Protein skimmers are a wonderful addition to mechanical filtration in a reef aquarium system. Protein skimmers mix water and air to surface waste and export them from the aquarium’s water. Sometimes when first running a protein skimmer it does not do its job efficiently or even correctly often overflowing back into the sump. There is usually a short break-in period required before the skimmer reaches its full potential by efficiently exporting waste from the aquarium.
How do you break in a protein skimmer? To break in a protein skimmer you simply run the skimmer in your system to manufacturer suggestions and make tuning adjustments to dial it in across time. Tuning adjustments include adjusting the air coming into the skimmer, adjusting the water level height the skimmer is sitting in, and adjusting where the skimmer is located in your sump.
In this article, we will take a look at what’s happening with a protein skimmer as it is breaking in, how to break in the protein skimmer, and an option to potentially speed up the break-in process.
What is a Protein Skimmer and What Does It Do?
A protein skimmer is essentially a container that mixes air and water to create foam. This foam then attaches to dissolved organic waste within the water and exports it from the reef aquarium through a collection cup. Protein skimmers are not 100% necessary for a healthy thriving reef tank, but not a piece of equipment I would leave out in any of my reef tanks or future builds. Protein skimmers are very effective at waste export and make your system less reliant on other maintenance tasks like water changes. Protein skimmers also give the added benefit of oxygenating the water for your inhabitants. As your aquarium animals use up oxygen from the water the protein skimmer replenishes the oxygen through the creation of microbubbles and surface water agitation.
There are different styles of protein skimmers that vary on where they are installed in the system and how they create microbubbles. There are protein skimmers that are submerged in the sump often in the skimmer chamber, skimmers that are stand-alone outside of the sump and aquarium, and skimmers that hang off the back of the aquarium. The most widely used in the home reef aquarium hobby these days are the in sump version. Skimmers are most commonly driven by pumps that can vary from needle wheel pumps, venturi pumps, and the older styles using air stones. My preference is a needle-style in-sump protein skimmer.
With a typical skimmer air and water are drawn into the skimmer via the pump and mixed created thousands of microbubbles in a contained space. As these microbubbles are agitated and rise through the skimmer the surface of the microbubbles trap dissolved organic waste and force the waste up and over into the collection cup. The collection cup can then be manually emptied directly exporting waste from your reef aquarium. You can see this happening in nature with waves hitting the beach creating a foam that often has a coat of slime on the top of it.
Why is a Break in Period Necessary and What is Happening During the break-in Period?
Often when a protein skimmer is new and first deployed, it can go crazy and fill the collection cup full of bubbles and tank water. Left unchecked, it can overflow back into the sump. Every once in a while a skimmer will work perfectly out of the box but most will need anywhere from a few hours to a couple of weeks to go through a break-in period where it then begins to skim as designed. I found that there are usually two reasons for skimmer overflow when first put in service, the need for adjustments to match tank/water parameters and the natural occurrence of oils and other material left on the skimmer during the manufacturing process.
Probably the number one reason for overflow is the water level in the skimmer. If the level is too high the skimmer will overflow. Water chemistry is different from tank to tank and depending on what is in the water, it may impact how the skimmer needs to be adjusted.
During the manufacturing process, there may be oils and other byproducts lightly coating the skimmer. The skimmer’s job is to remove foreign substances like this and in doing so may cause the skimmer to overflow. This will happen until the skimmer has rinsed off any coatings and they are out of the water.
How to Break in Your Protein Skimmer
I have found that the best way to break in a protein skimmer is to simply set it up according to recommended manufacturer specs, make micro-adjustments over time, and have patience. I first set up the skimmer according to the manufactures specs and see how it does.
The first adjustment to make is usually the water level within the skimmer. This is usually done by adjusting a valve on the skimmer itself. A high-quality skimmer will have a high-quality valve such as a gate valve that allows you to make small adjustments that raise and lower the water level inside the skimmer body. I’ll make adjustments to the water level by turning the valve and aiming for the top of the microbubbles to be about the mid-length between the bottom of the collection cup and the top of the tube where the skimmate overflows into the collection cup. You’ll want to make small adjustments and recheck the level each time. Making a quarter turn and waiting 5 minutes is usually good practice to see the final result of an adjustment.
The next adjustment that can be made is to the air coming into the skimmer. This will vary by skimmer but there is usually a knob or an airline hose valve that can be adjusted to increase or decrease air coming into the skimmer.
If after a couple of days the skimmer still isn’t performing to expectations, it may be time to look at adjusting the level of water that the skimmer is sitting in. If you have a sump with an adjustable baffle height this is an easy task, simply adjust the baffle height so the water level the skimmer is sitting in is lower or higher. Another option to raise the skimmer a few inches in the sump is to use an elevated platform. This can be done DIY with an egg crate or PVC material like a drain cover. I’ve had to elevate a skimmer only a few times and what I’ve found is that it is usually a temporary thing and the platform can be removed once the skimmer has normalized.
Over time through fine adjustments and getting to know your skimmer and what conditions it likes you should be able to breeze through the break-in and have it efficient skimming.
How to Potentially Speed up the Break-In Period
There is another option that claims to speed up the break-in process. This option is to create a vinegar bath for your skimmer. This is done by placing your skimmer in a bucket or container with a mixture of water and vinegar. The idea is to run the skimmer in the solution and bucket for a few hours to help remove any oil coatings from the manufacturing process of the skimmer. After you’ve run the skimmer in the solution, you will want to rinse the skimmer off, preferably in RODI water before putting it in service. After putting the skimmer in service, you will most likely still need to tune the skimmer to air mixture and water height.
Conclusion
I have not deployed the vinegar bath method to speed up the process of breaking in a new skimmer. Over the years in this hobby, I’ve found that most things when speed up usually doesn’t result in good outcomes and patience is key to success in the hobby. I just don’t see the need for speeding up the break-in process and not something I’ve seen recommended by the manufactures of protein skimmers. I like to think of the break-in period as a chance for me to get to know my new skimmer. It is a time to hear the sounds it makes, what water level it prefers, and what level of adjustments impact the performance of the equipment. My recommendation is to take your time and make micro-adjustments to dial in your new skimmer.
Related Questions
Why is my established skimmer all of a sudden overflowing? This goes back to the two reasons why skimmers often overflow, a foreign substance in the water or an adjustment needs to be made. If there is something in the water that isn’t normally there the skimmer could overflow. This could be oil from your hands, food, or anything else introduced to the tank. If you use epoxy to glue coral or rock in the tank that is one product I’ve seen causes a protein skimmer to overflow. You may also need to check if adjustments are needed. The water level may need to be checked and you’ll also want to check for any kinks in lines or clogs in the airline.
What are wet skimming and dry skimming? Wet skimming and dry skimming have to do with how close the microbubbles are to the top of the collection cup. The closer the bubbles are to the top of the collection cup the wetter the skim will usually be as more foam overflows into the collection cup. A lower level will result in a dry skim with less foam making its way into the collection cup. Generally speaking a wetter skim will be lighter in color and more volume than a dry skim.