Vertex Alpha 250 Skimmate Issues

[LiquidAquariums]

Hi there. I am having an issue with getting a liquid skimmate in my Alpha 250. Here are details on the system.

250G Octagon Tank
45G Sump
Vertex Alpha 250 Skimmer
Lots of Ecotech Accessories...
Parameters are all reading minimal trace all looking good
Skimmer sitting in 9" of water.

Tank has been cycling now for 4 months.
Skimmer added 2 months ago, but I cannot adjust the skimmer to produce a liquid skimmate of anykind. See picture of foam. This fills with fom to a point of foaming out of the air holes after 1-1.5 days after a thorough cleaning of the collection cup which I do at least weekly.


I have never had this issue with Vertex skimmers before and am baffled. Hoping someone out there has had this issue and was able to find a quick fix!

Thanks in advance!

[-=DieselDave=-]

Try putting a little cooking oil under the lid on the section with the air holes. It will break up the foam and allow it to collect in the cup. I had that problem when trying to skim to dry. Though it was not a vertex skimmer.

[LiquidAquariums]

Ok thanks for the tip David! I will post results for every tip.

[Drae]

I don't see a problem! You know how many people wish they had this problem? Lol. Your skimmer is kicking a&$! If you want wetter skimmate though jus raise the water level in your skimmer or lower the skimmer by a half inch or so.

[whosurcaddie]

Originally Posted by Drae

I don't see a problem! You know how many people wish they had this problem? Lol. Your skimmer is kicking a&$! If you want wetter skimmate though jus raise the water level in your skimmer or lower the skimmer by a half inch or so.

Tell me about it. I wish my skimmer would perform like this.

[slief]

Did you put a bunch of uncured live rock into the tank? From the looks of your from, you have a lot of dissolved organics in your system which is why I ask. How many turns out on the volute are you? From the foam standpoint, it looks like you are at a decent setting. You have a few choices.

One is to wetten the skimmer up a bit by closing the wedge pipe tiny bit. That will raise the foam head up some which will produce wetter foam but it may also fill your cup with foam faster until you reduce the DOC's.

The other option is to mess with the volute adjustment. If you don't know where you are on the volute adjustment, I would take note of that because you may want to go back to that setting once the DOC's are lowered should you change the volute adjustment. If you open the volute up more, you will increase the amount of air going into the skimmer. This will increase the bubble size which will result in wetter skim. It will also lower the water level in the skimmer so you will need to close the wedge pipe a bit to compensate for that.


Saves suggestion about putting some oil on the inside of the collection cup is an interesting idea that might actually help too.

[Sapelo]

I've struggled for months now with the Vertex 200 on my 300 gallon. I think I get everything dialed in, it skims beautifully for a week, maybe more, and then suddenly it overflows or the foam head drops and I get no skimming at all.
I've adjusted water height to achieve the recommended 10". I've tweaked both wedge pipe and volute at different times. The frustrating thing to me is the lack of consistency. I know there is a break in period, the skimmer is about 4 months old now, but it really is maddening.
if there is a "magic fix" I would love to hear it!

[LiquidAquariums]

Thanks for all the tips. I went by the location this morning with the skimmer and added the oil. I will let everyone know the result.

I appreciate the fact that by having this foam 'issue' some of you say its working perfectly. However as it is located in a commercial location, I only visit twice a week currently. And the foam overflows after less than a day and ends up just dripping back into the sump.

I am not familiar with the volute. I don't recall the manuals that came with all of my Vertex skimmers mentioning this?? Is that the input on the pump with the two red nipples?

[LiquidAquariums]

Did you have an issue with a long cycle period with your 300G?

[Sapelo]

The 300 is an upgrade/previously established tank. I changed the sand upon setup but used live rock from the tank after it was moved. I expected very little to no cycling but if I am honest would have to say that yes, it was a long cycle period. Three weeks running before I added fish and now, 3.5 months in, I'm still dealing with the usual new tank syndrome algae issues. Blah.

[Drae]

The vertex 200 has balance issues. The necks on these skimmers are huge and require heavy bio loads to perform consistently. The 250 and 300 are just better units when it comes to balance.

[slief]

Originally Posted by LiquidAquariums

Thanks for all the tips. I went by the location this morning with the skimmer and added the oil. I will let everyone know the result.

I appreciate the fact that by having this foam 'issue' some of you say its working perfectly. However as it is located in a commercial location, I only visit twice a week currently. And the foam overflows after less than a day and ends up just dripping back into the sump.

I am not familiar with the volute. I don't recall the manuals that came with all of my Vertex skimmers mentioning this?? Is that the input on the pump with the two red nipples?

The volute is the front of the pump housing that covers the needle wheel. There were two versions of the pump that came with the Alpha's. Both used the same block but original version had 2 different length red pipe inserts that went into the inlet of the pump where water is sucked in. The shorter insert allowed more air than the longer insert. You could swap from one to the other to make a subtle adjustment of air to water flow.

The later/newer models included an adjustable volute that had a threaded nozzle on the intake. If you unthread the nozzle, more air is allowed in vs closing it which reduces the air. As you increase the amount of air going into the pump, water is displaced by air. If you decrease the amount of air going into the pump, air is displaced by water. This is because the pump spins at a set speed and will always provide the same volume of flow whether its air, water or both. So increasing the air reduces the water flow and increases contact time. Decreasing the air into the skimmer increases the water flow into it and decreases the contact time.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Drae

The vertex 200 has balance issues. The necks on these skimmers are huge and require heavy bio loads to perform consistently. The 250 and 300 are just better units when it comes to balance.

I had the same issue with the 300. Too large of a neck diameter and too inconsistent because the load was never enough for the skimmer. The 250 is no different in my opinion as they all suffer from the same issue.

[LiquidAquariums]

Originally Posted by -=DieselDave=-

Try putting a little cooking oil under the lid on the section with the air holes. It will break up the foam and allow it to collect in the cup. I had that problem when trying to skim to dry. Though it was not a vertex skimmer.

So the oil trick has solved the issue. Now it is turning foam into the dark skimmate that I want and the tank is super clear. See picture.

[slief]

Originally Posted by LiquidAquariums

So the oil trick has solved the issue. Now it is turning foam into the dark skimmate that I want and the tank is super clear. See picture.

Great to hear and great advice by Dieseldave! Really cool display too!

[LiquidAquariums]

Originally Posted by slief

Great to hear and great advice by Dieseldave! Really cool display too!

Thanks, its a cool tank design but not a proper location for it. This is a children's dental clinic and the kids are only allowed to view it from the bench seating. By the time they hired my company to operate it, the hole was already cut in the woodwork. I feel that an octagon shape is better suited for a mall type location where it can be viewed from all sides.