Eshopps Skimmer Overflowing after Water Change

[PeterG]

My 90gal DT had been sitting fallow for the prerequisite 76 days and I did a 25% WC before putting my fish back in. As soon as I turned the pump & Skimmer back on after the WC the skimmer immediately started to overflow and has not stopped. Prior to WC it was working fine. Not sure of the model # but a photo is attached.

Water level is at the mfg. recommended 8”- 9”. Steps taken so far:
Raised the skimmer up about 1.75”
Lowered water level in sump to 7”
Tried adjusting water level from closed to fully open.
Took apart and cleaned skimmer in vinegar/water solution. Everything seems to be in order.

Nothing seems to help. When I tried the skimmer in a 5 gal bucket of tap water it did not overflow. Could it be something in my salt mixture? I’m using Red Sea Coral Pro, same as before.

Water parameters are:
pH - 8.2
Salinity - 1.025
NO3 - 0ppm
NO2 - 0ppm
NH4 - 0ppm
Alk - 8.6
Ca - 460
Mg - 1335
PO4 - 0ppm

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[Crabs McJones]

My 90gal DT had been sitting fallow for the prerequisite 76 days and I did a 25% WC before putting my fish back in. As soon as I turned the pump & Skimmer back on after the WC the skimmer immediately started to overflow and has not stopped. Prior to WC it was working fine. Not sure of the model # but a photo is attached.

Water level is at the mfg. recommended 8”- 9”. Steps taken so far:
Raised the skimmer up about 1.75”
Lowered water level in sump to 7”
Tried adjusting water level from closed to fully open.
Took apart and cleaned skimmer in vinegar/water solution. Everything seems to be in order.

Nothing seems to help. When I tried the skimmer in a 5 gal bucket of tap water it did not overflow. Could it be something in my salt mixture? I’m using Red Sea Coral Pro, same as before.

Water parameters are:
pH - 8.2
Salinity - 1.025
NO3 - 0ppm
NO2 - 0ppm
NH4 - 0ppm
Alk - 8.6
Ca - 460
Mg - 1335
PO4 - 0ppm

Any advice is much appreciated.

Did you dose anything with your water change or just strictly a water change? Did you add any new filter pads or socks or anything? Best bet is to let the skimmer go nuts, and dump out whatever it collects in the cup. There's something in the water it doesn't like, so let it pull it out, and it'll eventually calm down

 

[PeterG]

Did you dose anything with your water change or just strictly a water change? Did you add any new filter pads or socks or anything? Best bet is to let the skimmer go nuts, and dump out whatever it collects in the cup. There's something in the water it doesn't like, so let it pull it out, and it'll eventually calm down

Thanks Crabs,
No added dosing. No socks, my sump uses bio-balls and filter pads. Hey wait, I think I put in a new carbon filter pad while I usually just reuse them. Could that do it?
I took the cup off because the lid was getting lifted off. I'll put it back in place. Water level adjustment is wide open as that seems to lower the overflow a bit. Should I leave it open?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Thanks Crabs,
No added dosing. No socks, my sump uses bio-balls and filter pads. Hey wait, I think I put in a new carbon filter pad while I usually just reuse them. Could that do it?
I took the cup off because the lid was getting lifted off. I'll put it back in place. Water level adjustment is wide open as that seems to lower the overflow a bit. Should I leave it open?

Could be the carbon filter pad upsetting it. I'd open it as wide as it'll go and let it skim out whatever is in the water it doesnt like until it calms down

 

[jwells77]

I know you said it ran fine before but I run this skimmer and I keep the water level below the output of the skimmer. Lower the water or make a taller stand and it should work fine.

 

[PeterG]

I know you said it ran fine before but I run this skimmer and I keep the water level below the output of the skimmer. Lower the water or make a taller stand and it should work fine.

A friend gave me this skimmer and I am fairly new to reefing. By keeping the water level below the output are you referring to the opening in the grey tube on the right hand side?
When I tried lifting the skimmer first i got air bubbles coming out of that opening until it was completely out of the water. Once out there was no difference in the amount of overflow.

 

[TBone Pickenz]

As a newbie, I had this problem, and the solution in my case was painfully simple. In my case, it was because I would shut everything off during a water change/sand bed cleaning, and then power everything up at the same time. This caused transient changes in the sump level (my mid-range Octo classic skimmer is sensitive to levels) which led to the extra gas/bubbles. By changing my procedure to first turning on the pump, waiting a minute for the sump water level to stabilize, and then starting the protein skimmer, my problem was solved. Like the other commenters stated, I do check it at the end of the day, since everything churned up in the sand bed cleaning sometimes requires I dump the skimmer that night.