When I first added the skimmer it was working great.Then I added a reactor with gfo/carbon and now the skimmer produces no foam at all. One thing to note is I do not have any fish just corals and some snails along with one blue legged hermit. Is the skimmer not working due to basically no waste or is it due to the reactor?
Protein skimmer not producing foam anymore
- Thread starter Ejb
- Start date
sirclintler
New member
IMO it is due to nothing there to pull out, the ps is used to remove waste if there is nothing producing it then there is nothing to remove, do you feed your corals? What are your prams?
ericarenee
New member
I have to ask
What size tank ,Brand and type of skimmer is it..
NOW
If it was working meaning producing foam and extracting waste.. Did it stop producing Bubbles or just not producing waste ? DId it stop working slowly over time or all at once.
Things to check
Air injection port on the pump or venturi
water and air flow thru pump.
water level
proper height of skimmer in body of water where it sits ..
The above kinda assumes its a internal skimmer on some of those questions
I am guessing its a air / water issue
What size tank ,Brand and type of skimmer is it..
NOW
If it was working meaning producing foam and extracting waste.. Did it stop producing Bubbles or just not producing waste ? DId it stop working slowly over time or all at once.
Things to check
Air injection port on the pump or venturi
water and air flow thru pump.
water level
proper height of skimmer in body of water where it sits ..
The above kinda assumes its a internal skimmer on some of those questions
I am guessing its a air / water issue
16 gallon biocube, the skimmer is not the best (coralife skimmer for the biocube) but it was getting good skimate till I added the reactor. Its brand new so I wouldn't think its clogged somehow, it does create bubbles but its wet skimate (literally clear water now). Before it was dark green. As soon as the reactor was put in it gets nothing. Reactor has been in for a month now. Tank has a built in sump in the back and it's in chamber 1
mcgyvr
New member
More importantly.. Why are you running GFO? Do you really have a phosphate issue on a new tank with no food input?
And just remove the skimmer and give it a bath in some vinegar/water.. Then put it back and see how it does.. That skimmer is really not great from the start and its not uncommon to just get wet skimmate from it..
And just remove the skimmer and give it a bath in some vinegar/water.. Then put it back and see how it does.. That skimmer is really not great from the start and its not uncommon to just get wet skimmate from it..
sde1500
Active member
The comments are all helpful, and people have asked them because it stands out. Many people run reactors without knowing why they run them, only using them because they've seen others do it. Carbon and a skimmer is over kill because your tank essentially produces no waste to skim. GFO is literally only for phosphates, so running it when there isn't a problem is just a waste. Obviously you can do what you want, but if people only ever answered someone's question without digging deeper, or pointing out a potential problem they noticed from the post, then how helpful would we all really be?
mcgyvr
New member
GFO is very effective at removing phosphates and they are required for proper coral growth.. So running it when not needed is not recommended and could actually be doing harm by not giving the corals the nutrition that it needs..
Many that have run systems where phosphates and even nitrates are so low have found that by letting those nutrients increase they have seen positive results/better coloration,etc...
Thats why not..
To your original question...
A skimmer will stop producing foam when anything is added to the tank that changes the surface tension of the water.. The fact that you have pinpointed its decrease in performance to the addition of the reactor has already proven thats the reason..
It could be that there were oils,etc.. from the manufacturing of said reactor.. It could be something in the specific brand of GFO or carbon that you are using..
It could just be that there is very little left in the tank to remove..
But some of your information seems to state its still "foaming" just not as it was before..
And in general that skimmer is bare bones and certainly not the most efficient unit nor does it work very well so.. it is what it is..
I've personally used that same skimmer playing around in a small tank once too.. It did ok for a little while then just stopped working well.. It just seems to require more maintenance to keep it in "tip top shape" or its just not working well.. Its airstone requires frequent replacement which is more than likely the problem you are having.. And the air pump that comes with it just sucks and really is undersized for the wooden airstone that comes with it too..
Many that have run systems where phosphates and even nitrates are so low have found that by letting those nutrients increase they have seen positive results/better coloration,etc...
Thats why not..
To your original question...
A skimmer will stop producing foam when anything is added to the tank that changes the surface tension of the water.. The fact that you have pinpointed its decrease in performance to the addition of the reactor has already proven thats the reason..
It could be that there were oils,etc.. from the manufacturing of said reactor.. It could be something in the specific brand of GFO or carbon that you are using..
It could just be that there is very little left in the tank to remove..
But some of your information seems to state its still "foaming" just not as it was before..
And in general that skimmer is bare bones and certainly not the most efficient unit nor does it work very well so.. it is what it is..
I've personally used that same skimmer playing around in a small tank once too.. It did ok for a little while then just stopped working well.. It just seems to require more maintenance to keep it in "tip top shape" or its just not working well.. Its airstone requires frequent replacement which is more than likely the problem you are having.. And the air pump that comes with it just sucks and really is undersized for the wooden airstone that comes with it too..
mcgyvr
New member
I would remove the GFO..you can leave carbon..
You can leave the skimmer if you want but IMO that one is pretty much useless and either just leave it or remove/clean/adjust and see if it does any better but I would just remove it as its serving little to no purpose.
Water changes alone on a tank that size is really all you need..
What the "optimal" phosphate level is will never be a one size fits all number Some will recommend .03-.08 or so.. You just don't want to go overboard with GFO when its not needed and such it all out of a system as its required by all living marine creatures,etc..... GFO is intended to correct a phosphate issue.. If you don't have one or don't plan on overfeeding then don't use it..
Similar threads
