Polyfill makes skimmer hyperactive

[N2950H]

I was having floating debris issues in my water column so I put some polyfill into each of my filter socks. I'm not sure if it will do any good, but I guess worst case it keeps me from having to clean the socks as often.

My question is why did this have such a dramatic effect on my skimmer? Within a few minutes my skimmer cup was overflowing like crazy no matter how much I tried to adjust it. It took several hours to calm down to the point where I could walk away from it. The polyfill didn't make the water level rise very much at all, so I'm just wondering what the connection is there?

 

[GThompson]

Did you rinse before use? And was it aquarium poly or pillow stuffing. Some of the pillow stuffing has additives that could be a problem

 

[N2950H]

Did you rinse before use? And was it aquarium poly or pillow stuffing. Some of the pillow stuffing has additives that could be a problem

You know, I did not rinse it though looking back I'm kicking myself for not doing that. It's a large package of stuffing I found at a craft store but I did make sure the packaging said 100% polyester fill and there were no additives listed.

 

[Highgrade]

I'm sure certain products have different manufacturing process so there could be some residue or additives. I use the Loop and Thread brand from Michael's craft store for years with no issues. I use it on multiple tanks and none of my skimmers act up when I swap it out. No rinsing needed for the brand I use.

 

[N2950H]

Michael's is where I got this stuff as well, but I forget what brand. I plan to change out the polyfill today so I'll rinse it this time and see if that makes a difference.