Protein Skimmer Power Bar Failure Death Toll....

[Aquattro]

Kien, I can't really disagree with you, as it does seem that obviously that was the deciding factor. I can't tell why, but the skimmer appears to have been the "last straw", indicating some other factor in play. My point, I guess, was that it "shouldn't" have been the skimmer, as lots of skimmerless tanks don't have powerheads pointing at the surface, or other forms of noticeable surface agitation. Maybe a too heavily stocked tank, high CO2 content in the room, etc. Lots of factors could have contributed, with the skimmer being the buffer. No skimmer, tank crossed the boundary into this situation.
It's always tough to diagnose something like this online. I'll revise my comment to be " while it's obvious the skimmer was the major contributor, it shouldn't have been", meaning I think there was a secondary cause.