my protein skimmer

a.viola

ok so i just setup my saltwater tank yesterday
everything looks good but my skimmer there is no foam at all
and when i adjust the knob its crazy fast water flow no foam nothing
what am i doing wrong ????

second thing
is there a quick way to read the ph level in your tank

thanks guys

usmc121581

Is there air bubbles running though the tube, If so you r skimmer is working. Since you just set it up there are no nutrients for the air bubbles to attach to, there for you will not have any foam yet. Once your nutrients start to form in the tank the skimmer will produce foam. Take the knob and shut it off, then slowly open it till there is a column of bubbles, and keep it there. What will happen is the air bubbles will attach to the nutrients and whatever else is in the water, when this happens the air bubbles will float to the top into the collection cup, which is the foam. As for the PH I have seen electronic meters, but do not know how well they work. Hope this will help out.

caferacermike

You will need to watch the skimmer for a few days. They don't fill up with skimmate instantly. It could take a day or 2. You may not have enough waste yet in a new tank as was pointed out. You may need to wait several weeks. Pinpoint electronnic PH meters are Labratory grade and are considered the best in for our tanks. I run one and love the convenience.

Ziek

it took about 3 days till my skimmer really started "skimming" so yea it takes a little time to get them fine tuned just right but once you do they do an amazing job.