust anything on that unit, try it. If not, then wait until it gets slimy inside and the bubbles will become less of a problem.


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## Heymybigfish (Jul 30, 2007)

slimy inside? like inside the tank or inside the skimmer? is that what the break in is? getting junk built up inside it>?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yeah, pretty much. The inside of the skimmer will get slimy soon, which makes it work much better for several months, at which point it will get too slimy and need cleaning to start all over again.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

You will never get rid of all the bubbles but they will be reduced in a month or so. While the skimmer does work nicely in HOT mode, much better inside a sump.


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## Heymybigfish (Jul 30, 2007)

i finally figured out the jist of this thing...its skimming nicely now...taking out a lof or like black/dark things from the water...


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2007)

Yep. That black/green gunk is organic waste....all the nasties that have to be taken out of the water.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

thats why you dont want a power filter! all that gunk would just stay in the water column then. the skimmer actually removes it.

im gonna give you one very important tip, from one friendly reefer to another.

DO NOT SMELL THE SKIMMATE!!! (the dark crud in the collection cup)

and clean it out when it gets half full, coralife super skimmers have the tendancy to get about 3/4's full, then go crazy and over flow, dumping all that gunk right back into the water.


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## Heymybigfish (Jul 30, 2007)

hey, its shooting almost no bubbles now...and skimming a ton....now the water and waste it skimms out is like a yellow water with green/black junk in it....the yellowish water is normal?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Yes its normal. The darker the skimmate, the more organics usually pulled out. Also has to do with whether you want a more liquid skimmate or dry. On the coralife it is determined by how high you set the bubble level. Lower = dryer and higher is more liquid.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

shoot for a dark tea colored liquid, its the average, you can go darker, or lighter, but tea color is a good medium to shoot for.


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