aqua c remora not producing any skim

[ducati1212]

my Aqua C for the last 4 days has produced 0 skim. no foam in the skim cup at all. it looks like the water under the cup does not have the foam that it should. I cleaned it and the maxijet seems to be working ok. any thoughts. the skimmer is about 6 monthes old and has been working great.

also 4 days ago I added an anti algae solution but I thought it would make the skimmer go nuts not shut it down. if related at all

[Salamander]

Whne you cleaned it did you clean the injector? Some things like the oils on our hands can stop the skimming so it could be the anti algae stuff, which by the way isn;t likely to help much. More aggressive skimming, more LR, fuge, macro algae, less feeding and less light are the right tools to help control algae.

[phurst]

I have an AquaC, but not a remora. If you don't find any answers here, I would recommend you contact AquaC. They have hands down the BEST customer service I have ever encountered. They spent lots of time troubleshooting my EV-180 via email when I wasn't entirely satisfied with it's performance.

[ducati1212]

I took the screw out and used the pipe cleaner to clean what I think is the injector. unless I misunderstand where it is.

the anti algae stuff is just a natural bacteria that is not harmful and competes with the bad algae for food. I already have cut lights and feeding and over skim. of course now I have no skim hence the post : )

[stevelkaneval]

are the aqua c's more expensive than the sea clone's?

[ducati1212]

anyone with an aqua C no why it might not be skimming? I cleaned out under the screw with the pipe cleaner anything else

can it be the maxijet

[stevelkaneval]

what size mj is it my seaclone came with a mj 1200. i took the prefilter off,did a needle wheel mod. and now it skimms like a beast. and does it have a ventury?

[ducati1212]

no vent with the aqua c, its a 1200 the unit came with a remora but Iput the mj on instead

[Davidb6]

I have an Aqua C Pro and have no idea however, I do know there customer service is very good...I would call them.

[dogstar74]

Take out the MJ and clean it well. They always perform better after they are cleaned well.

Check the entire intake line for algea growth. Mine has a clear plastic tube, eventually, some algea will grow inside, and slow the laminar flow of the water.

Remora cannot be effectively Needle wheel or any of those types of modifications. With the injection foam production, it needs speed of injection to produce the bubbles. Froth from the PH would cause chaos.

You did right in running the pipe cleaner through the orafice.

Try adjusting the nylon screw, it may allow more flow and thus more injection.

Use a bright flashlight on the side of the remora to see exactly what the bubbles are doing. If too many are getting trapped before the first bend, then you may need to tip the remora slightly to level it out.

I have found the single biggest component to keeping the remora or Urchin skimming, is dilligent cleaning of the collection cup. It MUST be cleaned daily. I figure it will only skim about 18 hours then the fractionator tube gets fouled and nothing will climb it. Remember this is DAILY. I use a toothbrush and just quickly swab out the tube DAILY and it always gives me about 1/4 inch skimmate every day. But you cannot simply set it and forget it with the remoras. They have the potential to skim well. But they are sprinters, not distance runners. If you cannot commit to keeping the collection cup clean, then you need another brand.

Adding Filter material to the output will reduce the micro bubbles that come with initial startup, but I find that if you get through the break in period, that enough algea will grow on the return, that the filter is not necessary.

If you use the flashlight from the side, and really see what the bubbles are doing, they should be forming small to large bubbles. If they are simply reaching the surface and popping but not fusing into large bubbles, then you have low surface tension. Could be a sign of contaminants like soap in the water. Nearby cleaners such as windex etc that removed the surface tension of the water, soap on your hands one day while cleaning the tank. All of these should wash out over time but it may take a while, and might take water changes. Either way, if you're having an algea bloom, and the skimmer isn't working, you may need to start more aggressive water changes to compensate for the short term.

Low tension may also mean a disruption in the salinity. You may want to check it. High and low salinity produce bubbles of different sizes. You may have had a top off water problem.

I hope this gives you some things to think about.
Good luck with the problem.
Aaron

[Tremolo]

Do you get anything when you feed? The only time i get any kind of skimming is about 20-30 minutes after feeding my tank.