Skimmer Issue

[Ken Good]

I am trying to find an answer to a skimmer issue. My skimmer is a bubble king mini 180 and it is great. But recently it has been going crazy at night and overflowing. Yesterday, it bubbled over into one of my outlets on the back wall of the cabinet and started a fire. The funny thing is that when I feed it causes the skimmer to settle down back to normal which is the opposite of what you would expect.

I got to the office this morning and the skimmer was overflowing again. The skimmer cup was completely full of clear water and bubbling out of the top again. I pulled the plug to just drain it and it was overflowing so quickly that it kept 2-3 inches of fluid in the cup even with the plug pulled. I pulled out five gallons of water to try to lower the salinity some. This may have slowed down the overflow but I am not sure. I am not even sure that it did anything. Then I fed the fish and the skimmer quickly settled down. My paramerters are as follows: alk- 6 (I shoot for 7 because of my low nutrient system), cal-420, mag.-1400, nitrates- 10 (and dropping). Salinity is high at .27 kg. Anyone have any ideas what would cause the skimmer to go haywire when there is no food in the tank and then settle down after feeding?

It is time to change out the UV light. Could this be the cause?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ken W. Good

 

[The Velvet Sea]

It is common for skimmers to lose production for a while after feeding due to the oils found on the food breaking the surface tension of the foam. Normal.

I don't have experience with bubble kings, but it sounds like the water level in the skimmer is set too high. To correct this I would either open the output valve or close the input valve (which ever is applicable to the bubble king), or raise the skimmer so it doesn't sit in as much depth of water.

 

[Ken Good]

Thank you for your suggestion, but I have had the skimmer for over a year and this issue is new.

 

[HighlandReefer]

Certain chemicals added to reef tank water will cause a skimmer to go crazy and overflow. Some examples are the expoxies used to cement frags to live rock. If you add to much of the expoy at one time, this will cause the foamer to go crazy. Other cases where this happens is when you treat the tank for cyano using the anitibiotics. Perhaps you are adding something new to your tank as a supplement or have changed foods?

Randy explains whay this occurs in this article:

What is Skimming?
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/rhf/index.php#17



From it:

"Basic Principles Involved in Skimming
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before getting into the details of skimmer function, it is useful to know some important chemical definitions.

Hydrophobicity and Hydrophilicity

Molecules, such as the organic molecules found in seawater, are often described as being either hydrophobic or hydrophilic. Hydrophobic means "water fearing" (hydro meaning water, phobic meaning fearful). Likewise, hydrophilic means "water loving." Examples of hydrophobic molecules are methane (natural gas), oil, fat, cholesterol, most of the molecules in gasoline (e.g., hexane), lighter fluid (butane), some vitamins (e.g., A, D, E, K) and many refrigerants (e.g., chlorinated fluorocarbons (CFCs)). These do not mix with or dissolve in water to any great extent.

Examples of hydrophilic molecules are water, salt, sugar, ethyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, glycerin, glucose, ammonia, most amino acids (e.g., glycine), some vitamins (B6, B12, Biotin, C, Niacin) and almost all inorganic compounds. All these molecules are much more soluble in water than in oil.

There is, in fact, a continuum of molecules from the most hydrophobic to the most hydrophilic, so it is rarely correct to state that a molecule must be either completely hydrophobic or completely hydrophilic. Some molecules that fall into the middle of this continuum include aspirin, phenol, many fragrances, rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) and acetone. Some large organic molecules can have portions which are hydrophilic, and other portions which are hydrophobic. Fatty acids, most proteins, soaps and detergents, and a wide variety of biological molecules fall into this category. These are often called amphipathic or amphiphilic. [Note: don't confuse amphipathic with amphoteric. The latter describes something with both acidic and basic properties, such as bicarbonate."

 

[Ken Good]

I have an SPS coral tank. As a result, I am really anal about what goes in it other than 2-part. I used to include some other additiives, but when the skimmer started this issue, we took all of them out. I think we did add one coral recently. But the issue predated that event. I am formulating a theory along the lines that the air-intake on the skimmer needs to be cleaned along with the rest of the skimmer housing. This would seem to be a reasonable explanation as to why it is going crazy and then settles down when food is added to the tank. So I will try that out. I will let you know.

Keep the suggestions coming.

Ken

 

[HighlandReefer]

Since you have not changed your additives or foods it does sound more like a mechanical issue and not a chemistry issue. You may want to post in the Equipment Forum and see if someone there is familiar with your skimmer.

 

[bertoni]

That's a tough question. The easy possibilities have been covered. I'd ask in the equipment forum, but other possibilities might include a spawning event. I definitely would give the skimmer a thorough cleaning.

 

[dublo8]

It sounds like your calling "normal" operation during/after feeding when in fact it is the exact opposite. Set your skimmer when not feeding and see what happens. Also, clean everything out and see if it returns to normal operation.

 

[Ken Good]

It turned out to be a mechanical issue. I think that the additives that I was using caused a film to form on the inside of the pump and we were not getting it cleaned well enough. Cleaned it and now it is working like it should.

Ken

 

[HighlandReefer]

Ken,

Good to hear you were able to correct the problem.