Skimmer grief.....

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Well, I have a unique situation. While my Kuda tank is very healthy and well established. Doing very well without a skimmer.
The potbelly 90g tank is giving me grief. I admit I haven't been doing water changes as planned because of my health. The tank is actually new since it is less than 6 months established.
I have lots of healthy macros in the 90g, but I also have some nasty bad algae as well....long strands of brown looking hair algae and thick diatoms on the sand only. Be it hair algae or macros, it eats phosphates and nitrates leaving the water pristine for the seahorses, so they are healthy and happy.
I used some red slime remover, since I think my thick carpet of "diatoms" was actually brown looking cyanobacteria. After the 37g water change...I turned on my Octopus skimmer and it immediatly overflows with skim foam. I have the valve all the way on the lowest possition...which normally means off, it looks like it will do good but within 5 minutes the cup is full of foam and oozing out of the top of the cup.
It can't collect the skim doing that....what can I do? I did a 37g water change (took me two days) before I went into the hospital, so it has been 3 weeks...but even after the water change it still overflowed with foam and I unplugged it then...the next morning I was in the hospital...so I have not addressed the problem until now. I tried it again and the skimmer is still overflowing with foam, no matter what I do.
I am mixing new saltwater and it should be ready tomorrow...the skimmer still has me stumped. I never had a skimmer that worked too well, so this is new...HELP please.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Ok, simple checks.
1 take the skimmer off and completely wash it. Soak it in vinegar overnight. Inspect your airline tubing for kinks and objects blocking it. Take the pump completely apart and clean it. Soak it in vinegar. Once your skimmer is absolutely clean again put it back on your system and see if t is still having that same problem. If that fixed it then great. If it didnt, then we will go from there.
Usually a really good cleaning will put things back in working order.
If it is overflowing on the maximum setting then it really sounds like a blockage somewhere to me of the output pipe or even inside the skimmer body. A snail could have climbed up it or something.
Do those steps and we will just have to see.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/392373/skimmer-grief#post_3483474
Ok, simple checks.
1 take the skimmer off and completely wash it. Soak it in vinegar overnight. Inspect your airline tubing for kinks and objects blocking it. Take the pump completely apart and clean it. Soak it in vinegar. Once your skimmer is absolutely clean again put it back on your system and see if t is still having that same problem. If that fixed it then great. If it didnt, then we will go from there.
Usually a really good cleaning will put things back in working order.
If it is overflowing on the maximum setting then it really sounds like a blockage somewhere to me of the output pipe or even inside the skimmer body. A snail could have climbed up it or something.
Do those steps and we will just have to see.
The skimmer is clean....When the pump died I soaked it in vinager for three days. I have replaced the pump from the manufacture, so I know it is the right size and it was working properly before I added the red slime remover. The pump has no tubes since it is the cone type where the pump is attached by a hole leading directly into the body. The valve works fine..it can be turned up and super fast overflow, or turned all the way to the lowest possible setting and it takes a few minutes, but still overflows with foam.
It is overflowing with foam (overworking) on the MINIMUM setting, not the maximum. It is a new pump so it isn't clogged and there are no snails in the lower tank (sump)
Is there something I can do to calm the skimmer besides water changes? It has to be the red slime remover...I already did a 37g water change and that was 3 weeks ago...I'm mixing water now and can start another WC tomorrow.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I would email coralvue the complete info about the problem. Jeremy should be able to help you out.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
If that is correct then you have a lot of bacteria dying in your tank which is causing the skimmer to overload. Your supposed to do a 50% water change 24 to 36 hours after you add the antibiotic. If you dont start doing some good water changes then you will be back where you started. The water changes will help to get rid of those excess proteins and amino acids and keep your skimmer from overloading.
Your current situation was the same for me when i used that antibiotic on new clients tanks. Overflows the skimmer until you do a series of water changes to get the die off under control.
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Flower, Sed Slime Remover does that to all skimmers. You're actually supposed to turn the skimmer off for 24 hours and not turn it on until after the water change (which I see you did) but even then I've noticed it takes a couple days for the skimmer to settle down even after the water change.
Done this a couple times before in both the big tank and the horse tank. Each and every time it's taken 3-4 days for the skimmer to start behaving itself again. IMO you should crank it down all the way to keep skimming the organics which are obviously in the tank, but be aware that you'll have to check the cup twice a day.
 
