I Am Stumped What Is This Black Gunk????

[deuce biggalow]

Every month I collect this black thick gunk,(it collects around the exit of my Euroreef protein skimmer) it does not have any smell at all, it seems like a rubbery paste (when it dries it shrinks and hardens. I just do not know what it is, its driving me crazy.. It can't be a aquarium byproduct.????? Thanks

 

[broomer5]

That does sound funky Deuce
What chemical additives if any, do you add to your tank ?

 

[glazer]

Totally and completely wingin' it here.... have any old powerheads, any that feel pretty warm to the touch? Is it possible that it may be that tar/epoxy stuff they fill the motor housing with... maybe it's slowly and minutely leaking out and it would seem logical that a protein skimmer would be a good place for it to collect.... oh what the!... I got no idea, only thick black stuff I could think of, well then there is the actual tar in ballasts. Got any ballasts mounted in your hood? Seen that stuff drip out of the shop lights at work... okay I'll shut up now...lol

 

[deuce biggalow]

NO addiditives.. I am going to take some pictures of it and post it,,, then you guys can be driven crazy trying to figure it out...

 

[steamboat1569]

I, too, am going to take a wild guess. I believe that you have a build up of mold. I am saying this because you said that it gets hard and dry, and rubbery, so I am assuming that this is part of your skimmer that is exposed to air and the outside elements.
Like I said, a WILD guess.

 

[a&m aggie 04']

thanks for the idea jeff,
Next time i see something odd and black in my skimmer im going roll it up and smoke it.

 

[steamboat1569]

This is your brain on drugs (egg frying sound).
This is your brain on black stuff coming out of your skimmer (sounds like water hitting really hot grease)

 

[mr . salty]

Another guess here,,But a year or so ago there was a local shop that had all it's rock on clearence because of a sponge outbreak.This sponge looked very similar to what you are describing...I bought 40or 50lbs of this rock,and am just now seeing the end of this sponge...This stuff doesn't grow or look like a regular sponge though.It lays low on the rock like red slime algae,and is really dificult to clean off rock..This stuff also shrinks and hardens(like any other sponge) when dried...

 

[deuce biggalow]

It is not any of the things you guys have mentioned.. I will try to take some digital pictures this weekend and post them... Justin

 

[broomer5]

I'll take another stab at the mysterious black gunk.
Protein skimmers remove organic wastes / byproducts.
Organic compounds contain carbon by definition.
Carbon is black
There are many compounds in our saltwater that contain hydrogen.
Maybe the black gunk is a hydrocarbon compound or form of carbon that is not being extracted into the skimmer cup.
Maybe this unseen residue accumulates at the discharge of your Euroreef skimmer over a period of time, and builds up each month ???
Lot's of maybes ........ see if the black dried hard stuff will burn with a lighted match.
Are you a heavy smoker LOL in the room the tank's kept ?
I'm so far out on the proverbial limb right now I'm about to fall