Protein Skimmer Power Bar Failure Death Toll....

Carrera75 · #1 02-02-2011, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

Again, my concern is that only your skimmer re-oxynated your water. Do you have flow in your tank? Using powerheads at the surface to aggitate the water at the top, helps to re-oxygenate. I would look at how you have things configured, as not having a skimmer running for 12 hours should not kill things. I think your problem is bigger than a bad powerbar overall. IMO...

+1
The fact that your skimmer stopped working has nothing to do with the death of your fish unless that's the only thing moving/circulating the water in your tank.

I have not used a skimmer since day one and my tank does EXTREMELY well, corals grow like crazy and everything is very happy. Fish or corals don't die just because the skimmer stopped working.

Cheers

Binare · #2 02-02-2011, 10:12 PM

Im running a skimmer now for the first time in years and only during the day when im gone cause the noise drives me nuckin futs. Id definately look for another issue like pointed out, flow... gas exchange etc. What are you running for equipment?

ensquire · #3 02-02-2011, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binare

Im running a skimmer now for the first time in years and only during the day when im gone cause the noise drives me nuckin futs. Id definately look for another issue like pointed out, flow... gas exchange etc. What are you running for equipment?

36 gallon Tank
Corallife 65 Skimmer
double glo fixture 1 Actinic 1 sunglo
2 Koralia 1 heads
fluval 205 ( Carbon , Biomax ammonia)

kien · #4 02-02-2011, 10:36 PM

Ya, if you've got other forms of oxygenation like surface agitation or an overflow into a sump a skimmer flaking out shouldn't nuke your tank so quick. However, if you don't have any of the above and the protein skimmer is the only thing oxygenating your tank then you are in trouble if it goes. If the tank is relying on the skimmer like this and the skimmer goes your fish can and will likely die.

ensquire · #5 02-02-2011, 11:04 PM

Coral Banded shrimp is now Nem treat

Binare · #6 02-02-2011, 11:21 PM

Whats your ammonia at right now?

outacontrol · #7 02-03-2011, 04:07 AM

What is the temp of the tank, the higher the temp the lower the oxygen capacity of the water is and the wasted the metabolic rate of the fish is.
I do not think the death is from the skimmer failure, I have 7 fish in a 33gallon tank that has no overflow, no sump, no skimmer and I have no problems. I have an mp10 turned way down and a koralia that's it that's all. With weekly water changes everything is awesome.
How often do you do water changes? Do you have a lid? What about salinity swings due to evaporation?

kien · #8 02-03-2011, 05:38 AM

Consider also that the fish are not the only things consuming oxygen in your tank. Nitrifying bacteria and algaes will consume oxygen as well. Further, at night (when this skimmer died incidentally), some algaes will breath and consume oxygen contributing to the oxygen depletion.

Also, oxygen saturation will occur somewhere between roughly 6 and 8 parts per million in a saltwater tank while this number ultimately depends upon temperature, salinity and elevation. Temperature has the most effect, higher temp means lower oxygen holding potential of the water as outacontrol mentioned. This means that the water molecules have absorbed as much oxygen as they can easily hold under the present conditions. Any more oxygen added will be released back into the atmosphere.

Ultimately you have to get oxygen into the tank somehow. It doesn't have to be a skimmer, or an air stone, or a powerhead, but something has to add oxygen to the water. If the tank relied on one source of oxygen (whatever that source was) and that source happened to go and your tank was now consuming more oxygen than what is being added, you can reach a point of deprivation.

Occam's Razor.

ensquire · #9 02-03-2011, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outacontrol

What is the temp of the tank, the higher the temp the lower the oxygen capacity of the water is and the wasted the metabolic rate of the fish is.
I do not think the death is from the skimmer failure, I have 7 fish in a 33gallon tank that has no overflow, no sump, no skimmer and I have no problems. I have an mp10 turned way down and a koralia that's it that's all. With weekly water changes everything is awesome.
How often do you do water changes? Do you have a lid? What about salinity swings due to evaporation?

Current temp is 79