Thick foam in New System

traxxonwaxx99 · Mar 27, 2018

So I just finished building and plumbing my new 210 build. Waited a little over a day for the glue to dry and switched on my Vectras. Immediately in the drain chamber, thick heavy white foam started forming. Turned on my skimmer and heavy shampoo like foam came pouring out like a an erupting volcano. I mean tons and tons of foam. I reduced my skimmer to the lowest pump setting and still, tons of foam. So here’s what I started the system with, if anyone can let me know what’s causing this foam that would be great.

160lbs of Caribsea Life Rock
Aquaforest Reef Salt (non probiotic)
80lbs of Caribsea Special Grade Aragonite
(did not rinse)
16oz DT One and Only
40ml DT Ammonium Chloride

That’s it, and my sump is all foamy. Can’t even run the skimmer because of the amount of foam coming out. Any ideas?

Kershaw · Mar 27, 2018

Any possibility that some detergent or something got in it?

traxxonwaxx99 · Mar 27, 2018

Kershaw said:
Any possibility that some detergent or something got in it?

That would be my first thought but no, I’m pretty diligent with what goes in. I took out the 2 filter socks that came with the Icecap sump and that seems to reduce a lot of the foam. However I still cannot turn on the skimmer. I guess I’ll wait until the cycle is complete and see if the skimmer still foams.

Kershaw · Mar 27, 2018

Must be some residue from there sump then and maybe the socks. I would drain the sump wipe it with vinager. And try again

traxxonwaxx99 · Mar 27, 2018

Kershaw said:
Must be some residue from there sump then and maybe the socks. I would drain the sump wipe it with vinager

Kershaw said:

Must be some residue from there sump then and maybe the socks. I would drain the sump wipe it with vinager. And try again

Click to expand...

I will try that if all else fails. I’m hoping it goes away on its own lol...

ZaneTer · Mar 28, 2018

Do you have children?
Personally I would drain the entire thing and clean down before adding fresh rodi water....without salt. Clean RODI doesnt foam at all but if your skimmer starts up again you definitely know either your water source is contaminated or your new setup is leeching chemicals.

LEOreefer · Mar 28, 2018

Ive had foam similar to that when I added sand to my new 50 cube but it wasn’t that thick

traxxonwaxx99 · Mar 28, 2018

I’m wondering if it’s a combination of the sand being unrinsed and not allowing the PVC to cure long enough. I waited 24 hrs before running the pipes.

ZaneTer · Mar 28, 2018

The part that worries me is that your foam looks perfectly white. If it was sand scum I would still expect there to be some darker residue in the foam.

traxxonwaxx99 · Mar 28, 2018

It is perfectly white and when I scoop it out into a bucket it settles pretty clear. It’s driving me nuts, it’s been 24 hours and my sump is still full of foam. Forget turning on the skimmer at all. What could have been in a brand new tank and sump to cause this?

JustSomeGuy · Mar 28, 2018

I have run into new filter socks even after rinsing for 5 to 10 minutes will make my skimmer crazy. I would have to wait a day at minimum before I could turn the skimmer back on. No other signs of issues were in the tank. I now soak them in rodi and let them dry before using them.

ZaneTer · Mar 28, 2018

It’s quite a mystery, perhaps it is cleaning residue left on the inside of the tank or sump.

Personally I would dump all the water out and give it a full rinse with fresh rodi.

Run the skimmer with just fresh rodi in the sump. You shouldn’t have an issue. If you do then you know the contaminant is still present either from your water source or leeching from tank setup.

cracker · Mar 28, 2018

I got foam from a brand new sock. They all get a washing 1st now.

mike werner · Mar 28, 2018

sense you don't have any fish in the tank to worry about.i would turn the skimmer off and let the tank run for a week.then turn the skimmer back on as low as you can.if it starts all over then I would start with major water changes.if it's relatively foam free slowly turn up the flow and air mixture in the skimmer over the next week.maybe try adding some prime to see if that helps.

traxxonwaxx99 · Mar 29, 2018

Found out the culprit. Spoke to a rep from Caribsea. Before I finished giving him the whole story he said I was getting foam right? Apparently it’s perfectly normal. He bonding agent used to bind the bacteria to the rock will cause heavy thick foam when aerated in the sump. He said they need to disclose this on the box but perfectly normal. Keep the skimmer off for initial 2 weeks of running system and the foam will clear itself. Glad it wasn’t mystery chemicals!!!

ZaneTer · Mar 29, 2018

Well that’s great! Glad you found the root cause and now we all know for future reference.

Dragon52 · Mar 29, 2018

Was the Carib Sea Aragonite the Live Version, if so did it have the little pouches that help clear the water, If not then this doesn't matter.

Dragon52 · Mar 29, 2018

Dragon52 said:
Was the Carib Sea Aragonite the Live Version, if so did it have the little pouches that help clear the water, If not then this doesn't matter.

Never mind

MEhart · Jun 2, 2018

traxxonwaxx99 said:
It is perfectly white and when I scoop it out into a bucket it settles pretty clear. It’s driving me nuts, it’s been 24 hours and my sump is still full of foam. Forget turning on the skimmer at all. What could have been in a brand new tank and sump to cause this?

I am having this same problem and driving myself insane. If you found a fix for this please help!!!!

traxxonwaxx99 · Jun 2, 2018

The issue was with Liferock. Is that what you used? After speaking with Caribbsea hey acknowledged that the bonding agent on the rock is known to cause extreme foam and they suggest not using the slimmer for at least 2 weeks when first introducing new liferock. This is definitely what caused it because it stopped after 3 weeks and I just added more liferock last month and the same thing happened again.