So, here it is in a nutshell... the skimmer is making foam, but it's not breaking down in the collection cup. It gets to the point where it pushes the lid off and the foam smushes over the rim and down the side of the cup. This occurs in less than 24 hours of operation. Is there anything that can be put in the collection cup to break down the foam? I've got some spa stuff that will stop foam from forming in a Jacuzzi, but I don't want to risk contaminating the tank.
Over foaming skimmer
- Thread starter chucksta1
- Start date
sassafrass
New member
I am guessing that either the water level in your sump is to high or the skimmer out flow needs to be adjusted those coralife skimmers can be a pain. I know nothing about tunze skimmers.Has anything out of the ordinary happened in or to your tank recently ? Any supplements or additives added? Definately don't add the spa stuff!!!
My bad.. it's not the Tunze that's got the problem. I haven't used the Tunze skimmer since my kid knocked the collection cup off the kitchen counter.... I'll change my sig line right now. The skimmer is a home made POS with a sedra 5000 running it. It used to just slow down production and skim darker and darker if I didn't clean it. It would load up the neck with a quarter inch of gunk. Now, it wants to make the skimate foam quicker than the bubbles will pop in the skimate collection cup. I want to know if there's a trick to getting the bubbles to breakdown into liquid form ( skimate ) instead of stalling production when the skimate bubbles run out of having somewhere to go.
The level of the water where the skimmer is doesn't change, but I did have some drywall work done recently... maybe some got sucked into the tank??
The level of the water where the skimmer is doesn't change, but I did have some drywall work done recently... maybe some got sucked into the tank??
Last edited:
PaulieWalnuts
New member
you could try putting something on the lid to keep it down...maybe some tape...to allow some time for the foam to break down...just a though.
-matt
good luck
-matt
good luck
There are no holes in the lid, but it has an unused 1/4 inch hose barb connector about an inch and a half up on the side of the cup. That vents the collector until the skimate level rises over it. It over foams long before the skimate level hits that point. Yes, there's a baffle to direct the foam on the under side of the lid...
The foam is basically jamming the process of fresh skimate foam from getting into the cup. Right now, it's either clean it twice a day or it pops the top and spews a foam trail down the side...
The foam is basically jamming the process of fresh skimate foam from getting into the cup. Right now, it's either clean it twice a day or it pops the top and spews a foam trail down the side...
Hi, I would wrap an elastic band around the lid under the cup to force the lid to stay on. The foam should not be able to push the lid off then. Perhaps the tube that leads into the cup (where the foam goes) is too high, not letting the foam break down and fall into the collection cup. When the bubbles come into contact with the lid they should burst/disintegrate. I would not us the anti- foam spa stuff though.
That's the part I don't get... The foam used to break down into liquid skimate faster than it was produced. Now the foam / skimate doesn't break down like it used to. I was wondering if it was from the plastic aging, or if it indicated a chemistry problem in the tank..
If I force the cap to stay on, the foam has no where to go and just accumulates crud in the riser neck, or makes it's way out through the overflow barb. It still pops the top in less than 24 hours...
If I force the cap to stay on, the foam has no where to go and just accumulates crud in the riser neck, or makes it's way out through the overflow barb. It still pops the top in less than 24 hours...
Freed
It's what it's
Go to your RC "My RC" up at the top. Then "Go to your Gallery" toward top on right. Go to "Upload Photos". "Browse" for the pic you want to upload on your computer. Picture has to be < or = to 50 kb so you might have to resize it on your computer first. Then after you upload the photo there's an address down under it that you copy and paste in the box after you click on IMG in "post reply".
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