# Glass surface skimmer issue!



## lucaz koh

Hi all,

Got myself a glass surface skimmer set similar to the aquascaper glass pipe work set featured in one of George farmer’s recent videos and I’m having an issue.

Does the skimmer require a certain flow rate in order to work correctly? I can barely get the water to be sucked down the top of the skimmer, so much so that I can see the scum “float” back out of the skimming portion. And this is with the knob at the bottom turned fully closed for max skimming as well






You can see where the water level drops to the skimmer. When I place a blade of hairgrass in the tube it gets sucked down into the filter after a while. 


Any help please?

Thanks


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## PM

What filter? 

Dunk it into the water first - breaks surface tension.

Is it not adjustable- the ratio of surface vs lower suction?


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## lucaz koh

Eheim Ecco Pro 200. 600 lph

If I dunk it into water it still floats above water line. I have to remove half the air in the gap beneath the floating bit to get it to balance out and sink a little for the water to even enter it

It’s adjustable, but I have it set to maximum now and I only get the minimal skimming.


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## doylecolmdoyle

I have read you need decent pull from your filter for this style skimmer to work, I used one with a 760lph filter and it was ok, but I had a very small head hight


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## lucaz koh

Hmm, will have to have another play with it this weekend to see if I can get it to work right. Else it’s gonna be returned and reverted back to my normal glass lily inlet. 

Came home from work today to see a noticeable difference in terms of surface scum, seems a lot less compared to before. Have opened the inlet a little more at the bottom to see how it goes before making a decision to return on Tuesday.


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## willsy

lucaz koh said:


> Hmm, will have to have another play with it this weekend to see if I can get it to work right. Else it’s gonna be returned and reverted back to my normal glass lily inlet.
> 
> Came home from work today to see a noticeable difference in terms of surface scum, seems a lot less compared to before. Have opened the inlet a little more at the bottom to see how it goes before making a decision to return on Tuesday.


Hi

I purchased the Aquascaper set that George showed in his videos.

As a backup, I also purchased a cheap set from China. This looked the same in the pictures but when I received it I noticed that the skimmer plastic top part was slightly taller and the pipes were slightly skinnier.

I installed this yesterday and no matter what I did, it didn't work. Bobbing up and down then sinking. It just won't balance.

I put the Aquascaper version back on and it's fine again now.

Looks like there may be a version out there that doesn't work?

Cheers

Will


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## lucaz koh

willsy said:


> Hi
> 
> I purchased the Aquascaper set that George showed in his videos.
> 
> As a backup, I also purchased a cheap set from China. This looked the same in the pictures but when I received it I noticed that the skimmer plastic top part was slightly taller and the pipes were slightly skinnier.
> 
> I installed this yesterday and no matter what I did, it didn't work. Bobbing up and down then sinking. It just won't balance.
> 
> I put the Aquascaper version back on and it's fine again now.
> 
> Looks like there may be a version out there that doesn't work?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Will


Hmm, some food for thought there. I’ll give the aquascaper versions a go


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## willsy

lucaz koh said:


> Hmm, some food for thought there. I’ll give the aquascaper versions a go


Out of interest can I ask where you got yours? I got mine from Hinterfield. It was the cheaper of the two versions available...


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## Tim Harrison

@willsy So the one that doesn't work is from Hinterland?


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## willsy

Tim Harrison said:


> @willsy So the one that doesn't work is from Hinterland?


Yes, the cheap one from Hinterland doesn't work. 

The Aquascaper version from Evolution Aqua works perfectly!

My thoughts were that they are all made in China, so they are all the same. But  I was wrong!


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## Tim Harrison

Thanks willsy.
Has anyone else bought the Hinterland version, and if so does it work okay?


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## willsy

willsy said:


> Yes, the cheap one from Hinterland doesn't work.
> 
> The Aquascaper version from Evolution Aqua works perfectly!
> 
> My thoughts were that they are all made in China, so they are all the same. But  I was wrong!


Oh. And here's the Hinterfield version out of the tank and the Aquascaper version in the tank. 

They look the same until you get up close!


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## lucaz koh

willsy said:


> Out of interest can I ask where you got yours? I got mine from Hinterfield. It was the cheaper of the two versions available...


Mine is from co2 supermarket. I have to keep adjusting the height of the inlet to get the appropriate suction to stop the top bit from floating/sinking. In short, it works but as soon as the water level changes it needs readjusting. 

I have ordered the aquascaper set direct from the evolution aqua site now


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## papa_c

Simple way to solve the issue is to play around with the air gap that is created under the floating hat to moderate the buoyancy.

I have a syringe with a bit of air line on the end and suck out 50% of the air and the hat sits at the correct level.

