Bubble King Setup, Tuning and trouble shooting thread. Post your questions here!

[slief]

Originally Posted by biecacka

Scott what do you think of 33 speed on my pump for the dc200. I raised it back to the recommended depth but in doing so had to close the wedge and run the pump hard. Is it ok or should I run it deeper. It gets a nice foamy head but doesn't pull a ton. Not a lot to pull right now with only 25 fish in there and over half are smaller fish.

Corey

33 isn't going to hurt anything. The idea is to pull consistent skim. If you run it deeper, you would accomplish the same thing and be able to run it at a lower speed but that's up to you. I personally prefer the slower speed in large part because you can accomplish the same results and save some power and you also gain more contact time while creating more dense foam. That said, 33 isn't far off from what I consider optimum for that skimmer so if it's working, then I wouldn't worry about it. If you had a heavier load, then the lower speed would work likely better but given your load, you just need to find a setting that give you the results you like and let it do it's thing.

[teebone110]

Originally Posted by slief

It might help to see a picture but if you want to raise the level of the bubbles, you can either increase the sump depth or close the wedge pipe some. The ideal sump depth is relative to the load in the system, salinity and other factors. If your SM200 has the RD3 pump, the ideal speed for the pump is between 28 and 32 watts. You want to adjust the speed to get the most dense/thickest foam possible. If you have the standard Red Dragon pump, closing the nozzle on the pump will decrease the amount of air into the skimmer and increase the amount of water. This will raise the water level in the skimmer. Opening increase air and decreases the water flow which lowers the water level.

We have a dedicated Royal Exclusiv for here and there is a setup and tuning thread with lots of info. I would suggest reading through it as it will give you a lot of insight into fine tuning your skimmer. It would also be a good place to post a picture of the foam level inside your skimmer.

Here is a link to that thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2546139

Okay, here are a few pictures that might help along with some background about my system

..and my question is that it appears that only the top half of skimmer body has bubbles. I can see inside the there are bubbles being pushed from the base within the inside chamber through the bubble plate.


This is the area I am asking about- can you see that there are only bubble in the top half- is this normal?

Sorry about my dirty sump and skimmer compartment





I just wanted confirmation that I have it running optimally from the pros on this thread

210 gallon SPS system
65 gallon sump
Biopellets
refugium with macro algae

Skimmer = SuperMarin 200 with Red Dragon Pump
Water level about 8.5"
Volute open about 1 turn

Water level


Skimmer


Cup with 1 week of skim mate





All cleaned up so you can see where I keep the foam level

[slief]

Your skimmer looks like it's performing well. If you want to raise the level in the skimmer, you can close the wedge pipe a little bit or raise the sump level a tiny bit. 1/4" increase in the sump level will make a big difference in the level inside the skimmer.

[teebone110]

Originally Posted by slief

Your skimmer looks like it's performing well. If you want to raise the level in the skimmer, you can close the wedge pipe a little bit or raise the sump level a tiny bit. 1/4" increase in the sump level will make a big difference in the level inside the skimmer.

Thanks for your help, I would assume that these minor adjustments may make minor improvements based on preference. I will continue to play with it and see how things evolve. Much appreciated

[slief]

Originally Posted by teebone110

Thanks for your help, I would assume that these minor adjustments may make minor improvements based on preference. I will continue to play with it and see how things evolve. Much appreciated

Yep.. Take notes if you need to.. Raising the level will increase the skimmate production but you are removing more water in doing so. You just nee to find a setting that produces the best skim (for your liking). Consistency is the key.

[danrobberg]

I added about 12 lbs cured live rock to my tank yesterday. I used some puddy to aquascape, about a whole tube. Don't remember what the brand was but it is the reddish purple kind. A few hours after adding the rock I did a 15 percent water change. When I do water changes I usually turn the skimmer off for a few hours. When I went to turn it back on it overflowed as I expected due to the puddy. 24 hours later I still have the valute wide open and the rd3 50 watt pump as low as it will go and the bubbles go pretty high up the neck. My main concern is the amount of bubbles coming out the valute that then enter my main tank. I've tried closing the valute but that raises the water level in the skimmer and it overflows. Should I just leave it off for another day?

