Skimmer overflowing

[itz frank]

An update for those of you who probably googled a similar problem.

My sro1000int is about a year old. It wasn't very good in my prior tank but it never gave me this problem.
However, upgrading to my new tank it hasn't stopped overflowing.

I've done water changes, fresh carbon, cleaned the intake and Venturi, and given it a vinegar bath. Nothing worked.

Today I finally did the water outlet mod and reduced my outlet stand pipe by a half inch. It stopped immediately. I'll update again later today.

 

[bif24701]

Keep us updated! I have the same skimmer but I haven't had that problem

 

[rovster]

I second just letting it run and attaching a hose and let the cup drain. Its obviously something in your water. This happens every time in my QT tank after dosing Prazi. Skimmer goes nuts for about a half day, I let all that stuff just drain into a bucket, usually 2 gallons or so (30 gallon tank with nano skimmer). Continuing to mess and clean the skimmer will just prolong the situation, IMHO...

Curious about the mod. How would that help. I would think reducing the outlet would just increase the back pressure and make it worse. Huh....

 

[itz frank]

I second just letting it run and attaching a hose and let the cup drain. Its obviously something in your water. This happens every time in my QT tank after dosing Prazi. Skimmer goes nuts for about a half day, I let all that stuff just drain into a bucket, usually 2 gallons or so (30 gallon tank with nano skimmer). Continuing to mess and clean the skimmer will just prolong the situation, IMHO...

Curious about the mod. How would that help. I would think reducing the outlet would just increase the back pressure and make it worse. Huh....

The reason for the mod is that this a known problem with this skimmer. If you google sro1000int you'll find numerous issues with reliability and skim production.

The mod is reducing the riser and not the outlet. Therefore reducing back pressure. Google sro 1000int mod. The riser causes the water outlet to be too high and in stock photos it's suppose to be 1/4" or so in the water when the skimmer is at correct water height.

Skimmer had been on the Frits for 2 weeks. On wide open, it's just pumping small bubbles. I've dumped numerous(probably 20 or more) full cops if it out.

 

[itz frank]

Day one.

 

[bif24701]

The reason for the mod is that this a known problem with this skimmer. If you google sro1000int you'll find numerous issues with reliability and skim production.

The mod is reducing the riser and not the outlet. Therefore reducing back pressure. Google sro 1000int mod. The riser causes the water outlet to be too high and in stock photos it's suppose to be 1/4" or so in the water when the skimmer is at correct water height.

Skimmer had been on the Frits for 2 weeks. On wide open, it's just pumping small bubbles. I've dumped numerous(probably 20 or more) full cops if it out.

This was fixed several years ago so if your skimmer is new there shouldn't be a problem there.

 

[roberthu526]

New filter socks will cause the skimmer to go crazy if not washed properly. Adding bacteria definitely causes the skimmer to go crazy. So if you have both going on then overflowing is perfectly normal.

 

[homer1475]

JB waterweld will make a skimmer go nuts(over skimming so it only fills the cup with water) for days. I would just shut it off for a week, then see what happens.

 

[itz frank]

This was fixed several years ago so if your skimmer is new there shouldn't be a problem there.

This I understand. But visually, unless I'm not understanding. My riser was still longer than stock or so it appeared.

New filter socks will cause the skimmer to go crazy if not washed properly. Adding bacteria definitely causes the skimmer to go crazy. So if you have both going on then overflowing is perfectly normal.

JB waterweld will make a skimmer go nuts(over skimming so it only fills the cup with water) for days. I would just shut it off for a week, then see what happens.

Filter socks weren't being run on the tank when the issue was occuring. They were put on the tank after the fact to collect any particles in the water that I could while the skimmer was offline.

As for the bacteria, It was added two weeks ago today. If I follow the two week cycle on this, I'm due to add again today. My skimmer would just indefinitely be offline.

The JB waterweld could have been the culprit but that aside, it's still been freaking out for two weeks.