This way you can use different strength filter with the all


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## willsy

papa_cee said:


> Simple way to solve the issue is to play around with the air gap that is created under the floating hat to moderate the buoyancy.
> 
> I have a syringe with a bit of air line on the end and suck out 50% of the air and the hat sits at the correct level.
> 
> This way you can use different strength filter with the all


Thanks Papa Cee! Nice to know that I now have a spare skimmer! I'll give that a try...


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## lucaz koh

papa_cee said:


> Simple way to solve the issue is to play around with the air gap that is created under the floating hat to moderate the buoyancy.
> 
> I have a syringe with a bit of air line on the end and suck out 50% of the air and the hat sits at the correct level.
> 
> This way you can use different strength filter with the all


That’s what I’ve done, but still have to turn the knob at the bottom to fully close to get proper albeit minimal, skimming


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## lucaz koh

So I’ve manages to get mine working but there are two requirements. 

One - the bottom section has to be kept fully closed to maximise skimming from the top

Two - the air beneath the floating cap needs to be manually removed and tinkered with until the perfect balance is found

All in all it works as I can now see brown scum being sucked into the floating cap and clumping up. 

The effects of minimal inlet suction from the bottom remains to be seen however. Am I right in saying that this doesn’t reduce the filter’s inlet flow as a whole, just reduces the suction from the bottom?


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## papa_c

You can do a quick visual check on the flow by simply removing the floating hat and watching the flow from the outlet/return. 

I haven't noticed any significant change on mine.


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## lucaz koh

Good to know. I usually judge flow based on the microbubbles from my inline diffuser shooting out of the outflow Lilypipe. In any case it doesn’t seem to have reduced, plus I have a internal pump to aid circulation.


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## lucaz koh

I feel like I should post an update. Managed to get it to work properly without having to tinker with the amount of air in the hat. 

Problem was I had a 10mm outflow lilypipe sent to me in error and that limited the amount of water going out and hence the amount being pulled in. Once I got the proper 13mm outflow it works correctly.


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## Lee Colbeck

Bit late to the party here, but for others having the same problem, try this and hopefully it'll all become a bit easier: it's still to do with removing some of the air from beneath the hat, but to do so (with the hat full of air) simply flick your finger into the underside of the hat to force out some of the air, and repeat until it balances.


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## Ady34

Tbh I have the aquascaper one and still find it a bit of a pain. Sinks, glugs, draws air in they seem very fickle depending upon water level, filter power and upper to lower inlet proportion. I bought it to eliminate the need for the eheim skim but I may end up ditching in favour of the trusty, but a bit ugly, eheim. I will persevere for now to follow the original plan but if I have to fiddle with it every other day it’ll be out.


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## Tim Harrison

I've tried the Hinterfeld and the Aquascaper version and gave both up as a bad job after 10 mins of fiddling...I came to the pretty swift conclusion that, although it's a good idea in principle, niether was ever going to work properly, no matter how well designed...
I bought the Eheim. It's actually fairly small and unobtrusive, and that's in a 60-P. It'll be lost in a tank the size of yours Ady, so I wouldn't worry about the visual impact too much.


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## GHNelson

Purchase this small skimmer!
Even has a small guard on top.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Pond-S...4532&sr=8-4&keywords=surface+skimmer+aquarium




hoggie


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## Tim Harrison

I thought about the APS version, but over the past couple of years their customer care has left something to be desired. And reading some of the feedback on eBay the goods aren't always up to snuff either.


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## GHNelson

Hi Tim
I purchased one...never had a problem with it, although the design could be better...cable should be routed up the back!
The sponge area is a tad small a minus point also.
Plus point,the sponge compartment is easy to remove and clean!
For the price of a couple of beers I think its well worth the money.....
hoggie


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## Tim Harrison

Sorry hoggie, didn't mean to sound dismissive 
The APS skimmer sounds pretty much like the design of the Eheim. Must admit to being a bit bugged by the power cable exiting through the bottom of the Eheim unit, a bit counter intuitive. But I guess it's easiest from the design and manufacturing point of view.
Without wanting to appear too cantankerous  I just object to APS...here's mainly why https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/aps-optiwhite-aquarium.50124/#post-492600 and then this https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/aps-optiwhite-aquarium.50124/page-2#post-492693 and this as well https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/aps-optiwhite-aquarium.50124/page-2#post-493278 etc...


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## GHNelson

I get your drift Tim!
Why should you give them your hard earned cash, if the products you purchase are not up to standard!
hoggie


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## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> I've tried the Hinterfeld and the Aquascaper version and gave both up as a bad job after 10 mins of fiddling...I came to the pretty swift conclusion that, although it's a good idea in principle, niether was ever going to work properly, no matter how well designed...
> I bought the Eheim. It's actually fairly small and unobtrusive, and that's in a 60-P. It'll be lost in a tank the size of yours Ady, so I wouldn't worry about the visual impact too much.


