Skimmer reaction to rubber gloves

[Jeff_edge540]

Ok - I have a quick one that I have always wonder'd about..
Everytime I stick my arm in the aquarium (wearing arm length rubber gloves - the orange and purple ones) my skimmer stops skimming. The bubbles pop at the top of the skimmer so quick it does not build up skimmate. It take a few hrs for skimmate to start producing again.

Is there something on the gloves that is causing this? Does this happen to anyone else? What can I do to prevent this?
I wish this didn't happen because I'm usually sticking my arm in to clean the tank and stirring up all kinds of stuff that I would like skimmed out. However, by the time the skimmer starts working again the stuff has settled back over the LR and sand.

 

[lvpd186]

I have the same type of gloves but using them doesnt seem to stop my skimmer for that long, actually if I stick my arm in the tank the skimmer shuts down for much longer. Are your gloves clean or really new? If they are new there might be a storage coating of something on the gloves. Once this wears off maybe you will have better luck with them.

 

[Mr James]

I finally resorted to VERY large tongs (not thongs) to reach into the tank; (I found my tongs at Menards for $5.00 or so). They say you shouldn't be reaching into your tank but once a week. I used to feed by sticking my fingers in the tank. Now, I scoop a cup of tank water out and put the food in there, then dump it back into the tank.

 

[Konadog]

Jeff, anything you put into the tank can affect your skimmer. Try using a powerhead to blow the stuff from your rocks without sticking your hands into the tank and see if that helps.