heater broke-skimmer going nuts

I have not posted in a bit since things have been going very well for the past 6 months or so. Yesterday while trying to move my heater, it broke and as a result there was what I believe to be carbon on the bottom of the overflow where the heater was. I cleaned out the overflow, put a new filter sock in place and my reef octopus protein skimmer has been going nuts. I did a water change, changed the sock again, took apart and cleaned the skimmer and even with all of that, the skimmer is still overflowing. It has been running wide opened for about 12 hours now with little change. I can get it to calm down momentarily when I adjust the gate on the skimmer, but shortly after it goes right back the way it was.

I am concerned because I recently added some soft coral which, for me at least, was expensive. I have not lost anything living for about 9 months now, and was finally starting to relax and enjoy the tank. Now its back to where I was-stressed. I am going way next week, but have someone house/fish sitting but I want to leave her with everything in good shape.

HELP. I have attached pictures, and do not know what else to try.

 

I have a Super Reef Octopus similar to what you have, except alot bigger, and mine tends to "freak out" on me a few times a year and overflow like crazy. It goes like that sometimes for two weeks, just let it go, and it will calm down when the water chemistry stabilizes.

 

Probably had a release of oil from the heater possibly, or other organic matter, skimmer should settle down in a day or two. In the mean time you can hook a hose up to the collection cup drain and filter the water through a micron sock or filter pad back into the sump.

 

When you clean a filter bag/sock and first put it back, the skimmer always goes nuts, but sounds like your didn't return to normal.

 

Its still going crazy, but as much as it will kill me not doing anything, I guess I will wait and see. So far everything in the tank looks Ok. When the heater cracked black powder came out. It looks like carbon, is it? As near as I can tell I got all of the carbon out, and replaced the heater with 2,, 200 Watt units. The water temp has remained at close to 76. I am glad I had a spare int he basement that I use to heat my Salt water on water changes. It's been cold in Pa.

 

What brand of heater is this?
The heater broke while submerged?

 

Did a piece of the heater get sucked into your skimmer intake and change your flow rate. I got a piece of loose silicone stuck in mine and it took me a while to figure out why I couldn't get it to work properly.

 

I took the skimmer apart and vacuumed all of the carbon or whatever it was out of the corner overflow. Im glad it was there and not the main tank, though the filter sock did have some black in it which I removed. I hope it clears up soon, to is driving me crazy.

 

Try a drop of EVOO, right in the skimmer, that will get it to calm down, I have also thrown a sock full of fresh carbon by the intake, that works too.

 

Sounds like something from the Heater is in the tank. If you put in a new heater it could also be that.