[slief]

Originally Posted by danrobberg

I added about 12 lbs cured live rock to my tank yesterday. I used some puddy to aquascape, about a whole tube. Don't remember what the brand was but it is the reddish purple kind. A few hours after adding the rock I did a 15 percent water change. When I do water changes I usually turn the skimmer off for a few hours. When I went to turn it back on it overflowed as I expected due to the puddy. 24 hours later I still have the valute wide open and the rd3 50 watt pump as low as it will go and the bubbles go pretty high up the neck. My main concern is the amount of bubbles coming out the valute that then enter my main tank. I've tried closing the valute but that raises the water level in the skimmer and it overflows. Should I just leave it off for another day?

Epoxy or what ever you used has stuff in it that causes skimmers to go nuts. I would leave the skimmer on and let it remove the stuff from the water. In fact, I would extend the collection cup drain line and route it into a 5 gallon bucket and let it drain into the bucket and replace the water in the tank with new water as needed. That will insure that you are removing the stuff that is causing the skimmer to go crazy. I'd guess 5 gallons of skim should get you back to a workable setting with your skimmer. If you can route your ATO line to your mixing tank or a container with salt water, that will make keeping your sump level cosnsistent much easier while you wet skim the stuff out.

I woudn't worry about the microbubbles. While they may be annoying, they won't hurt anything and once the skimmer removes what even is in your system driving it nuts, you can restore the skimmer settings back to normal and the bubbles will subside.

[danrobberg]

Thanks Scott. I was just surprised that it is lasting this long. I've never had the skimmer go nuts like this for more than about 12 hours after using the epoxy. It is my first time using this epoxy though.

[ClownsRCoo]

Hey Scott, can I get some help dialing in my DC200? My tank is pretty lightly stocked right now which I know is going to be hard to achieve a consistent skim mate. I have it sitting in about 8" of water, pump running on 31w and we'd get closed 2 notches from wide open.

I'm limited on how high I want to keep my water level due to my sump being a little undersized for my tank so I don't want to go much higher than that for drain capacity purposes.

It's pulling lightly tea colored skin and only about an inch per week. I don't mind running it wetter now than I will when I'm fully stocked just to get it working for now.

That's the reason I have combined the partially closed wedge pipe with the higher watt setting of the pump. It doesn't seem to be making much difference though.

Any suggestions?

[slief]

Originally Posted by ClownsRCoo

Hey Scott, can I get some help dialing in my DC200? My tank is pretty lightly stocked right now which I know is going to be hard to achieve a consistent skim mate. I have it sitting in about 8" of water, pump running on 31w and we'd get closed 2 notches from wide open.

I'm limited on how high I want to keep my water level due to my sump being a little undersized for my tank so I don't want to go much higher than that for drain capacity purposes.

It's pulling lightly tea colored skin and only about an inch per week. I don't mind running it wetter now than I will when I'm fully stocked just to get it working for now.

That's the reason I have combined the partially closed wedge pipe with the higher watt setting of the pump. It doesn't seem to be making much difference though.

Any suggestions?

A light load on a relatively new tank isn't going to produce much skim. An inch a week sounds about what I would expect. The skimmer will remove what is there to remove. In the absence of enough dissolve organics, there won't be much skim and it won't be very dark. As such, I wouldn't worry about the amount in your cup. It sounds like it's working ok. What do you have in the way of fish right now anyway?

[ClownsRCoo]

Yellow tang, 2 clowns, black cap basselet, wrasse, 4 shrimp, 2 star fish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[slief]

Originally Posted by ClownsRCoo

Yellow tang, 2 clowns, black cap basselet, wrasse, 4 shrimp, 2 star fish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is nothing... You have a total of 5 fish which isn't going to generate any appreciable amount of dissolved organics let alone skimmate. I'm surprised you're getting an inch a week at this point. The only reason you are getting that much is because you are skimming wet which is why it's tea colored. Until you really get your load increased, that skimmer will starve for DOC's.

[ClownsRCoo]

I know it's nothing right now but it like to run it really really wet to get a decent amount of lightly color skim for now until my load goes way up.

