9410 stops foaming when cup is replaced?

[58Mike]

Roger,

I have been running a 9410 skimmer for about 5 months and it has been doing a fantastic job. Then, about a week ago, it began acting funny. After I emptied the skimmer cup and replaced on unit, it simply stopped foaming. I picked up the cup and it started foaming again, placed it back on tower, and it stopped foaming. It has been behaving like this for the last week.

Tried to just let it run this way overnight a couple times but it does not seem to get itself started again...just floods out, continuously spilling water out of the little hole on the side (anti-overfoaming device?). I have been able to get it going for awhile here and there...but when I empty the cup and return it, the unit floods out again. Not the cup flooding, just the reaction chamber.

I am just at a loss on how to deal with this situation. The skimmer was cranking along doing an excellent job, now it is just not working well at all.

Can you share any insights into what may be going on...?

Mike

 

[rvitko]

Any oils or detergent residues on the cup could be a culprit and the cup may not be the cause, it could be an additive has been put in the tank which the skimmer would be overreacting to, with the cup removed, the anti overfoam feature is defeated, it is also defeated if you just disconnect the air hose from under the cup, the cup will then likely rapidly fill with water until whatever substance is broken down or removed.

Likely culprits are vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, "bio elements", stress coats, dechlorinator, slime algae killers, medications. Some filter medias, notably puregen and non phenol free floss or filter bags will also cause this reaction.

 

[58Mike]

Thanks very much for the timely response...it is very much appreciated!

Do you think a good rinse or scrub with RO H20 would get the skimmer back on line? Is there something that I should be doing to affect the overall quality of the H2O in the tank itself?

Any suggestions would be appreciated, I am pretty new to the skimmer world....

 

[rvitko]

Did you add any of the things I mentioned?

Unless nothing was added, it is unlikely the cup is the culprit, even then only some detergent residue or a lot of oils from your skin could cause a strong reaction, normally after the cup is cleaned it takes a few hours for the foam to again rise up.

 

[58Mike]

I did not intentionally add any of the things you mentioned. The only additions include RO from the LFS and, perhaps to heavy, feeding of some pretty beefy PE mysis. Otherwise, things have been pretty steady.

It is not so much that the foam does not rise in the cup when placed back on the tower, it more that is stops foaming altogether when the cup is put back on. I guess I'll just have to ride it out and hope things resolve on their own. Just worried about a lack of effective skimming and aeration....

Again, I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts...Thank you.

 

[rvitko]

The air comes in to the other openings under the cup in the black frame that does not have the hose to the pump connected, check if these may be plugged by debris or salt creep, a piece of styrofoam can plug these and can easily get in the tank, especially if you got some corals that came floated on styrofoam blocks in the bag. With the cup on check if the water level in the middle chamber (above the black disk that is under the cup riser tube bottom) is well above the outlet hole if so this would point toward a surfactant, the mysis may be the culprit but a lot would have to be fed and almost exclusively, it is high in fatty acids, but in general with some variety, pellets, mysis and maybe some brine shrimp and alternating foods, this doesn't happen unless a vitamin was added at home and the excess is in the tank. A large water change may also cause this. In this case, running some carbon and giving it about a week and scaling back n feeding or using foods that will generally boost a skimmers performance (high chitin foods like krill, especially freeze dried) should get it back on line.