9002 skimmer question

[deftonead]

i bought this skimmer new almost a month and a half ago and it has been working fine.... probably a week ago it started producing bubbles out of the bottom which got blown all around the tank and the bubbling in the cup slowed down and will not foam anymore.... this all happened about the same time i picked up 5 new frags so i figured that may have been the reason, excess nutrients or something, but it is still doing the same thing. i took it apart and examined everything and even submersed just the pump with fittings attached in the tank water to see if there was a leaking of air from the fittings but found nothing...

is there a specific position the airline is supposed to be in so it doesnt get in the way of the flow coming out of the pump? could that be the reason?

the manuel says something about a surplus of oxygen in the tank could be the reason. is that a possibility even though the tank has been set up going on about 3 months now?

 

[rvitko]

If you have an algae bloom or a lot of fast growing corals than that could definitely be a culprit, it is obvious if this is the cause because the longer the lights are on the worse the problem gets and in the morning before the lights come on the problem will be almost non existant. A very high KH (above 14dKh) is another possible culprit, it will be steady problem if the KH is excessive. A possible technical cause would be the green pipe is missing from the venturi nozzle.

 

[deftonead]

the problem is pretty constant... the lights come on in about an hour and the skimmer looks exactly the same as it did before the lights went out yesterday. being an A and B doser i test my KH just about every other day and i keep it at a constant 8-9 dkh.

the green pipe is securely fit into the the venturi nozzle, i have taken this apart probably 5 times now to try and correct it but to no avail.

i do have alot of valonia algae growing on my rocks but other than that the water is crystal clear.

i did notice when i woke up this morning that the skimmer was making a loud humming noise it was not making yesterday.

im about to take it apart again right now to see what i can do.

this is really frustrating me and i hope i did not waste my money on this skimmer.

 

[rvitko]

Did you change anything about your tank in the last few weeks, a new additive, a big water change, possibly with a new salt? Did you add anything besides your usual A and B additive. It sounds more likely that something has changed the surface tension of the water based on what you describe. Stress coats, vitamins and slime algae killers are prime culprits, dechlorinators will also cause this.

 

[deftonead]

well i have come to the conclusion that it is not the skimmer but the water like you say because i just put the skimmer in my other tank and it is working fine....

i have always done a 10% weekly water change using the same salt.

like i said i just added 5 new frags.

a few weeks ago i switched from b-ionic calcium to natureef because the LFS was out of the b-ionic but the problem didnt start until about 2 weeks after i started using it.

 

[deftonead]

could it be the switch in calcium products that is doing this? the natureef calcium was just a temporary switch until i could get around to getting the bulk supply 2 part. well im going to order the bulk calcium chloride right now and the tank will just have to go with the other stuff until then...

should i do a big water change? would that help?

 

[rvitko]

I suspect they have some sort of colloidal additive they put in the calcium supplement or they are using an organic source of calcium. Usually these problems work themselves out but they are frustrating and it will take a few weeks. I would run some fresh carbon and do a couple water changes to help speed it along but expect the microbubbles to persist for a few weeks.

 

[deftonead]

thanks for your help. i guess its just a matter of waiting now....