But just so I have the tuning part down since I've never had a skimmer that you can adjust the pump wattage, does increasing the pump speed do the same basic thing as closing the wedge pipe or raising your sump water level? Seems like the wedge pipe and sump level would have the same effect but raising the pump speed would increase water level inside skimmer and air amount


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[slief]

Originally Posted by ClownsRCoo

I know it's nothing right now but it like to run it really really wet to get a decent amount of lightly color skim for now until my load goes way up.

But just so I have the tuning part down since I've never had a skimmer that you can adjust the pump wattage, does increasing the pump speed do the same basic thing as closing the wedge pipe or raising your sump water level? Seems like the wedge pipe and sump level would have the same effect but raising the pump speed would increase water level inside skimmer and air amount


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Increasing the pump speed sends more water into the skimmer body. This decrease contact time, increases the bubble size and makes the bubbles tend to burst at the surface instead of generating good foam. Ideally you want to set the pump speed so that you are getting the most dense foam possible and then use the water level in the sump and or close the wedge pipe to increase the foam level inside the skimmers neck. By increasing the pump speed, it will raise the water level up but you will tend to get more water removal and less dissolved organic removal. Again, the idea is to use the pump speed to achieve the most dense foam that fills the neck as much as possible. If your not making foam, you're not removing as much of the DOC's as you can or you just don't have enough DOC's to generate a good foam head. In you case, that will be an issue no matter what but the slower pump speed (between 28 & 32 watts) will be the best setting for a 200 sized skimmer. You just need to use the pumps speed to find what works best for your load.

[kodo28]

Hi Scott,

Can you advise on the following,

139 gallon LPS system (Reefer XL525)
Skimmer Mini Bubble King 200 VS13 with RD3 Mini Speedy
Actual sump water level is 10.8" (27.5cm) and skimmer on a stand-plate to bring skimmer water level to 8" (22cm).
In order to raise the water level at the waterlevel limite in the skimmer body, I need to close the wedge pipe at 80-85%. it is normal to close that much in order to bring the waterlevel at the limite line ?
I've tried to run at full 50w but also at 30w but no real changes.
Skimmer is running since two months now and the tank population 12 fishes 6 shrimps. Before the 200 RD3 , I had the Mini180 on the 450L Reefer with a sump waterlevel of 24cm and on a stand-plate to bring skimmer water level also to 8" (22cm) but wedge pipe was only closed at half way only.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

[slief]

Originally Posted by kodo28

Hi Scott,

Can you advise on the following,

139 gallon LPS system (Reefer XL525)
Skimmer Mini Bubble King 200 VS13 with RD3 Mini Speedy
Actual sump water level is 10.8" (27.5cm) and skimmer on a stand-plate to bring skimmer water level to 8" (22cm).
In order to raise the water level at the waterlevel limite in the skimmer body, I need to close the wedge pipe at 80-85%. it is normal to close that much in order to bring the waterlevel at the limite line ?
I've tried to run at full 50w but also at 30w but no real changes.
Skimmer is running since two months now and the tank population 12 fishes 6 shrimps. Before the 200 RD3 , I had the Mini180 on the 450L Reefer with a sump waterlevel of 24cm and on a stand-plate to bring skimmer water level also to 8" (22cm) but wedge pipe was only closed at half way only.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

You hardly have any load at all for that skimmer. There really isn't much waste in your tank.

My suggestions would be as follows. Lower the stand. Your wedge pipe is closed too much for my liking and you are having to do that to compensate for the skimmer being too far above the water. I would start at around 9" depth for the skimmer and see how that does. Your best pump speed should be between 28 and 32 watts. Like I said in the suggestion above, set the pump speed to get the best/most dense foam possible which in the case of the 200mm sized skimmers is between 28 and 32 watts.. The more dense the foam, the better a job it will do in removing dissolved organics. Keep in mind that the lower pump speed allows for better contact time which means more waste will be removed in a single pass and you will have better foam and better control over fine tuning of the skimmer. The RD3 allows for very fine adjustments for that so make an adjustment and give it time to settle down. Take notes if needed so you know what your adjustments did and find a setting that gives you the best foam.

