Skimmer - increases at night question

[Aquaman102]

I've noticed that my skimmer cup definitely gets more full over night. The amount of water coming up the neck raises at night for some reason vs where it is at during the day.

Has anyone seen that behavior before and know what causes it?

I check my skimmer when I get home from work and there's just a bit of skimmate, the next morning, there's a ton more....

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

It probably has to do with photosynthesis versus respiration. During the day, the corals and other photosynthetic organisms are using trace compounds in the water to produce food (sugar) and oxygen. During the night time when the lights are off, they burn the sugar they photosynthesized for energy. I would assume that the respiration at night time introduces more organic waste than during the daytime.

Just a guess.

 

[atoll]

There is more CO2 in the water at night due to algae giving off CO2 instead of O2. CO2 being a very soluble gas compared to O2. Bit like shaking bottle of soda as the skimmer adgitates the water causing more foaming.