Skimmer driving me nuts >.<
 

Alright so my vertex in-80 seems to be very unfriendly! Every time I turn it off and then turn it back on (after all the water is drained from the inside of the skimmer), it overflows for few secs (thus pulling out water) into the cup (like 1/10th or something) and then the bubbles go down. Is that normal? This mainly happens after water change (I did put a 10mins delay in the skimmer after the pumps turn on so that the water level gets within an inch of what the skimmer sits in).

My Vertex skimmers don't do that. Try leaving the skimmer on during the waterchanges. As long as your sump level doesn't go up higher than normal it shouldn't overflow.

If I leave it on, it goes nuts since the sump level increases when the pump is off. When the pump is on and the skimmer is off, the sump level is around 1/2 to 1" higher for the skimmer. I wonder whether that's the culprit. But then again, when the skimmer starts sucking up water, the level stabilizes but still it overflows for a few secs.

That's likely. When you refill, don't add so much. That way the level will be a little low, then turn on the skimmer, and top up as needed.

I guess I will have to keep that point in the maintenance manual. Thanks Myka :D

Since we are on the note of skimmers, at which level do you keep the bubbles at in the vertex? Like at the neck of the cup/middle of the cup/lip of the cup?

Mine skim wet, I have the water line about 2/3 up the neck on all of them. That is considering the neck to be from where it joins to the skimmer body all the way up to where it overflows into the cup. They will overflow if I let the cup will up more than about halfway, I'm not sure why they suddenly overflow, but at least it is predictable. :lol:

Gotcha! Thanks Myka :D