Once you figure out the best pump speed setting for your load, Use your sump depth to get the level inside the skimmer (where the bubbles turn to foam) right at the base of then neck where the cup threads to the body. You want to do this with the wedge pipe wide open as that will be your driest skim set point. If your sump level can be lowered, I would remove the stand and drop the level to 9" with the wedge pipe wide open and see what that does. If the transition from bubbles to foam is too low, increase the sump depth slightly until you find the sweet spot. If it's too high, drop it some more or raise your skimmer slightly. Give it time for the skimmer to settle down after making adjustments. It can take several hours for the skimmer to settle down. Once you get that set, then you can use the wedge pipe to adjust from a dry skim to a wet skim without having to close it too much. A tiny adjustment of the wedge pipe will make a big difference in the foam level once you get the sump/skimmer depth set right and you will never need to close the wedge pipe all that much. If you don't have the ability to lower the sump level or lower the skimmer stand, then you will be stuck having to use the wedge pipe and close it more than 1/2 way. This isn't a huge issue as long as you don't experience surging in the skimmer body. This is where the water level in the body goes up and down and it's caused by the exit side of the skimmer being restricted too much. This causes water to siphon out of the skimmer instead of flow out nice and smooth. .

[kodo28]

Hello Scott,

I took some pictures of the actual setting of the wedge pipe and water level in the skimmer body.

Little question about the sump water level.
In the Operating and maintenance manual.pdf they tell water level should between 20 and 22 cm. I have it actually on a stand at 22 cm
Not sure how much it will give after conversion centimetres to inch ?
8 = 22 and 9 = 23 , Is that right ?

I have a sump deep of 27.5 cm water level so logically I have plenty of room to play with. Not sure but actually the skimmer is already set to 8"-9" but with wedge pipe most fully closed. And in order to get the water level inside the skimmer (where the bubbles turn to foam) right at the base of the neck where the cup threads to the body with wide open pipe I need to set the skimmer base fully down at the bottom of the sump

[ReefClownMIA]

20cm = 7.85"
21cm = 8.25"
22cm = 8.65"
23cm = 9.05"

[kodo28]

Originally Posted by ReefClownMIA

20cm = 7.85"
21cm = 8.25"
22cm = 8.65"
23cm = 9.05"

Thanks Marco,

So I just set the skimmer pump to 32W and wedge pipe set to the middle position and at 8.65" with stand plate...there is no way that the water level to make it.
It only goes at middle of the skimmer body so not sure how I can get the water level at the top with fully open pipe and 9" water deep in sump .

[slief]

Originally Posted by kodo28

Thanks Marco,

So I just set the skimmer pump to 32W and wedge pipe set to the middle position and at 8.65" with stand plate...there is no way that the water level to make it.
It only goes at middle of the skimmer body so not sure how I can get the water level at the top with fully open pipe and 9" water deep in sump .

See how nice and thick that foam looks? You just need to get that up into the neck area. Keep in mind that those recommended sump depths are based on presumed heavier loads and your skimmer is way oversized for your current load. The more dissolved organics in the water, the higher the water level will be inside the skimmer at lower sump depths. Remove the skimmer stand completely and see what that does for your water level or you can close your wedge pipe some to get the level up higher. If you have to go past 50%, then you should be running the skimmer deeper. or you can increase the pump speed more but I prefer increased contact time and the thicker foam that you get with the lower speed. Also, you don't need to get the bubble/foam level to bottom of the screw adapter if you have the wedge wide open. A little below is fine as you can then make adjustments using the wedge pipe without having to close it so much like you do now. Also don't be so concerned about how deep you sump is. If it's 27cm to get the water level up high enough, then so be it. You aren't harming anything. If the skimmer overflows at that level, then raise it a little bit at a time until you find the sweet spot without having to close the wedge pipe so much.

[ReefClownMIA]

I've got a Reefer 450 - Wish I had the 525.
Why did you upgrade from the MBK180 to the MBK200 w/RD3 - that's a a bit oversized IMHO.

On the side of the body, you should have a sticker that shows roughly where the waterline should be, and not be exceeded. If you don't have a dedicated WaterLine sticker, use the Royal Exclusiv Bubble Sticker on the side of the body as your high mark.
That is roughly where you want the distinguishable line between water, and bubbles.

As for the depth - try to keep it at 9"/23cm and run it 1/2 closed.

