How does a skimmer work?

[xjayx]

ok so how exactly does a skimmer work?
Are the bubbles sepposed to foam all the way up the cup and spill into the collection cup?
Sort of like an overflow?
or is it just sepposed to pick up all the little drips that shoot up when the bubles pop at the top?
I'm asking this cause I've had my skimmer in my tank for over two weeks now and the bubbles haven't changed.
they're still sort of foaming around the the water level line.
The only thing going into my cup is what shoots off of the top when the bubbles pop but two weeks now and still the most that I've got out of the collection cup is two or three drops.
My tank is only about a month old but shouldn't I still be getting at least some skimmage?

 

[airforceb2]

The bubbles are supposed to be ~1 to 2" below the bottom of the skimmer cup. As the bubbles pop, the fish urine and other light chemicals will be ejected to the cup walls. Over time, the cup will fill up with gunk. The rate at which your cup fills depends on what type of air injection your skimmer uses and how big the tank is. Also, it depends on what all you have in your tank that would be producing the type of junk your skimmer eats.

 

[xjayx]

Thanks for that answer.
I was beginning to think I bought a no good skimmer.
For some reason I imagined that the foam was supposed to ooze all the way up into the cup.
I guess I'm not getting anything yet cause I've only got one fish...
Maybe soon I'll get nasty smelly slime.

 

[airforceb2]

What brand of skimmer are you running. Hopefully you didn't go cheap on it.

 

[xjayx]

Originally Posted by airforceb2
Hopefully you didn't go cheap on it.
I did...
It's a Visi Jet... I've already been told that those are junk but hopefully it'll work for now till my tank is set up and I'll get a better one.
It's kind of upsetting cause I even cut a hole in my hood just so the collection cup could fit out the top.
I don't know... if it doesn't start skimming enough I'll probably end up spending more money sooner than later.

 

[airforceb2]

Oh, sorry to hear that. I have heard of a couple people being perfectly happy with the visi-jet skimmers and then there are others that now have a nifty lookin powerhead hangin off the back of the tank. Hope it works for ya.

 

[wrx777]

no worries, my cpr didn't start pulling junk out until about 1 1/2 months later and it was only a little. now at 4 months i am emptying like 2-3 times a week. :hilarious