Help -Skimmer Overflowing Constantly

[DiverDude]

A couple of days ago I changed my filter sock. Doing so usually makes my skimmer go nuts (fill quickly with clean water) for a few minutes and this time was no different -except that it's pretty much kept going nuts for almost 2 days now.

I did a 15% water change and changed the filter sock again this morning in case something had got into the water but it's just as bad now if not worse.

I've shut it down because I'm tired of listening to it gurgle on a full (clean) collection cup.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this ?

[bignose]

are you feeding you corals? some coral food makes skimmers overflow.

[DiverDude]

I dose Coral Snow more or less daily but I've been doing that for months and the skimmer's been fine.

[Seamazter]

Chances are it was something on your hands, or you changed the air/water setting.
If your skimmer lets you, this i do often at the skimmer as work if they overflow.
Is set your collection cup on the edge and allow half the water to flow over top the skimmer and half into the collection tube.
I do this on super skimmers and eshopps and my euroreef here at home when i dose my tank something that sets it off.

If you cant do that just keep dumping what it does pull out, sooner or later, usually the later, it gets the gunk out that caused the overflow.

[DiverDude]

Well, nothing is impossible but I always wash my hands and rinse well before the hands go in the tank. I have a Bubble Magus BMQQ (http://www.fish-street.com/bubble_ma...rotein_skimmer) and I adjust the air level by raising or lowering the entire skimmer body -and I have it as high as I can (dry).

[Skimmerking]

why is your skimmer going nuts I WILL TELL YOU MINE DOES IT its the soap that you are using. don't use soap to clean the socks and phosphates do leach back in hot water and vinegar.

[Seamazter]

there u go, skimmer king is the guru on skimmers, i was gunna say that but I was waiting for skimmer king too.
hehe, peace folks.

[DiverDude]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

why is your skimmer going nuts I WILL TELL YOU MINE DOES IT its the soap that you are using. don't use soap to clean the socks and phosphates do leach back in hot water and vinegar.

I wash my filter socks in the washing machine without soap and a a second rinse cycle. I have been putting a half-dose of bleach in the machine though but again, I have 7 or 8 filter socks and I wash 6-7 at a time so if one sock had some kind of residue on it, they all would.

[Skimmerking]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm Ok 2nd thought

If you have a skimmer the is super efficient then its going to clean the tank up till there isnt any thing to clean. Now once the tank has gotten to that level then what ever you put into the water is going to cause the chemistry of the water to flip around. having a high ALk will cause your skimmer to over flow too.

And 3rd option if your filter socks are washed in the washing machine its still going to get soap residue from the other washing.

4th

feed more to cause the tank to get some nutrients in the water to cause the bubble to stick to the nutrients

super high PH will do the skimmer funny things

[DiverDude]

Actually, I can't comment on just how efficient my skimmer is since I do a 15% water change at LEAST once a week. I had a small sea hare vanish in my tank so I've been doing water changes more like every 3 days to be safe. So, yeah, my water is super clean right now.

Agreed on the residue from the washer but I think that is really minimal.

pH is only 8.1

In the last hour, it's finally settled down. I was beginning to think it never would.