Is skimate fresh or salt?

Noob question I know. So I have the cpr dual backpack skimmer. It works amazing. It is constantly pulling dark green/ blackish stuff out and into the cups. but sometimes it will fill up really fast and with a good amount of nasty water. which I know can be fixed by how low or high you place the collection cups. my question is when the water/sludge fills up is it salt or fresh water. I notice my salinity goes up rather quickly since I added this product. but im not sure if it is because of this product or what.

 

its probably brackish.
you can taste it or use a hydrometer to be sure

 

lol i wouldnt recommend tasting it!!!

 

he has the CPR BAK PAK skimmer. i have this as well and i dont notice the SG raising from the skimate producing faster. the only thing that causes my SG to raise is from evaporation

 

it is interesting that you say that but i do notice a increase in evaporation when a skimmer is in use.
my expert hypothesis is that the skimmers remove surface oils that build up on top of the water that prevent evaporation.

im sure you all know that crap that will build up at the top of the tank that surface skimmers were designed to capture

edit: i believe the change in evaporation is what is causing the difference salinity in your tank
i got scolded for destroying the thread , sorry alex but the hydrometer is the only way to know for sure

 

Wow I never noticed a difference while skimming or not skimming. Only when water level changes as said above.

 

i dont notice a difference because i always use my skimmer. but the BAK PAK is not a surface skimmer

 

it isnt but the skimmer still removes a large amount of the waste and oil that builds up on top of the water. you will notice a huge difference in surface film even with a HOB skimmer vs non-skimmer tank.

 

i have used this HOB skimmer from day one of the 4+ years my tank has been setup so i have never had it off to notice