Skimming and filter socks

[Marchillo]

Ive got two tanks an 80g and a 40g. My 80g has 8 fish - 2 occ clowns, 2 pj cards, 2 chromis, starry blenny, and diamond goby. This tank has a sump with dual filter socks and a skimmer rated for 125g. It's a discontinued reef octopus. I run the water height on the lower end just around the minimum. The skim is still "watery" and the amount isn't much if I compare to my 40g. I do change my socks twice a week. One is usually pretty gunky and the other not quite as bad. The neck gets pretty dirty after a few days so I don't feel the water level is too low.

The 40g has two maroon clowns - 1 is a good sized clown. I have a hob EShopps skimmer rated for 75g on that. No sump on that tank so no filter socks. I also run that skimmer on the very low end and that skimmate is much thicker and darker. The bigger tank gets 3 feedings and the smaller 2. I run cheato in both as I have an hob fuge on the 40g. Also my cleanup crew is much smaller in my 40g and I have 3 shrimp in my 80g and none in the 40g

After my long description my simple question is - are the filter socks just soaking up the thicker skimmate and the skimmer is catching other proteins. Logically it makes sense to me.

Neither tank has nitrate issues at all (5 or less). I also run a canister on the 40g that I clean weekly.

Thoughts are appreciated.

Steve.

 

[Crusinjimbo]

Seems like the simplest answer is to remove the socks for a few days and see if the skim becomes darker. My skim varies somewhat between thick and dark vs. watery at various times and I use a sock about 90% of the time.

 

[Marchillo]

That is way too logical. Lol

 

[hambone_smith]

Do you have problems with your skimmer going crazy after changing socks? I have a new system with an ASM G3 and I just changed my sock for the first time and my skimmer went berserk.