Need urgent advice for overflowing skimmer

Kaiser699a · 06/21/2017, 10:48 AM

Hi folks I hope someone can help me fast! Last night I dosed some medication and my skimmer went into overdrive. I expected that so turned it off. Now I can't turn it on because it is just overflowing litres and litres of water out of the set up. What do I do? Leave it running and top up? Turn it off another 24 hours? I'm stumped please help. Thanks.

Potatohead · 06/21/2017, 11:00 AM

Put some carbon in a bag in the sump to absorb meds if you are done the treatment. Otherwise not much you can do other than raise the skimmer or leave it off.

ClownMan727 · 06/21/2017, 11:40 AM

Leave it off or open the gate valve all the way.

mcgyvr · 06/21/2017, 12:17 PM

yep.. some chemically related skimmer issues will go away fairly quickly.. Some will take longer for that chemical to dissipate..

Don't worry.. Your tank will be just fine without a skimmer for a little while..

brownsps · 06/21/2017, 01:30 PM

The best thing to do imo is raise the skimmer until its overflowing at a slowed pace and do water changes using your skimmer drain. After a bit of time the foam head will get lower and lower until its under control.

If its a dc pump skimmer then open the outflow valve all the way and turn it to a low setting and do the water change through the skimmer drain. It'll pull out all the chemical in the same way as I mentioned above.

Lsufan · 06/21/2017, 06:44 PM

What I usually do on top of what has already been posted, is hook up some tubing to the drain on the skimmer & let it drain into a 5 gallon bucket. Pretty much like brown sps posted. That way the skimmer skims out whatever is causing it to overflow. To do this u will need some saltwater to replace what gets taken out.

mike810 · 06/22/2017, 03:12 AM

What I did was leave the cup on, open the valve on the skimmer all the way and then open the drain line to the cup and let it dump into a 5 gallon bucket until it stopped overflowing. If it is a DC skimmer pump, simply put it on the lowest setting and open the valve all the way which should stop it from overflowing.

Kaiser699a · 06/22/2017, 03:17 AM

Ok thanks. So is the overflow water actually contaminated? In other words is the skimmer actually working and taking out bad stuff just at a really high skim rate? The overflow water seemed clear and clean to me. I guess I should discard it and replace with new water?

mike810 · 06/22/2017, 03:25 AM

The water overflowing will have the chemical in it, discard and replace.

2000se · 06/22/2017, 06:49 AM

If you're trying to keep the med's in and/or don't won't to skim them out, you could feed some good mysis or other oily food. That will help too. I know every time I feed PE Mysis my skimmer stops for a while.

Kaiser699a · 06/22/2017, 11:24 AM

I've put in carbon, left overnight, lifted the skimmer about 4 inches or so. The overflow is much slower now so I am running into a bucket to do a slow water change. Thanks all, under control again.

06/21/2017, 10:48 AM	#1
Kaiser699a Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 134	Need urgent advice for overflowing skimmer Hi folks I hope someone can help me fast! Last night I dosed some medication and my skimmer went into overdrive. I expected that so turned it off. Now I can't turn it on because it is just overflowing litres and litres of water out of the set up. What do I do? Leave it running and top up? Turn it off another 24 hours? I'm stumped please help. Thanks. __________________ 180g (US) DT with 30g (US) sump. Softies and LPS. Red Fire Fish, Royal Gramma, 2x Ocellaris Clowns, 2 Spot Tang, 4x Green Chromis, Lyretail Anthias, One Spot Foxface, 2x Azure Damsels, Green Clown Gob

06/21/2017, 11:40 AM	#3
ClownMan727 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: New Port Richey, FL Posts: 776	Leave it off or open the gate valve all the way. __________________ "A flute with no holes is not a flute ...and a doughnut with no hole...is a Danish." - Ty Webb (Caddyshack, 1980) Current Tank Info: 125gallon, 3 T247 led's and 2 80w T5's. 2 MP 40's,2 MP 10's. and a 40 breeder, ATI 4 bulb 39w light with 2 blue led strips. 1 MP 10. All plumbed to 40 gallon homemade acrylic sump. with APEX controller.

06/21/2017, 12:17 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	yep.. some chemically related skimmer issues will go away fairly quickly.. Some will take longer for that chemical to dissipate.. Don't worry.. Your tank will be just fine without a skimmer for a little while.. __________________ Who me?

06/22/2017, 03:17 AM	#8
Kaiser699a Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 134	Ok thanks. So is the overflow water actually contaminated? In other words is the skimmer actually working and taking out bad stuff just at a really high skim rate? The overflow water seemed clear and clean to me. I guess I should discard it and replace with new water? __________________ 180g (US) DT with 30g (US) sump. Softies and LPS. Red Fire Fish, Royal Gramma, 2x Ocellaris Clowns, 2 Spot Tang, 4x Green Chromis, Lyretail Anthias, One Spot Foxface, 2x Azure Damsels, Green Clown Gob

06/22/2017, 11:24 AM	#11
Kaiser699a Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 134	I've put in carbon, left overnight, lifted the skimmer about 4 inches or so. The overflow is much slower now so I am running into a bucket to do a slow water change. Thanks all, under control again. __________________ 180g (US) DT with 30g (US) sump. Softies and LPS. Red Fire Fish, Royal Gramma, 2x Ocellaris Clowns, 2 Spot Tang, 4x Green Chromis, Lyretail Anthias, One Spot Foxface, 2x Azure Damsels, Green Clown Gob

06/21/2017, 11:00 AM	#2
Potatohead Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Vancouver Posts: 1,596	Put some carbon in a bag in the sump to absorb meds if you are done the treatment. Otherwise not much you can do other than raise the skimmer or leave it off.

06/21/2017, 01:30 PM	#5
brownsps Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Indiana Posts: 67	The best thing to do imo is raise the skimmer until its overflowing at a slowed pace and do water changes using your skimmer drain. After a bit of time the foam head will get lower and lower until its under control. If its a dc pump skimmer then open the outflow valve all the way and turn it to a low setting and do the water change through the skimmer drain. It'll pull out all the chemical in the same way as I mentioned above.

06/21/2017, 06:44 PM	#6
Lsufan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 1,410	What I usually do on top of what has already been posted, is hook up some tubing to the drain on the skimmer & let it drain into a 5 gallon bucket. Pretty much like brown sps posted. That way the skimmer skims out whatever is causing it to overflow. To do this u will need some saltwater to replace what gets taken out.

06/22/2017, 03:12 AM	#7
mike810 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 2,235	What I did was leave the cup on, open the valve on the skimmer all the way and then open the drain line to the cup and let it dump into a 5 gallon bucket until it stopped overflowing. If it is a DC skimmer pump, simply put it on the lowest setting and open the valve all the way which should stop it from overflowing.

06/22/2017, 03:25 AM	#9
mike810 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 2,235	The water overflowing will have the chemical in it, discard and replace.

06/22/2017, 06:49 AM	#10
2000se Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: charlotte Posts: 532	If you're trying to keep the med's in and/or don't won't to skim them out, you could feed some good mysis or other oily food. That will help too. I know every time I feed PE Mysis my skimmer stops for a while.