RSM c250 skimmer goes crazy

Rini

Rini

Well-Known Member
Hello,

Since this morning my Skimmer goes crazy.
A little background.

From start I used the skimmer without air valve. This make a lot of noise (vacuum cleaner).
Yesterday I cleaned the skimmer and added the air valve. Lot of noise gone. I think it was 50% open or so.
Everything was looking good. It was skimming, no bubbels.

This morning I did the daily routine.
Shutdown the skimmer and 1 waterpump. Then I add the Reef Foundation B. Wait 10 minutes, add the Reef Foundation A. Wait 10 minutes. Add the Reef Energy A & B and Nopox.
Then I feed the fish and shrimps. Wait another 30 minutes, and then power the skimmer on and the other water pump.
When I powered on the skimmer, it goes crazy. It fills the watercup in no time with water, and start over flowing. My idea was, ok lets open the air valve, things getting worse. Then lets close it more, that seemed to help. But then my left water pump started to throw in bubbles to the aquarium in rapid speed.
I checked and the skimmer was doing the job, still watery. But it got LOTS of small bubbels on the left side of the skimmer. When I open the air valve the bubbels getting less, but the skimmer goes crazy again start filling the cup in no time.
I tried to find something on the internet and found this article:

http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/inde...arium-the-micro-bubbles-that-wont-stop.93692/

Btw the slider at the skimmer is in it lowest position.
Did basically everything, and the last thing i did was remove water +/- 1 cm below the desired level. The skimmer started to fill the cup 4 times, but kept going.

At the moment I removed the air valve again, since i had best experience without it, ok the noise is not nice but better as what it is doing now.
The skimmer is still in crazy mode. Shall I let it run, or power it off for a few hours and try again later?
Or put back the air Valve, what Red Sea is basically not advising.
I added the water with new saltwater till the desired level again.


Thanks.
 
Rini

Rini

Well-Known Member
Have recorded an small movie to with the air valve. The air valve just a bit open.
Whole tank is now filed with tiny bubbles.



For now I have decided to power it off. And try again later without the air valve.
 
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Danreef

Well-Known Member
Something changed in the water....but Nothing to worry in my experience. Similar situations happened to me several times with my RSM 250 Skimmer. Just close more the air income to reduce the overflow. If that generate more micro bubbles.......just wait. In a couple of days they will be gone.
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
Rini said:
... Then I add the Reef Foundation B. Wait 10 minutes, add the Reef Foundation A. Wait 10 minutes. Add the Reef Energy A & B and Nopox.
...
Click to expand...

Many additives will cause a skimmer to do just this. In effect the skimmer is doing it's job, even though in this case you don't want to remove the additives. In this case you added 5 of them all at the same time.

This kind of comes down to, you can almost expect this to occur.

For now, turn off the skimmer for a couple of days. Your system will be fine.

For the future, discontinue ALL these additives unless you have a specific issue to resolve. Except for the calcium and alkalinity additives, the others should be seldom needed. You'll also save some money.

Nothing beats good general aquarium maintenance. Don't try to douse the system to success.
 
Adrienne

Adrienne

Well-Known Member
My C250 skimmer does it from time to time. It could be something you added, it could just be you turned the skimmer off. Mine is most likely to do it when I turn the circulation pumps off to feed and leave the skimmer on. This changes the water level in the back chamber which seems to set off the over skimming. I don't ever turn my skimmer off as it often doesn't want to come back on.

Dosing is overrated - I was told this and though 'but everyone does it'. In fact, I have discovered that good maintenance with decent salt does more for my tank than a dosing.
 
Rini

Rini

Well-Known Member
Thanks all for the advise. Will keep an eye on dosing. About the black sponges. I just realise that 1 thing has changed. I boiled the black sponge. Just reading an old topic and there they talk to wash with just warm water. Is boiling them changing somehow the material?.


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DaveK

Well-Known Member
I don't think boiling a filter sponge is necessary, but it's unlikely to hurt anything directly.
 
dgilbert2

dgilbert2

Well-Known Member
I would be careful about boiling, the media itself could break up at that temperature, it will not be designed for 100 deg c. (To kill bacteria I leave out the tank to dry out for a week and put another one in the tank.)
 
dgilbert2

dgilbert2

Well-Known Member
Have you tried no air valve at all and let the skimmer cup fill and empty down the sink 4-5 times. They often settle down then?
 
Rini

Rini

Well-Known Member
Have tried that, after 8 or more cups I gave up. I saw totally no difference.
This morning I tried with the air valve attached, and could get it so far that it was skimming. Slowly opened the vavle more and more. And now it is again without valve.

Have recorded it how it is looking now. Much better.


Thanks all for your help! I was worried a bit.
That is gone now. :)
 
Adrienne

Adrienne

Well-Known Member
Rini said:
Yes it is Glenn :)
Since i'm still pretty new, if things are not going as expected I post it on the forum.
Click to expand...

So do I. The assistance on this forum is awesome :)

I have come to realise that over skimming is a fact of life. After a year I still run the valve on the top of the skimmer hose. I have taken off 4-5 times only to come home (sometimes after 4-5 days of running beautifully) to find a tank full of bubbles and the overflow seeping down the outside of the back of the tank. I no longer worry about it, just adjust when it happens :)
 
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