Skimmer Overflows during lights off only

[Treefer32]

I have a hose on my skimmer that runs to a bucket, which I have a sensor that shuts the skimmer off if the bucket gets to the full line. I recently added my skimmer back into my 350 gallon system as phosphates were going up and down and not managed with just a turf scrubber. I had a large skimmer I just liked the neatness of my sump without the skimmer. So, I put it back and dialing it back in, but, I've noticed that during the day it skims fairly dry the way I have it set with the gate valve. At night, I wake up to the skimmate full alarm going off... So, what's happening at night that causes my skimmer to pull more skimmate. The skimmate is an amber colored skimmate. I have to open the gate valve to the point it's not really skimming anything during the day to prevent it pulling too much at night.... It's within 1-2 hours of the lights going off that this happens.. Thoughts?

 

[redfishbluefish]

That is most bizarre! Let's start with what brand of skimmer and, if it has an air adjustment, how do you have that adjusted? With all the skimmers I've had, I always had the air adjustment opened all the way. Let's also get the #reefsquad to comment on this.

 

[nereefpat]

Are you dosing something in the middle of the night that would cause the skimmer to go nuts?

 

[Treefer32]

It's a Diablo Skimmer DC Skimmer (I think Reef Octopus is the current brand. I've had it for 7 years purchased new) The pump was replaced on it under warranty with the white pump. The only adjustment way to adjust is the gate valve that I'm aware of. It's all I've ever adjusted. Which raises and lowers where the skimmate is on the skimmer.

I notice in the morning there's usually a TON of small pod like corpses floating on the top of my tank. I'm pretty sure they are pod molts of some type. I'm wondering if there's something naturally occurring that affects the skimmer? I've wondered if the same thing could affect my phosphates as well. I'm not exaggerating in the top of my tank covered every morning with molts. By night they're all gone and the next morning they're back. I assume it's molts unless I have so many pods they're dyeing every night, but I've been told the pods molt. So, I assume it's just husks.

If it's not that, then, could it just be water level of the pump it's only about 1 inch below the surface. But, I'm not sure why that would affect how it skims at night vs. the day. The sump level is managed with an ATO and it's fairly accurate.

 

[Treefer32]

Are you dosing something in the middle of the night that would cause the skimmer to go nuts?

No, I have a bubble magus that doses (baked baking soada mixed with RODI) Alk and BRS Calcium Chloride- Calcium at the same amounts throughout the day and night. I'm at around 96 ml a day or 4ml per hour of each separately.

 

[Reefahholic]

If you raise the skimmer high enough it doesn’t matter what brand it is...it wil not overflow.

 

[dedragon]

Hmm could something be breeding at night, whether bacteria, algae, or coral causing it to collect more at night? I would dial it way way back, water level very low in the body. It will probably cause a dry skim during the day but will hopefully not overflow at night

 

[Lasse]

and not managed with just a turf scrubber

Run under reversed light schedule?

During night - your system releases something that affects the surface tension of the water - IMO

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Treefer32]

If you raise the skimmer high enough it doesn’t matter what brand it is...it wil not overflow.

My skimmer pump is 1inch under water. I've had to turn it slightly so it doesn't suck in air from the surface while it's sucking in water. It's as close to the surface I can get it without it being out of the water.. I would normally agree with you if I hadn't seen it first hand.

 

[Reefahholic]

My skimmer pump is 1inch under water. I've had to turn it slightly so it doesn't suck in air from the surface while it's sucking in water. It's as close to the surface I can get it without it being out of the water.. I would normally agree with you if I hadn't seen it first hand.

Something is obviously wrong. Your sump is super busy. Have you cleaned the skimmer and tuned it properly. Can you get a video.

 

[spfahnestock]

Just an idea... Do you change the flow rate at night? If you have your pumps running slower at night it might be changing the water level in your sump and causing the overflow of the skimmer.

 

[Treefer32]

Just an idea... Do you change the flow rate at night? If you have your pumps running slower at night it might be changing the water level in your sump and causing the overflow of the skimmer.

My MP40s may slow down a bit at night in the display but that wouldn't change the level of the sump. It shouldn't They're close to the bottom of the display tank. No other pumps slow down or change throughout the day. I agree with others that the sump needs to be redone. I'm having a reefing buddy come over this weekend to see about redoing my plumbing and possibly doing a larger tub like sump that could easily house all the equipment, and make everything easy to see and get to and keep it all in it's right place.

You confirmed my suspicions that something is happening at night to increase the volume of water through the skimmer. I don't know what at this point, if it's bacterial blooms, pod molts, or detritus that only makes it into the skimmer at night. Or something else completely. The auto shut off sensor is working when the skimmer container gets full the skimmer is shut down. So, that's what's important. frustrating but, important.

 

[Softhammer]

Try running filter socks for a few nights to clean up that pod molt and see how the skimmer reacts.

 

[Treefer32]

Try running filter socks for a few nights to clean up that pod molt and see how the skimmer reacts.

I'm running filter socks also and clean the molts off the teeth of my overflows as well. I also run a 25 micron cannister filter off my return manifold back into the overflow chamber where my skimmer is. And my ATS is in the skimmer chamber as well.. Hmm..

So, could the pods in my ATS be reproducing at night and maybe I have so many that they're plugging up my skimmer at night? (Gross!) I never thought of the placement of my ATS and Skimmer but the Skimmer is after the ATS drain. . .

 

[Willis19]

I have the same brand in a 20 g mix AIO. In my case, during daylight there is more skimming production than in the night (no skimming at all), I think it is because there is more algae during the day light in my case. The collection cup get this brown-green waste, I just have two small fish so no much waste/poop from these guys. I'm sure is the algae. Every morning, my tank is full of copepods

 

[ewanho]

It's a Diablo Skimmer DC Skimmer (I think Reef Octopus is the current brand. I've had it for 7 years purchased new) The pump was replaced on it under warranty with the white pump. The only adjustment way to adjust is the gate valve that I'm aware of. It's all I've ever adjusted. Which raises and lowers where the skimmate is on the skimmer.

I notice in the morning there's usually a TON of small pod like corpses floating on the top of my tank. I'm pretty sure they are pod molts of some type. I'm wondering if there's something naturally occurring that affects the skimmer? I've wondered if the same thing could affect my phosphates as well. I'm not exaggerating in the top of my tank covered every morning with molts. By night they're all gone and the next morning they're back. I assume it's molts unless I have so many pods they're dyeing every night, but I've been told the pods molt. So, I assume it's just husks.

If it's not that, then, could it just be water level of the pump it's only about 1 inch below the surface. But, I'm not sure why that would affect how it skims at night vs. the day. The sump level is managed with an ATO and it's fairly accurate.

I have these white pod shell things and scoop the surface out with a cup, only happens during night; in the morn lots of foam
On surface

 

[ewanho]

To add i have a pencil wrasse and two clownfish that go a bit nuts under blue lights around 10pm pecking at something in the water i cant see half way up the tank; in the morn another wrasse goes up and down the glass pecking at something