I don't have any other explanation for it. Carbon has been run. Water changes have been done as well. I can always replace the riser if needed but so far the issue is gone and it's finally not overflowing.

 

[homer1475]

I've had my skimmer overflow for a couple weeks after using 2 tubes of JB waterweld. It drove me nuts until I figured out it was the JB that was causing it. After about 3 weeks the skimmer returned to normal.

 

[itz frank]

I've had my skimmer overflow for a couple weeks after using 2 tubes of JB waterweld. It drove me nuts until I figured out it was the JB that was causing it. After about 3 weeks the skimmer returned to normal.

It's been two weeks and I used half a tube.

 

[itz frank]

Day two.

Pulling green. No photo but cup was about half full. Tea colored. It's skimming wet at the moment. Dumped the cup. Will take photo when I return. I turned skimmer down 1/5 turn.

 

[timnem70]

First of all it's alarming to me that nobody really paid any attention to the fact that THE TANK IS 4 DAYS OLD. what do you have the skimmer on for? Why would you put corals in a brand new tank? Stop all the adjust this and add that advice. Slow down. I beg you. All you are going to do is kill a bunch of animals. I am saying this, not to be an a-hole but because responsible, research driven reefing is paramount to prolonged success. Why no pictures of your tank? What are your water parameters? Alk. Mag. Calcium, phosphates, nitrates, salinity? All the advice in the world for an overflowing skimmer means nothing without knowing the above info. Turn the skimmer off until that thing cycles. You even get an algae bloom yet? Sorry, it just bothers me when advice from all is given without the obvious being noticed.
I really do hope for your success man, I just have doubts.

 

[timnem70]

Give it time. The tank is only 4 days old. It's probably cycling like crazy

This is the ONLY reply that makes sense with a 5 day old reef tank.

 

[itz frank]

I think I posted this already. But I cycled my liverock in the tank while it was in my garage.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - less than 5ppm.
Salinity - 1.026
Phos is undetectable.

Tank was cycled using half dry rock and have live rock. The tank is not cycling. I have had an algae bloom. Thank you.

 

[gigamanx]

I'm currently cycling my 135g tank. I have live rock from my other tank that has lived for 2 years in there. I can tell you that after 35 days, I am still cycling. It's the water that needs the bacteria, not the rock. If you have new salt water in your new tank and add cycled live rock, the water is still new. Try feeding your tank as in, drop a frozen brine shrimp cube in or something. Watch for an Ammonia spike. I fed mine every second day for the first six days and I got a real nice ammonia spike to start the cycle.

With that being said. I also had my skimmer cup overflowing like crazy on a brand new skimmer. I turned it off while the tank cycled and only the other day turned it on to get some of the sand dust out of the water when I kick things up. The fix for me was to run the skimmer at a 6" water depth instead of the 10" recommended by the manual. I just picked it up with my hands until the overflowing stopped and rebuilt the stand underneath for the new height. Skimmer runs perfectly now. Hope this all helps.

 

[itz frank]

Skimmer overflowing

I'm still getting cycling advice. I spiked my ammonia to 2ppm and let nature run its course back to 0 - 0. The Rock was cycled. NSW was used for first fill. As was BioDigest.

Even after two weeks time with fish and coral in the tank. My ammonia is 0 ppm. And my nitrite is 0. I may not be done maturing. But the rock is cycled.

 

[Kentech5]

It's the water that needs the bacteria, not the rock.

Bacteria lives in the rock. If it lived in the water we could transfer water from a running tank and be done with it. Die off during transfer to a new tank can cause a cycle to start again however.

 

[itz frank]

Update: Skimmer is grinding out some nasty stuff now. I've since added more waterweld and re-dosed the bacteria without any effects on the skimmer.

I'm 100% happy with its performance now and it's much more regular than it was prior to this tank.


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[bif24701]

Like this??

Aaron