Kessil

Skimmer troubles part 2

Qckslvr

Qckslvr

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As mention in a previous posts, we have had troubles getting our skimmer set up. I finally hit that sweet spot and for a month the skimmer was operating perfectly.

Then Tuesday the 24th.... hell broke loose. Chain of events
-Tuesday during the day skimmer is acting normal, foam is about mid body, never reaching the throat of the skimmer
-Tuesday 6pm the lights fade to lunar phase, and skimmer is now close to cresting the throat of the cup
-Tuesday 8pm lunar cycle is over
-Tuesday 11pm the skimmer goes nuts, We can't empty it fast enough, shut the ATO off as it is just pumping massive amounts of RO Tank salinity drops from 1.025 to 1.024.
- at first the waste water looked dirty, lots of what looked like maybe dead copepods? But after about gallon 5 the water was clear of debris, just a light yellowish.
-Wednesday by 1 am the skimmer has gone through 10 gallons of water, I was making new water at a record pace as I only keep about 3 gallons around.
-Wednesday 1:30 am and another gallon passed we are out of RODI water and can't make any more salt water with out waking up neighbors. I decide to let the skimmer drain back to the tank
-Wednesday 6:30 am and dawn breaks for the tank, by 7am the lights are up to 50% and the skimmer stops reacting and drops to it usual mid cup action.

Wednesday 25th
- tank is working normal all day
- I get home from work and mod a 5 gallon bucket to take waste water
- Wednesday 8pm it starts much earlier. Skimmer is reacting faster than it can drain. The return valve is now full open, any attempt to restrict the air flow just makes the skimmer react even harder.
- Wednesday 10pm the skimmer has now gone through 10 gallons of water
-Wednesday @ around 10;15pm I pull out the the Hanna Marine Master and run Ammonia, Nitrite, Ph, Nitrate, and Phosphate. The only one that had changed was the Ammonia on the Hanna showed. 0.14
- it appeared that a couple of fish were at the surface possibly gasping for air.... panic sets in. But all the other fish look normal.
-Wednesday 11pm the skimmer has slowed down, but has gone through another 3 gallons of water
-Wednesday at midnight it has gone through every bit of RODI and prepared salt water we had (16 gallons) I redirect the waste from the bucket back to the tank

Thursday the 26th
-Tank is doing ok, fish are no longer at the surface. No one looks lethargic.
-Wife takes a water sample to Neptune just double check, We also did a Salifert ammonia test and it showed ok. I wasn't there and the hand writing isn't clear it is either .01 or 0.1, all other parameters are cherry.
-Wife buys Microbacter 7, I wanted to get Microbacter Erase CL as well, but they don't carry it.
-Thursday 5:30 pm shut off the skimmer and does the tank with Microbacter 7.... as advertised in about 30 - 40 minutes the tank starts to look clearer.
-Thursday 9:30 pm lights are off and we turn the skimmer back on.... No major reactions
-Friday morning at 1am...... skimmer starts reacting, water has no visible sign of debris. It is even a lighter shade,
-Friday 2am and 5 gallons later we loop the skimmer back to the tank.

So here we are..... And just at a loss as to WTF is happening. I know that yesterday was our first day for the microbacter I am not expecting miracles..... just some sign of relief.

The main reason we are recirculating the skimmer back to the tank, and not shutting it off is so that it can keep oxygenating the tank.
 
Sorry to hear about skimmer issues-brand/model? Some of them can be really sensitive for quite awhile. I have a reef octopus essence that was just overly sensitive for a long time.
Also what is the ATO you are using? and do you have a controller such as APEX/Hydros?
Immediate possible solution is to raise the skimmer by 1-2 inches depending. Have you checked that skimmer is in proper water depth and sometimes raising it a bit outside of that range is ok for a bit.
It seems be triggering at night-is that when the ATO seems to be going. If you don't have a controller then put the ATO on a timer or better yet a smart plug so it can only go on 1-3 times a day for 3-5 min max. If you have neptune or hydros you can set it so that there is a delay between pump fills.

