Skin oils stop skimmer from producing

I had to pull some macro out of my sump and when i touched the water my skimmer shortly after stopped producing waste. Is this normal?

 

Yes. And its the changes in the water's surface tension, not the oil on your skin

 

Thanks! +1 for the fast reply, this place is great!

 

It is the oils and other things on your skin that causes the surface tension to change, which can change the skimmer.

Kim

 

i never knew this. neat to know. not much you can do about it, you have to reach in your tank, right?

 

Yeah...things readjust quickly enough. It's just part of the ebb and wane of skimming.

 

Wear reef safe gloves to avoid this contact.