Yeah, I have a couple from previous tanks already, just wanted less power consuming and intrusive items, but if the aquascaper clear built in skimmer isnt going to work then Ill use the proven eheim skim and like you say I won’t be looking at it


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## Ady34

hogan53 said:


> Purchase this small skimmer!
> Even has a small guard on top.
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Pond-S...4532&sr=8-4&keywords=surface+skimmer+aquarium
> 
> 
> 
> hoggie


Yep love that in built guard, I probably would have given it a bash had I not got the eheims already in stock.


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## CorieV95

I know I'm late to this! But I literally just come across it then figured I'd try something different, I bought a cheap set from Aliexpress, impeccable quality really  for the 38AUD I paid for the inlet outlet. But I was having issues getting the skimmer to float properly, it kept hiccuping then getting sucked down, but it also didn't seem to matter turning the adjuster on the bottom or not  - so the next thing to do? Lose some weight! So I used my pipe cutter and removed about 15mm and now it works perfectly! It's VERY brittle plastic, so be cautious.


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## Sammy Islam

I have the aquascaper version and it works well 90% of the time. I have the bottom inlet completely open so have "minimal" skimming, but in my experience the minimal skimming is more than enough so far. 

The only problem i have is usually after a water change or top up, but it does do it on random occasions too, it randomly starts bobbing up and down and sucking in air even though it had been working fine for hours/days. 

I have a oase biomaster filter and have found a couple of things to help, usually I:
1) turn the filter off and press the priming buttons a couple of times and then turn it back on.
2) unlock the prefilter and pull it out a tiny bit and put it back and lock. Prime a few times and turn it on. This seems to work, but can't be sure.
3) gently tilt the filter a couple of times to expell any trapped air.
4) make sure my pipes are properly clamped/locked and haven't moved.

Still trying to figure it out myself as it is very annoying when it doesn't play ball.


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## Paul Herbert

I have a set of Dymax Crystal Glass Lily Pipes with skimmer running on a 60-H(45) with a 800l/h canister filter. Out of the box, the skimmer worked fine (beginners luck I guess). Last night it started to bob up and down. Could not get it to settle down. Today I cleaned the filter (last clean 4wks ago) and the lily pipes. Reassembled, turned the bottom inlet to 50% occlusion, and the skimmer inlet stilled bobbed again. I then used a small syringe to remove air from the skimmer float...and everything settled down. Perfect!


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## Courtneybst

I'm reaaallly late to the party. I have stainless steel lily pipe with surface skimmer (12mm) and I can't get the skimmer to work! I don't understand what I'm doing wrong? The skimmer part doesn't move at all, it just sits there. Can anyone help?



Edit: managed to get it to work by removing some of the air from underneath the skimmer. Nowhere near as good as a dedicated skimmer so I won't bother.


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## Paul Herbert

Glass surface skimmer hack​Reducing the air bubble from under the skimmer head works - but it’s still annoyingly unreliable. Ultimately - we’re just trying to balance the weight of the floating skimmer head; because every canister filter has a varying flow rate (due to media used, waste build up etc) in relation to the floating skimmer head. So rather than removing the air bubble - try this; cut a 10mm (+/-) section of hose (e.g. 5/8 inch or 16mm), slice it down the middle, and place it to one side in the skimmer head as a *weight*. Job done! No doubt you’ll need to tweak the ‘weight’ with a longer or shorter piece of hose, and you might even find something better to weigh the skimmer head with. Let me know if it works for you.


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## Geoffrey Rea

Silicone o-ring. Pack of 10 for a quid:





Turn the filter to full whack and it won’t get sucked down. The adjustment screw for the lower intake can also be fully opened for maximum draw from the base and the skimmer without issue.


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## Sammy Islam

I have stopped mine bobbing by pulling out the stopper at the bottom as far it will go, this frees up an extra slit on the intake which reduces pull.


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## Paul Herbert

Paul Herbert said:


> Glass surface skimmer hack​Reducing the air bubble from under the skimmer head works - but it’s still annoyingly unreliable. Ultimately - we’re just trying to balance the weight of the floating skimmer head; because every canister filter has a varying flow rate (due to media used, waste build up etc) in relation to the floating skimmer head. So rather than removing the air bubble - try this; cut a 10mm (+/-) section of hose (e.g. 5/8 inch or 16mm), slice it down the middle, and place it to one side in the skimmer head as a *weight*. Job done! No doubt you’ll need to tweak the ‘weight’ with a longer or shorter piece of hose, and you might even find something better to weigh the skimmer head with. Let me know if it works for you.View attachment 169960


I played around with the solution some more and discovered it wasn’t the weight of the hose (trying various weights and sizes - my bad), but rather the way it interrupts the water flow into the skimmer down pipe. Provided the section of hose doesn’t occlude the down pipe (i.e. it rests on the skimmer basket to one side - as in the picture) - it seems to work reliably. Would be great if someone else could test the idea and report their findings…


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