[kodo28]

Originally Posted by slief

See how nice and thick that foam looks? You just need to get that up into the neck area. Keep in mind that those recommended sump depths are based on presumed heavier loads and your skimmer is way oversized for your current load. The more dissolved organics in the water, the higher the water level will be inside the skimmer at lower sump depths. Remove the skimmer stand completely and see what that does for your water level or you can close your wedge pipe some to get the level up higher. If you have to go past 50%, then you should be running the skimmer deeper. or you can increase the pump speed more but I prefer increased contact time and the thicker foam that you get with the lower speed. Also, you don't need to get the bubble/foam level to bottom of the screw adapter if you have the wedge wide open. A little below is fine as you can then make adjustments using the wedge pipe without having to close it so much like you do now. Also don't be so concerned about how deep you sump is. If it's 27cm to get the water level up high enough, then so be it. You aren't harming anything. If the skimmer overflows at that level, then raise it a little bit at a time until you find the sweet spot without having to close the wedge pipe so much.

I will then try to get the skimmer down until I get the water level on skimmer at the water level limite without touching the pipe (actually at 50%)...
I was thinking the same about the recommended values

[kodo28]

Originally Posted by ReefClownMIA

I've got a Reefer 450 - Wish I had the 525.
Why did you upgrade from the MBK180 to the MBK200 w/RD3 - that's a a bit oversized IMHO.

On the side of the body, you should have a sticker that shows roughly where the waterline should be, and not be exceeded. If you don't have a dedicated WaterLine sticker, use the Royal Exclusiv Bubble Sticker on the side of the body as your high mark.
That is roughly where you want the distinguishable line between water, and bubbles.

As for the depth - try to keep it at 9"/23cm and run it 1/2 closed.

Hi Marco,

My skimmer didn't came with any sticker like the one on the 180 or any waterlevel limite engraving on body like old models

I sent any email to Royal Germany about this and they just answer me that the water-limite sticker was only there for recommandation...

I can tell you that I was not so happy with that answer when you know the price paid for it

[slief]

Originally Posted by kodo28

Hi Marco,

My skimmer didn't came with any sticker like the one on the 180 or any waterlevel limite engraving on body like old models

I sent any email to Royal Germany about this and they just answer me that the water-limite sticker was only there for recommandation...

I can tell you that I was not so happy with that answer when you know the price paid for it

If you went by that recommendation, you would be going more crazy. I would say you should be glad about not having it on there because you would be more confused. Every tank is different because loads vary from one tank to the next as does salinity. People with fish only tanks tend to run lower salinity than people with reef tanks. Salinity can have a big impact on skimmer performance just like the amount of waste in the tank. The recommendations as far as sump levels and or water levels inside the skimmer are only starting points. Once you understand how to properly tune a skimmer, it really is easy. Especially with the RD3.

Step 1.. Forget what the manual tells you as far as the recommended levels. It's only a starting point and since your load is very minimal, it's not going to apply to you. Then get the skimmer in the water and let it break in using the guidelines provided in this thread for pump speed starting points. In your case, 28-32 watts which you have already done. Next is to adjust pump to get the best/thickest foam which should be between 28 and 32 watts. Looks like you are pretty good there from what I saw in the pictures. Then adjust the water level in the skimmer both through the wedge pipe and sump level so that you start getting foam into the cup. As you are aware, try not to close the wedge pipe more than 50%. If you can use the sump level to get it dialed in pretty close with the wedge wide ope, that is always best as the wedge is only used for fine tuning. You don't want the foam overflowing into the cup. You want the foam to be making it's way up the neck and over the lip after about 24 hours of running. Keep in mind that it takes 7-10 days for a skimmer to break in so after that time, you can begin to fine tune the skimmer. From the sounds of your previous response to my comment, I think you are well on your way to getting that skimmer tuned. After that, your next step should be adding more fish so your skimmer doesn't starve!

[kodo28]

The skimmer has been running since 2 months now, I suppose the breaking periode is now over...
I changed the base plate on sump, so it is now only at 2 cm from the bottom. Pump is set at 32w and the pipe at the middle point 50% open.
Water level on skimmer body is very low withthose settings (see pictures)

Could this be due following issue on the pump nozzle?
I cannot insert the nozzle without pushing it down and then there is a small gap at the bottom between the pump and nozzle . Could it be that the pump is losing some kind of pressure there zffecting the water level in the body?