S

siptang

Guest
Flower , red slime remover will make your skimmer go crazy. It has happened to me as well in the past. Just do a couple of more water changes and just let it sit there for little bit on the lowest possible setting and it will calm itself down eventually.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///t/392373/skimmer-grief#post_3483600
Flower, Sed Slime Remover does that to all skimmers. You're actually supposed to turn the skimmer off for 24 hours and not turn it on until after the water change (which I see you did) but even then I've noticed it takes a couple days for the skimmer to settle down even after the water change.
Done this a couple times before in both the big tank and the horse tank. Each and every time it's taken 3-4 days for the skimmer to start behaving itself again. IMO you should crank it down all the way to keep skimming the organics which are obviously in the tank, but be aware that you'll have to check the cup twice a day.
This post is long but please bear with me....
Okay...I know all of this, and I did as you said. I know red slime remover does this, and I turned off the skimmer...per instructions. When I turned it back on, after a water change...it went crazy... so I turned it back off to give it time... the plan was for 3 or 4 days, because I knew to just turn the skimmer off for a bit, which turned into weeks because of the hospital stay. I was willing to let it skim and settle down but it skims so dang fast on the absolute lowest setting (all the way), within minutes, not days the cup if full of white foam and overflowing. So checking the cup twice a day won't work.
I can attach a tube and allow the foam to drain into a larger container...but as fast as it's skimming I will be doing a big water change replacing the loss of saltwater. That is my next plan of action...However...I have to replace the water with cold, and I can't cool the water as fast as the cup fills, so I will have to do a little, turn off the skimmer and replace a little until I have added the full 37g of new saltwater. Because of the Sabbath...I have put everything on hold. The new water needs adjusting to get it to the right SG before I begin.
You are correct, there is lots of organic material and even more so because the tank is loaded with macros besides the bad algae. Even worse, the red (brown) slime was not eradicated because of the hospital stay...the stuff was allowed to re-grow unchecked.
As you can see by my water test results ... The water is pristine, but I want the macros to out-compete the bad algae. The hope was to give the macros a leg up by using the red slime remover. The tank is pretty young. The seahorses are messy as per their nature, so keeping the tank clean like you would a normal tank doesn't work when the critters are the problem makers. Normally, you remove the slime, correct the reason for getting it (overfeeding or whatever) and increase the flow...red (brown) slime gone. With seahorses as you know, we keep feeding the nutrients that create the problem in the first place.
In all honesty...the water parameters are good without a skimmer, but I'm hopeful the skimmer will assist the new tank to remove some organic material and maybe help the good macros, and get rid of the bad. The red macros have taken off and is covering very well, the prolifera is growing good...all in spit of the low temperature. Amazingly the cold water macros didn't make it...the hair algae sufficated it. The bad algae is on the bottom rocks and the covering the sand. I think it's cyano because I can pick it up in a soft clump off the sand, there are some long strands (same brown color) that of course is hair algae.
Here are some pictures so you can see what I'm dealing with...just click on them for a bigger view.





 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
I don't think raising the skimmer is going to solve the issue....I think your going to have to run the skimmer as low as possible and as suggested will take a bit of time.....
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/392373/skimmer-grief#post_3484090
I don't think raising the skimmer is going to solve the issue....I think your going to have to run the skimmer as low as possible and as suggested will take a bit of time.....
So I will need to have change water on hand and just let it go nuts....Big sigh, I thought as much.
 
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