Protien Skimmer Madness!

Question
I have a small 10 gallon Nano from AquaMedic that came with a venturi skimmer.  The skimmer has very little adjustability with the collection cup (i.e., can't adjust up or down).  The only other variables is the volume of water through the water pump, maybe attaching an air pump to the air hose increasing air volume or a combination of the two.  Any ideas on how to tune this skimmer to produce a nice dirty dry froth?  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Gary. First of all is this a new set up and a new skimmer? When a skimmer is new it may take several weeks for it to adjust itself. You may have to play with the water control valve to get it just right. Also if it is a new tank you may not be collecting anything because there is nothing yet to collect. Also are you collecting too much water or nothing at all? Usually if you are collecting too much the skimmer is working too well and you need to turn the water flow down a bit. A good functioning skimmer in a normally stocked tank should only be collecting enough gunk that you should only have to clean it about once a week. If your skimmer is not producing enough to even collect anything then there may be nothing to collect or your water flow needs to be turned up. You can also try adding a trace mineral supplement that contains calcium to help speed up collection. If you have the option of adding an air pump you can try this however only if you are not collecting anything and you have an established tank. If you are going to try this remember to get an air control valve so you can adjust the amount of air that you are putting in to your skimmer or you may end up collecting too much water.