[75 gallon newby]

Hey guys thanks for all the help u give on here. I have got a vertex IN-100 in sump skimmer and have been very happy over the past year with the output of it until now. It seems like there are less microbubbles and it hasn't produced a frothy skim over the past couple of weeks, only larger bubbles at the top of the water line and less junk comming out of the water than before. My question is this change due to a pump going bad or something else. Everything seems the same with it. No loud noises, and it is still running good just no froth anymore to take the bad stuff over the edge to the cup. There for my skimmers not skimming ????

 

[Chad]

There really are several possible reasons.
I've listed them in no particular order.

1. The unit needs a good cleaning.
2. The pump has gone bad.
3. Some other part has gone bad.
4. There just isn't as much to skim as there used to be.

Hopefully someone else will have a couple of other reasons I may have forgotten.

 

[crvz]

if you're getting fewer bubbles, my first check would be the airline leading to the skimmer. if that's clogged in some way, you'll get degraded performance quickly. Otherwise, give the skimmer and pump a good cleaning and see what happens. I've also noticed some aquarium foods as well as household chemicals can greatly affect skimmer performance, so evaluate if you've made any changes that could be changing skimmer effectiveness. And finally, consider replacing the pump. They do wear out, but in a years time I would suspect it's something else.

 

[75 gallon newby]

I do a good vinegar bath every 3 months, and have noticed the tank starting to go down hill with more algae and diatoms than i already had errrrrrr. So i have increased the water changes, and i thought that it would start producing more skim by now because it has had low skimming days before but not weeks so now im worried, this is my only filtration method other than my live rock so if it is a bad motor i will change it asap. but i just want to make sure before i buy.

 

[FutureDoc]

Well, if you have a dyer air-meter lying around you could check the air intake and compare it. If you have a kill-a-watt meter (or similar) you could also check the elec. usage.

Unfortunately, the vertex pumps (resuns) have been spotty for long term reliability, but that does not mean to run out and buy a new pump. Clean it out, check it over, clean out the air line with hot water, and go from there. Check to see if there is blistering inside the block, see if the magnet is becoming distorted, etc. If you can't find a problem then I guess you can start looking.

As far as replacement, you do not have to get the exact same pump as other skimmer pumps could upgrade the performance. There might be some modification for the new pump to fit, but I was thinking a newer-version sicce might draw more air for the skimmer size. You could use a sedra and make it (more or less) a euro-reef-ish skimmer. Even small bubble blaster pumps will woork but the price is high. You just have to match the pump to the skimmer because a "too big" pump will turn the skimmer into a foam cannon.

I have replaced and swapped pumps fairly often on skimmer so I feel confident that you can upgrade it for more performance. I just have not done it to a Vertex so I do not have direct experience.

 

[75 gallon newby]

hey thanks guys just what i needed to hear to reassure my thought process :arg:

 

[bbalak]

There really are several possible reasons.
I've listed them in no particular order.

1. The unit needs a good cleaning.
2. The pump has gone bad.
3. Some other part has gone bad.
4. There just isn't as much to skim as there used to be.

Hopefully someone else will have a couple of other reasons I may have forgotten.

A good list, but I'll add one more - certain foods will cause a skimmer to temporarily become ineffective. Whenever I add Reef Nutrition's Oyster Feast to my tank, the bubble column in my skimmer disappears for about an hour. I think it has something to do with the viscosity of the food and the surface tension of water bubbles.

I made the mistake of thinking my skimmer's adjustment levers got moved, so I "corrected" them. I ended up with water EVERYWHERE :bigeek: