New Skimmer Help Plz

mikediii

Member
Hey all, I purchased a new Coralife Super Skimmer 125 and I cant seem to get it to work properly. I decided to use the Hang on method and put in on my sump. I followed all of the directions setting it up.... at least I think I did. I left the flow valve open all the way and plugged the skimmer in. The collection cup filled up and overflowed (all over the floor) instantly. By closing the flow valve all the way the cup still fills up with bubbles too quickly. I tried running it for a while with a drain line connected to the collection cup but I still cant seem to slow it down enough to make it functional.
Anyone have any Idea whats going on. I've been messing with this for hours and Im at a loss. Any Advice would be much appreciated. Thanks all. :help:
 

nigerbang

Active Member
Hmm Not sure...I have a Red Sea skimmer...The water goes through the middle..overflows into the big tube and the bubbles in mine are what push the skimate into the collection cup...
 

mikediii

Member
Hey again all. After some more tinkering I think I may have found out the problem. I put a clamp on the tube that connects the pump to the skimmer and restricted the flow. Does anyone think that maybe they gave me the wrong pump? It seems too powerful? I dunno.... but thats all I can come up with. I tried calling customer service but they are only open mon-fri.
 

dw62

Member
Strange....I use a CSS, and I have not had that problem. How far is the pump in the water? It should be 3 inches max in the water. Not sure that would be your problem, though. Just a thought.
 

sign guy

Active Member
you should have a control and be able to set it on heavy particals only. You need to use that setting for about a week or so
 

hot883

Active Member
The first one I got did that. I contacted the company that I bought it from and they sent out a new one right away, didn'y even want me to send the other one back. The new one worked great.
 

majakarot

Member
make sure the bubble diffuser box has the top out of the water and that the output tube isn't jammed against the sponge... if the water can't leave the output fast enough it will overflow into the cup
 

daninct

Member
also make certain your air flow is not retricted. That would also raise the water level in the cone. You adjusted the wtare flow level (red knob) as well as the pump flow?
 

mikediii

Member
I went through all the troubleshooting stuff and It still wasn't workig properly. Made sure the return hose isnt bottomed out, it has more than 1inch space above the pad. The air inlet is clear and is making lots of microbubbles. The top of the pump is about 3 inches from the water line. I adjusted the red knob to the lowest flow position and there was still way too much.
So... I made a modification. I went to home depot and bought a ball valve and a couple compatible tubing connectors to reduce the flow comming from the pump. It seems to be working perfectly now but.... I think I am still going to call and see if I can get a replacement part or something.
My guess is either:
A) The pump I have is wrong or defective
B) The flow controll valve is not working properly
But im no expert... thanks for all of your advice people. I really do apreciate it.
 

djm

Member
The 125 doesn't have a flow control valve. The only adjustment is the water-level dial for the main chamber. This dial needs to be fully CLOSED when you plug the unit in and then SLOWLY opened until the water level is at a desired height in the collection cup cone.
 

cora

Member
I have a CSS and the adjustment is SUPER sensitive. I have to the turn the red knob in such small increments that I can barely tell I'm turning it. If you allow the foam to just barely become visible at the bottom of the center tube of the cup and let it run that way for awhile, it should settle down to where you can fine tune it. It should only pull foam up into the cup periodically.
 
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