skimmer quit skimming,whats up?

[devillion]

on my 125 i have a problem with my protien skimmer not doing its job at all,no bubbles,nothing but a little fizz,and there is no medacine in the tank and i even did a partial water change,and still nothing.my skimmer is a aqualab i belive but not for sure if this is the right name.any advice would be appriciated.THANKS A.S.

 

[mr . salty]

Is the skimmers reaction chamber(cylinder)filled with bubbles???If not you have an air induction problem.This could be as easy as just readjusting the air valve.Or maybe a good cleanout of the pump.If the chamber is filled with bubbles,but no foam is rising to the cup,it could be that the water in your tank does not contain enough dissolved protiens and waste to be skimmed out.In other words,Your skimmer has done it's job,and your water is in good shape.The size of your tank,and ammount of fish in there also has alot to do with this.A very heavily stocked tank will need MORE skimming than a lightly stocked tank...Try turning it off for a few days and restart it.Then see what it does...I only need to run my skimmer a few days a month.

 

[devillion]

HEY,thanks there mr.salty,this is probly whats wrong,being that all i have is a lion fish about 6 inches and a panther grouper at 4 inches,and thats all in that tank,and that makes sense that there isnt that much waste in that size of a tank with two fish and having skimmed every thing out,leaving nothing left to skim,boy do i feel stupid,its almost common sense.THANKS! A.S.

 

[marine fanatic]

Mr. Salty is absolutely correct, IMHO. My skimmer was pulling large amounts of waste the first 2 weeks I had it running but since then it only gathers about 1/5 cup every 3-4 days. I am still finishing my first cycle and only 2 fish are in it now. One other thing to remember is, if your skimmer uses an airstone (limewood), they need to be changed once in a while to maintain effeciency.