my skimmer's going nuts

[sillygoose]

My skimmer is going crazy. It is adjusted as low as it will go but it is foaming all over the place. My params are all great. What should I do?

 

[Tucson Reef]

What new additive did you just put in? Did you clean near the tank with some new cleaner? Something die? Did you reach into tank and have a lotion or cream on your hands. Is it a tight foam or big bubble/watery foam? Is it a sealed skimmer, or open, is return to tank plugged, snail maybe?

 

[sillygoose]

It's big watery bubbles. We glued and epoxied earlier but with products we have used before.

 

[Tucson Reef]

Epoxy will do that

 

[sillygoose]

Really? I wonder why it hasn't done this in the past. Is it better to keep the skimmer on or turn it off? Are the bubbles harming things?

 

[Tucson Reef]

It might flood if you don't watch it. Usualy only a few hours and it should get back to normal. Any critters you fragged or played with slim up real bad, that can cause some skimmer problems.

If you didn't aggitate the epoxy last time it might not have bubbled much. If it felt slimey coated, then it was getting into the water from you touching it to much. I've done that alot trying to mount frags on the glass, they fall off, I try again, foamy skimmer.

 

[Tucson Reef]

I thought I was the only night owl, lol

 

[sillygoose]

I'm glad you are out there -thanks.

It makes sense because we had a bird of paradise fall over by a pink lemonade and the two were fighting. We fixed that and then glued a few other things - one of which needed epoxy to stay in place.

Since I need to go to bed soon, should I turn off the skimmer or let it go like crazy for a while and keep emptying the cup?

 

[Tucson Reef]

keep emptying cup, but I would not leave on without watching it unless there was no way it would flood on floor and drain tank. Even a little draning might cause pumps to burn out and water damage.

It won't hurt to leave off over night, if it stinks in morning just dump skimmer water and start fresh

 

[sillygoose]

Thanks. I'll empty the cup a couple more times and turn it off for the night.

 

[Tucson Reef]

Check your water level too, don't know how much water you've lost