protein skimmer major problems!

Hi everyone,

You will have to excuse my lack of correct terminology as my bf is away and he usually takes care of the filter type stuff for our tank! :-[

Yesterday i noticed that the bubble section of the protein skimmer at the top keeps overflowing... right now i have the bubble bit turned off but the other part ( is it the return part) still turned on... as soon as i turn it on the water rises and then the bubbles start to rise rapidly and starts to overflow...

Its done it before but we never really worked out why it does it?? Could it be faulty? Its a reef octopus one.

Any suggestions? I have to keep getting up every 1/2 hr or so to make sure it' s not overflowing and that the bottle the crap stuff goes into isnt about to overflow too. And tomorrow i have a full day of work so wont be home!

Appreciate any suggestions, Cheers

 

It sounds to me like the skimmer outflow line/pipe is restricted. Open valve if one is on it and adjust so skimmer bubbling is at base of main chamber.

May also be that you are adding to much water in sump and covering outflow. :-/

Not much can go with skimmers.

 

I would suspect it is the height of the water in the sump or the riser tube is too high. If I were you I would turn the skimmer off while your at work

J

 

Hi lulu, they are right, the tube where the water exits from the skimmer might be to high(some are adjustable) just lower the tube a little and it should be fine. It may be also the water level in the sump is too high as stated. Has this always happened or just recently?

 

Another issue I had with my AquaC, was that I have an elbow at end of outflow pipe (directing water down back into sump)...

Was having similar problems getting good flow thru skimmer. Drilling hole in top of elbow solved problem. :-/

FWIW

 

In my experience it was usually the venturi air-intake getting clogged with salt creep that would cause this.

 

Thanks for that advice guys - i going to investigate it further today.. I woke up this morning to a dead sailfin and dead bio colour angel, yesterday a clown died but after a water check, change and all ok i thought he musthave been beaten up, prob by the bi colour angel as he is pretty skitish and aggressive
Water tests were perfect albeit slightly high on nitrates but not enough to cause death... now this morning all the fish appear to have very torn looking fins - like they have been beaten up or ripped... Im thinking there is a parasite in the water and it wasnt the angel being a bully.... I'd been putting melafix in the water since i saw the clown, that wouldnt be it would it??????? Whatever it was moved bloody fast to wipe them out, they were totally fine late last night. Going to have to start all over again..

 

sorry for your loss lulu. try taking some pics and posting them. that might help id the problem.

 

That blows. Sorry for your loss lulu. karma to ya.
What were your test results exactly?

 

wow! I'm so sorry!!!! wow...karma....