How to Set Up a Vertex Skimmer in a Sump

Vertex protein skimmers remove organic waste and oxygenate the water in marine aquariums. The thick column of bubbles produced in the column of this skimmer attracts molecules of fish urine and feces and completely remove this waste material from the aquarium water. Fish and invertebrate animals, such as crabs, continually release metabolic waste into the aquarium water, which eventually reaches toxic concentrations unless removed. Vortex protein skimmers are easy to set up and to adjust.

Things You'll Need

  • Marine aquarium
  • Sump
  • Egg crate (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Rinse the Vertex skimmer in warm water to remove dust from packing and shipping.

    • 2

      Ensure there is no greasy residue in the body or neck of the skimmer. Any residue from the manufacturing process that remains in the skimmer will prevent it from functioning optimally, as bubbles will not form correctly in the presence of greasy surfaces.

    • 3

      Remove the pump "impeller well" cover and check that the needle or pinwheel impeller is in place. Check that the gaskets have been installed correctly at the factory.

    • 4

      Measure the height of water in your sump. The Vertex 100 model needs to stand in approximately 7 inches of water in order to function optimally.

    • 5

      Place your skimmer on an egg crate base plate if the water level in the sump is higher than 7 inches.

    • 6

      Plug the pump into a wall power source and turn it on.

    • 7

      Wait for the bubbles to fill the skimmer's column and for water to pour out of the exhaust pipe.

    • 8

      Observe the mixture of water and bubbles that pushes up towards the collection cup. Excessive amounts of wet bubbles will quickly fill the cup, which will overflow back into the sump. Wet bubbles should not push up past the halfway mark on the skimmer's neck.

    • 9

      Open the vertical output tube by slowly twisting tube, if the water and bubble mixture is pushing up too quickly. The quicker the water flows from the output tube, the slower the bubbles will climb up the neck of the skimmer, which is exactly what you require.

    • 10

      Monitor the consistency of the bubble and water mixture in the neck of the skimmer. You require dry foam. The bubbles need to remain in the neck long enough for the water component of the mixture to run back into the skimmer's body. The dry foam that remains will be laden will organic proteins, which are completely removed from the water as the foam enters the collection cup and is eventually discarded.