Skimmer and food issues

[reefkeeper2]

I wasn't sure where to post this question so I might put it in other forums as well as this one. I am presently dosing a mixed food ( Reeds shellfish diet, algamac, ultra sea fan) with a syringe pump to see if I can keep non-photosynthetic softies in the same tank with sps. Since I started, my skimmers output has dropped significantly. I am starting to be concerned that the food in the water column supresses the formation of foam. So far the increase in nutrients has not translated into an increase in nitrates or phosphates, but if the skimmer is going to be effected this way, I may have to dose food for 12hrs or so, then give it a rest so the skimmer can clean things up. Has anyone else experienced this when continuous feeding?

 

[PSam]

Every time I feed my azoox coral (a few times / day), skimmer stops for at least an hour. I've started to not feed after Friday morning, the resume feeding on Monday morning just so the skimmer can work uninterrupted for a couple days. So, I don't do any continuous feeding, but I feed often enough that the skimmer gets no love.

 

[dendro982]

I have the same problem, asked at forums and it appears that a lot of people do not have this problem: skimming resumes quite fast.

You may try to get response from the long term non-photosynthetic corals keepers, who are feeding continuously or very frequently. And post result here, will appreciate this.

From my humble experience, it could be food dependent and skimmer dependent.

For example, feeding half of the handful of homemade seafood blend (Melev's or Blundell's recipe, with flakes and a lot of different components) to the group of sun coral causes rapid increase of skimming for a couple of hours, skimmer has to be tuned down, otherwise it will overflow. After that tuning should be restored. This is in the big tank with needlewheel venturi skimmer: ASM G3, not recirculating, and later with Turboflotor 1000, recirculating. (I'm giving details because I'm also trying to figure out what is going on and solve the problem).

Same was done on the small tank, with small sun coral, same food plus mysis, in proportionally smaller amounts. Tunze DOC Nano skimmer (should be the same needlewheel, venturi, not recirculating skimmer, but I have to check later) stops skimming for 5-6 hours. Needless to say, that it didn't handled the job of cleaning water with 5-6 daily feedings for gorgonians.

Hang-on Rio Nano skimmer (also needlewheel, venturi, not recirculating) on the third tank, fed the same food, but finer fraction, no pieces, plus dry food restores skimming within hour.

Feeding one kind of dry food didn't decreased skimming for the Tunze Nano, but feeding another - stopped it.

We have to feed variety of food, almost continuously or at least several times a day, and the not working skimmer is definitely a problem.

Who have no problems with skimming, please, post what kind of skimmer you have (not just brand name, you know to what group of skimmers it belongs), what do you feed, and interval of decreasing skimming (an hour or so?).

You see, some of us have this problem, some - not. Some will be able to continue keep non-photosynthetic corals, others will be forced to quit. Be nice and help the community grow

Input about alternative to the mainstream food will be particularly helpful.

 

[reefkeeper2]

The problem got significantly worse when I added algamac 3000 to the food mixture. This is a real dissapointment.I have been looking for something to replace the more expensive liquid algae concentrates, and I thought this might just do it. It is very high in HUFAs, and I think that's what knocks out the skimmer. I am running a bubbleking 250 internal.
My animals respond best to the fauna marin foods and when I feed the fish frozen mysis.