Skimmate Production and feeding of fish

[DiscusHeckel]

Hi all,

Does your Tunze protein skimmer stop producing skimmate shortly after feeding fish due to changes in surface tension and/or chemical composition of tank eater? If so, roughly how long does it take for it to start producing skimmate again?

My skimmer, which is Tunze 9006, stops the skimmate production immediately and it takes several hours for it to start working normally. I feed my fish twice or three days a day. This means that effectively, my tank water is not skimmed for at least 1/3 of the day at best (or 1/2 of the day at worst). Is this peculiar to venturi type skimmers or is this a general issue with all skimmers?

:thanks:

 

[mc-cro]

All skimmers are effected by feeding. foods with like mysis have a lot of fish oil or something and completely kill the surface tension. The old downdraft skimmers were even worse, a large feeding could knock them out for the rest of the day.

On the plus side, you know your skimmer isnt taking out all the food you just put in.

 

[rvitko]

As mc-cro said, a lot has to do with the food itself, fatty foods and those with heavy amino acid and vitamin supplementation reduce skimming for the longest, foods high in chitin or cellulose like freeze dried krill will actually increase skimming. In general the skimmer catches up fairly soon after it starts skimming again.