Also have you used any sort of epoxy or other chemicals that cause skimmers to go nuts?
Sure others will have other suggestions as well. Hopefully it calms down soon enough.
 
New filter socks, some filter floss, chemicals like reef flux chemi clean and similar can make a skimmer go nuts as well.
It's already been mentioned that skimmer height in water makes a difference as well.

I'm no expert just things that I've personally experienced with my skimmers overflowing like crazy.
 
The skimmer is a Reef Octopus INT-2000 with a bubble blaster pump.
operating height is 8-9 inches of water depth. If I raise it any more the outlet will be out of the water, it is just barely below the surface.
no controller
ATO is a Amazon unit, works very well. It is only trying to refill what the skimmer is pulling out, and we have yet to turn the ATO back on. it has been off for the past three days as we let it naturally raise the salinty of the tank.

I did forget to mention that the tank is back to 1.025, took a couple days of evaporation.

We have not touched the tank, no hands in it, no repairs, scheduled feedings as usual. We did feed the fish on Monday a Frozen Hikari clam on the half shell, but we removed it in the evening. We fed the tank less yesterday
 
MichaelB said:
New filter socks, some filter floss, chemicals like reef flux chemi clean and similar can make a skimmer go nuts as well.
It's already been mentioned that skimmer height in water makes a difference as well.

I'm no expert just things that I've personally experienced with my skimmers overflowing like crazy.
Click to expand...
we use a Reefmat 500. and it is about mid roll at the moment. So no fresh floss.

I am thinking of replacing it with a Simplicty 240DC.... The wife wants app controlled, but I just can't justify the cost off the RedSea skimmer.
 
I didn’t read thru everything. But this is my protocol when my skimmer goes nuts. It is because something is in the water that is a foaming agent. Doesn’t matter what it is. I open everything up on the skimmer, gate valve , air, etc. if it’s a dc skimmer ( which is what I like ) I dial the pump all the way down. Then I take off the cup and I put the cup back on where it is getting some foam into it. Like it would normally. Even though it’s over flowing on the sides. What I’m trying to do is capture whatever the skimmer is trying to skim out. If the foam is too much and it is just filling my sump. Then a WC is your best friend.
The skimmer is doing its job. You are the one that changed the equation.
 
Still trying to figure out what was added between 8 and 11 pm Tuesday. Usually agents that cause skimmers to go nuts generally operate fast. Or is something going on with return pump (dialed down at night) or rollermat that causes the water to rise causing a chain reaction ? It’s just a bit bizarre that it’s happening at night.
 
L/B Block said:
Still trying to figure out what was added between 8 and 11 pm Tuesday. Usually agents that cause skimmers to go nuts generally operate fast. Or is something going on with return pump (dialed down at night) or rollermat that causes the water to rise causing a chain reaction ? It’s just a bit bizarre that it’s happening at night.
Click to expand...
that's thing.... we didn't add anything to the tank in that time frame :(

we add phytofeast to the tank once a day at 5 pm, the skimmer has never responded to phytofeast like this. And my nitrates and phosphates are all stable, no spikes or even a raise in either.

during tonight's dosing of Microbacter 7 the skimmer will be off for 4 hours. I am going to remove it from the tank and clean the entire thing top to bottom.
 
Phyto would not cause it foam.. hopefully a good cleaning will help -but as @Turkeysammich recommends -couple really good WC can help flush out agents if that is the cause..

Also while you have spent a good chunk of change on this skimmer and do not wish to spend money on a new skimmer I understand., those rsk skimmers came out after I purchased mine but what I did do is get a customized pressure sensor from avast marine for I think $80 at the time.
Mine plugs to the apex but you can get one that just plugs into an outlet (I think) If the sensor trips it just shuts down the skimmer.
 
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