What's with my skimmer foam?

uscgbeachbum · 09/11/2014, 07:15 PM

So my RLSS R6i decided to start foaming through the vent ports at the top of the collection cup. The cup is not full, but rather than going DOWN into the cup, collecting as a liquid, it is staying a foam (mostly) and pushing through the vent holes. No changes in feeding schedule or foods.

Notable changes:
1) I started Vitamin C dosing a month ago. I dose 2x/day at about 1 tsp/dose.
2) I've been ramping up my LED intensity on my Kessils. I started bumping it up about 1%/day about a week ago.

Kearnel · 09/11/2014, 07:36 PM

Mine skimmer will do that periodically as well, not sure why it does it but I just clean it up. Curious why it would go nuts like that though, just out of the blue.

garyinco · 09/11/2014, 08:14 PM

Yours is the first I'd heard of Vitamin C dosing. Found a couple threads on other forums and both said skimmer went nuts.

Vitamin C, vodka, vinegar, commercial preps ... I dose NoPox. Always good to give the inhabitants a couple stiff drinks in the afternoon. I live in Colorado so I also hooked up something to the air intake on my skimmer. Now all my fish do is lay around, listen to Bob Marley & the Grateful Dead, and eat Cheetos.

uscgbeachbum · 09/18/2014, 10:25 PM

I believe I've found another correlation. I had a good patch of green hair algae on a breeder basket I have housing a BTA and bali clown. Since I started increasing the intensity on my Kessils the hair algae has turned brown, then grey. I blew it all off the basket mesh with a baster (bad idea in hind sight). Could this be causing the crazy foam? I've since added this bit to the original post.

Av8bluewater · 09/18/2014, 10:39 PM

It's hard for me to tell but in the pic the skimmer body looks very clean.
Have you cleaned it lately?
If mine is too clean it will foam like that for days. But I have a Vertex Alpha cone. I take the skimmer apart once a year for a good cleaning and it foams a lot after that. .. basically another break in period like a new skimmer.

Some other things that will make it foam like that:
Water depth in sump.
Outlet closed up too much which controls internal water level.
various products like chemiclean and fritzyme made mine foam like that for days. ..
So it's possible the vitamin C is causing it but I'm not really sure.
You could stop the vitamin C if that is what you really suspect, do a 20% water change, wait a couple days then do a another water change if it doesn't stop. Run some carbon too.
The guys from chemiclean gave me a good tip.. put a trash bag over the skimmer while it's doing that so it doesn't get messy in the sump area.

09/11/2014, 07:15 PM	#1
uscgbeachbum Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 823	What's with my skimmer foam? So my RLSS R6i decided to start foaming through the vent ports at the top of the collection cup. The cup is not full, but rather than going DOWN into the cup, collecting as a liquid, it is staying a foam (mostly) and pushing through the vent holes. No changes in feeding schedule or foods. Notable changes: 1) I started Vitamin C dosing a month ago. I dose 2x/day at about 1 tsp/dose. 2) I've been ramping up my LED intensity on my Kessils. I started bumping it up about 1%/day about a week ago. __________________ If someone wrote a book about your life would anyone want to read it? Current Tank Info: 42x30x19 peninsula, custom 8020 stand and lightbar, custom BAO sump, RLSS R6i skimmer, Waveline DC6000 pump, Maxspect Gyre, 2xKessil A360WE, full Apex

09/18/2014, 10:25 PM	#4
uscgbeachbum Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 823	I believe I've found another correlation. I had a good patch of green hair algae on a breeder basket I have housing a BTA and bali clown. Since I started increasing the intensity on my Kessils the hair algae has turned brown, then grey. I blew it all off the basket mesh with a baster (bad idea in hind sight). Could this be causing the crazy foam? I've since added this bit to the original post. __________________ If someone wrote a book about your life would anyone want to read it? Current Tank Info: 42x30x19 peninsula, custom 8020 stand and lightbar, custom BAO sump, RLSS R6i skimmer, Waveline DC6000 pump, Maxspect Gyre, 2xKessil A360WE, full Apex

09/18/2014, 10:39 PM	#5
Av8bluewater Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 763	It's hard for me to tell but in the pic the skimmer body looks very clean. Have you cleaned it lately? If mine is too clean it will foam like that for days. But I have a Vertex Alpha cone. I take the skimmer apart once a year for a good cleaning and it foams a lot after that. .. basically another break in period like a new skimmer. Some other things that will make it foam like that: Water depth in sump. Outlet closed up too much which controls internal water level. various products like chemiclean and fritzyme made mine foam like that for days. .. So it's possible the vitamin C is causing it but I'm not really sure. You could stop the vitamin C if that is what you really suspect, do a 20% water change, wait a couple days then do a another water change if it doesn't stop. Run some carbon too. The guys from chemiclean gave me a good tip.. put a trash bag over the skimmer while it's doing that so it doesn't get messy in the sump area. __________________ 225 gallon SPS dominant. Reef octopus dual cx reactor w/ AP regulator . Vertex alpha 250,Apex, ATI 8X80w BML XB Super actinic strip , Aqualund bio pellet RX, 3 MP40s. Current Tank Info: 230 Rimless.

09/11/2014, 07:36 PM	#2
Kearnel Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, Ontario Posts: 315	Mine skimmer will do that periodically as well, not sure why it does it but I just clean it up. Curious why it would go nuts like that though, just out of the blue.

09/11/2014, 08:14 PM	#3
garyinco Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 431	Yours is the first I'd heard of Vitamin C dosing. Found a couple threads on other forums and both said skimmer went nuts. Vitamin C, vodka, vinegar, commercial preps ... I dose NoPox. Always good to give the inhabitants a couple stiff drinks in the afternoon. I live in Colorado so I also hooked up something to the air intake on my skimmer. Now all my fish do is lay around, listen to Bob Marley & the Grateful Dead, and eat Cheetos.