What powerhead are you using ? Rio600 w/venturi/valve ??
Do you have the blue biobale media installed or not ?
If you have water flowing through the little hole from the bubble chamber over to the media chamber - you unit is way too full of water.
The only things I can think of what would cause this would be;
Using a higher flowing powerhead.
A restriction or clogged up discharge from the skimmer to the tank.
Or as I read on CPR's website, you're using the biobale media, and it's too wadded up in the media chamber.
Make sure the airline to the venturi is not clogged up. Take it off and blow through it ( if you don't mind taste of saltwater ).
Here are some troubleshooting notes straight from CPR's website.
Problem: Water is flowing through the safety hole in the center divider.
Solution: The Bio-Bale is packed too tightly or it needs to be cleaned. Remove the Bio-Bale and reposition it so it doesn't restrict water flow. The Bio-Bale may be cleaned by lightly swishing it in saltwater.
Problem: Collection cup is filling with only clear liquid.
Solution: The aquarium has just been cleaned or water has been changed. Synthetic salt mixes often contain conditioners that will increase the surface tension of the water. This will result in a clear liquid being collected.
Problem: Bubbles escaping from the powerhead into the tank.
Solution: The rejuvenation plate is not properly seated or the small "O" ring that fits around the plate is damaged or missing. Remove the plate and make sure no detritus or calcium buildup is preventing the plate from seating properly and that the "O" ring is intact. Be sure not to break or bend the two clips that hold the plate in place.
The shorter airline that connects one of the elbows to the
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on the outlet of the Rio powerhead may be missing or damaged, or one of the elbows is cracked.
No waste collecting in collection cup. The powerhead and its airlines or elbows may be dirty. Clean the entire powerhead at least once a month for optimal performance.
The collection cup is not low enough. See instructions for the correct height of the collection cup.
The biological load may not be sufficient to generate waste. On a new tank or a tank with supplemental filtration it may take over a week to generate waste foam.
The foam is being broken down before it can be collected. Many oils from certain foods and your hands can cause the foam to break down.
Hope this helps - not sure why your skimmer is not working right. Could be you have a new tank and there's just nothing there to skim yet.
If I lower the cup down too far ... it will produce a watery clear brown skimmate. Not good.
You want to get it set to make a nasty smelling dry foam. This foam will eventually slide down the outside of the riser and form a darkish green/brown gunk - it's liquid - but it's darker.
Hope you get it working Cool.
