Help with protein skimmer

[bobbo]

Hi Guys,

I have some trouble with my 2 year old aqua remora protein skimmer. I haven't cleaned the entire unit lately but I have been pretty consistent on cleaning the collection cup with just water. I might gotten a little bit of soap on it lately but something interesting happened. There is now this hazy layer of sticky gunk on the tube inside of the collection cup as result the bubbles dont make it all the way into the top. The material is sorte of like sticker residue when you peel off an old sticker. Any idea what this is? Do I need to replace my entire skimmer or just the collection cup. I have tried to rub it off but it's not coming off very nicely.

 

[mg426]

Might try some isopropyl alcohol, its pretty good on sticky stuff and wont hurt acrylic. It will evaporate quickly too. I would still rinse the cup real good before using it.

 

[bobbo]

Hrm I will give that a try but in the mean time I have a new skimmer coming in tomorrow. I dont want to run the risk of it not working for a whole week. I scrub some of it off but it seems to come back. Maybe it's some chemical stuck on the scrub that eats away arcylic? Is this even possible? I will try your method when my new skimmer comes in.