protien skimmer SIKIMMING

[bassdrummer1]

So iv been using my protien skimmer for about a year then took it to a much smaller tank and it skimmed so much the first two weeks is was running but now it skimms the water but nothing collects in the cup on top of the skimmer. my water has tested fine.. i dont feed the fish lots of food, just enough. just wondering if this is fine..

 

[mutateddogbone]

not having a foam head is pretty typical from a few things.

putting your hands in the water. the oils from your skin will kill any head you've accumulated. the skimmer could be overpowered for the tank and is skimming out as soon as it hits the water, or quite frankly you dont have enough nutrients making it to the skimmer for it to be effective. try setting it a hair more wet and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible

 

[bassdrummer1]

ok. i can see it skimming but it wont collect in the cup on top...

 

[CEA]

It sounds like overskimming to me. If the skimmer is to large/powerful for the bioload it will be hard for it to produce a good foam head because the area of the neck requires a greater amount of organics to produce a stable foam. In the beginning there was probably a good amount of nutrients to be skimmed but now it is running lean.