Added carbon and GFO, now skimmer pulsing

Is the venture clogged with calcium deposits maybe? Sort of sounds like it is working too hard to pull air.

 

That's what I was thinking. I tried cleaning everything and when that didn't work I replaced the pump thinking the pump had worn out. No luck. I still have the exact same problem.

So, I went back to the theory that it was the GFO/carbon causing the problem, but then I lowered the water level to the point where constant suction returned and a nice head of foam formed full of DOCs. The problem is that it's too low in the skimmer body to reach the collection cup.

 

How far down though? Sometimes it just takes a while to build, it can even take a few days in some cases, especially if your talking about an oversized skimmer. This would also make sense if there is GAC, as the carbon will sort of take away from the net bioload. Also, what about the water level in the sump? If it is high or low, that can make the skimmer tougher to adjust. Perhapse the right setting is in-between, but you can't get there, as it is too sensitive due perhaps a high water level, making it too sensitive. The lower the water level in the sump, the more air you can get in the chamber.

 

Yup, mine is pretty low. Probably in 4 inches of water. Again, everything worked great before then I added the media and this intermittent air pulling/sucking began.

 

A picture of the skimmer pulling some major nasty before the addition of the reactor.

 

Do you know the manufactures recommendation for water level, or are there suggestions from other users in threads anywhere? I'm not that familiar with the skimmer. Sounds like the reactor competing is at least part of the problem, but whether or not there may be other things going on, I don't know. You could take the reactor offline for a few days and see what happens. Also, GAC will tend to work a lot less efficiently after a few days, as biofilms form on the surface and/or the media is exhausted. If you remove the carbon and it doesn't start working better, then of course it has to be something else... Powerman is really the guru on skimmer setup. Hopefully he will check in.

 

I'm I think I'll do just that. I'll remove the carbon and see what happens. If the skimmer's functionality returns, at least I'll know that there isn't a problem with the skimmer and that the GAC is just doing its job. I'll report what happens.

 

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. 1) Look up manf recommender water level. 2) Remove carbon and GFO and go back to your original config, and see if it works.

 

How new is the reactor you added? I added a BRS reactor with a brand new MJ and it shut down my skimmer for a little over a week. My guess it was just the oils from the new reactor/pump.

 

Ya, the reactor/pump wasn't new. It had been used on my previous tank for approx. 9 months.

When you say it "shut down" your skimmer, what do you mean? Was suction the same, but the oils prevented a head of foam from forming?