should the skimmer produce watery or thick stuff?

[thered]

Mine is watery but I went to a fish store and theirs was thicker. Does it matter? Do I need a smaller air pump?

 

[surfnturf]

How long has the skimmer been running on the system? It takes up to two weeks for a skimmer to break in and start producing dark skimmate. Also, how long has the tank been running? If you just started it, there may not be anything signicant to skim.

 

[thered]

i've had it for a year now so it is enough time.The 'stuff' is light green and watery.

 

[surfnturf]

I'm not familiar with the setup that you are talking about, but the same laws govern all skimmers For an airstone skimmer, you do not need a smaller air pump, the more bubbles the better, but you do need to reduce the amount of water going through the skimmer, put a valve between your water pump and the skimmer and reduce the flow so that you get a nice "dry" foam. If anything, I would upgrade your airpump to introduce more air. A lot less hassle would be to upgrade your skimmer, an air driven skimmer really can't compete with the other skimmers out there. They are really meant as an introduction model in my opinion. Again JMO, maybe someone else will jump in here.

 

[mpgt]

You need to be able to adjust the air flow. Just restricting it would abuse the pump's diaphragms. Rather than restrict it. I would divert some of the air. You can get a valve with one input and two (or more) adjustable outputs. Use the middle output (between the input and the other output) for the skimmer.
The other output could power an air stone or something. How much you open this valve will control what's available to the skimmer. I found that an air stone will quiet the exiting air, even if it's not in water.
An adjustable pump is nice, but you still need to regulating as above, too.

 

[thered]

Thanks everybody