skimmer question

[tj51]

Seem to be having a small issue with my protein skimmer (which is major as I am at day 10 vodka dosing). When I first started dosing, I was getting about 25% more skimmate than usual. Yesterday the foam level was almost non-existant. Last night I removed the protein skimmer and cleaned with with hot water and vinegar. I replaced the impeller on the mag 5 (even using a mag 7 impeller). Got some foam after all that, but today it doesn't seem to be foaming much again. Unfortunately my sump area is small and it is only about 2" elevated from the bottom of the sump, but that hasn't affected it. It is a Sealife Systems 150. It doen't have a knob on the air line, so I bought an air pump and hooked the air line from the ps to the air pump.

Suggestions???

thx

Tj

 

[superior*aquatics]

Your smimmer will only remove what is there. Once that is removed it will not have anything to skim.

 

[tj51]

I understand......but would it not foam just the same but just not have the skimmate? Or is the foam the result of the protein from the tank? Just tested nitrates and (ugh I hate API, Salifert on the way) "trates appear to be under 20 ppm, but not all clear.

 

[kgross]

It could be that you put something into the water that effected the surface tension as well. Many different items, including foods, oils, household cleaning supplies can either shut down a skimer by decreasing the surface tension, or cause it to go crazy by increasing the surface tension.

I would say don't worry about it to much for 24 hours or so.

Kim

 

[tj51]

by surface tension, you mean of the main tank? Since I am vodka dosing and it has the potential for oxygen depletion, last week I added a power head which is pointing straight up and used only to break the water. I have also started feeding my power blue tang algae, and he's making such a mess, I took some carbon and put it in my phosbate reactor (which I have not been using) to clean up the water..... could these be the cause, or does it take an element to affect the surface tension such as those you mentioned?

Thanks!

Tj

 

[kgross]

When I say surface tension I mean of the water itself. Most soaps will lower the surface tension, so the bubble break much easier, many oils increase the surface tension so the bubbles hold together a lot better. With a higher surface tension, you skimmer will go crazy and pump lots of water into the cup, with a lower surface tension, the little bubbles will coalesce into larger bubbles with nothing being produced in the cup.

Now it could be something on the new carbon, could be something on the algae, or it could be the new air freshener you wife sprayed into the kids room, it is really hard to say. But in cases like this if the skimmer is clean and functioning, normally the problem will go away after about a day or 2.

kim