Tunze skimmer - is this common?

SueAndHerZoo · Jul 29, 2020

I've had my Tunze about a year now and love it, but it almost seems like if the top portion is too full of dry foam, it doesn't "liquidate" and drip down to the container. Not sure if that makes sense, but in other words, after I empty and clean the container portion, I put it back in the sump, it starts foaming like it should, and for the first day or two I get a small amount of dark green scum collecting in the collector cup. Then I see ton of foam in there, but no additional accumulation of liquid scum that I can empty out.... it stays at this level of scum until I clean it again. Is this my imagination or should I be doing something differently? Should I maybe turn it up so that I get a wetter skim? The problem in doing that is I already have it turned up to the point where the water is coming out the overflow hole, so I doubt it needs to be turned up more.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I'd rather not keep emptying it when there's less than an inch of scum collected.
Sue

Cory · Jul 29, 2020

Weird. Ive put some drops of canola oil in the cup to collapse the foam head.

Opus · Jul 29, 2020

I have the same problem with my Deltec skimmer. The top of the collection cup has a small hole in it and the foam will actually start forming on the outside of the collection cup. I have to empty mine once or twice a day. Even when I clean it out the foam doesn't collapse, it stays like that in the sink. I will have to give the canola oil a try. It started doing this about a year ago. Not sure what changed.

SueAndHerZoo · Jul 29, 2020

Well glad I'm not the only one who noticed this, but sorry you deal with it, too. Yes, my collection cup cover has several small holes in the top and the foam comes through there and then hardens and solidifes - really a pain to have to keep scrubbing and cleaning that, usually with my fingernails. Does it have to be canola oil or do you think any oil would have the same effect? Trying to think if there's anything negative to adding the oil, but if it works for you . . . ?
Sue