My skimmer is going crazy.

[N1Husker]

I have had this AquaMaxx HOB-1 skimmer for a little over a year and a half. I clean it on a regular basis, at least every two months. Usually it just takes off and does its normal job. This last time, a couple days ago, I cleaned it again and now it is generating so much foam that it is it is pouring out of the overflow from the collection cup. Has anyone had this problem with theirs doing this? Any ideas?

 

[Derbird]

Is it possible there is some of what ever you used to clean it still in the skimmer? Or could something have gotten in to your tank? The only time I had my skimmer truly go crazy is when I added some stress coat to my reef tank (newbie mistake) It looked like a fountain with soap in it for a week LOL. After it prossesed all the stress coat out it went back to normal.

 

[Peppie]

That was my first thought... What did you add to the tank?

 

[N1Husker]

Nothing was added to the tank. I only used water to clean it and I dried it off using paper towels so I didn't introduce any tap water into my system. I just took it all apart again and hooked it up and it is still doing the same thing. It has happened before when I put in Clemiclean to kill the cyano, but I haven't added that for several months. Many water changes ago. I thought maybe something wasn't reassembled right, but it is all correct. I do this at least every couple of months at the most. This hasn't happened before.

 

[Peppie]

I dont know what to tell ya. Are you able to direct the foam somewhere other than the overflow?

 

[N1Husker]

I dont know what to tell ya. Are you able to direct the foam somewhere other than the overflow?

Not really, I can only direct it back into the skimmer body. If I direct it into a 5 gallon bucket it will fill that sucker up in no time and drain my sump and tank to below the overflow teeth. I think I will try doing a water change tomorrow. See if that will help.

 

[dawguy]

This has happened to me before when I put in a brand new filter sock. Must have been something on the socks. I let the skimmer do its thing into a 5 gal bucket and filled in new mixed water when sump levels ran low and it stopped in about 20min..pretty much did a wet skimmate water change.

 

[Peppie]

This has happened to me before when I put in a brand new filter sock. Must have been something on the socks. I let the skimmer do its thing into a 5 gal bucket and filled in new mixed water when sump levels ran low and it stopped in about 20min..pretty much did a wet skimmate water change.

That is a good idea. If you have the time to babysit the tank to watch the levels. Might be the best thing to do, try to let the skimmer run like that until it settles back into normal.

 

[N1Husker]

I put on a clean filter sock, but it wasn't new, so maybe that triggered something weird. Tomorrow I will let it drain into a bucket and see if it settles down. I will make up some extra water to replace what I toss out. Thanks guys, I appreciate the input.

 

[Husker12181]

My Skimmer has gone crazy when ever I have had to add a lot of freshwater at one time. I am not sure if its the freshwater itself or if I kick up junk from my sump. Maybe the same thing is going on for you?


My Auto top off hasn't been working properly so every once in a while I add 4-5 gallons at once (not ideal) and my skimmer has gone nuts.

 

[N1Husker]

My Skimmer has gone crazy when ever I have had to add a lot of freshwater at one time. I am not sure if its the freshwater itself or if I kick up junk from my sump. Maybe the same thing is going on for you?


My Auto top off hasn't been working properly so every once in a while I add 4-5 gallons at once (not ideal) and my skimmer has gone nuts.

I have an auto top off, so I know that it isn't that. When I get back from the doctors appointment today, I will replace some water and see if that helps. I don't know what's going on, but it is annoying as can be. Like I said, it's done it before when I put in some Chemiclean for the red cyano, then I need to do a couple of water changes after 48 hrs and again a week later, then it calms down. But I haven't put anything, except their regular food, into the tank. I am baffled.

 

[senji]

i would look for an air leak into venturi or similar. sounds like its getting extra air from somewhere.

 

[N1Husker]

I spent part of today letting the skimmer drain into a 5 gallon bucket, it has finally settled down. I must have gotten something in it when I was cleaning it. Senji, I was thinking the same thing, so I took it apart again, and checked everything, made sure everything was seated properly, checked the air hose for leaks. I hooked it all back up again, put a hose on the overflow, directed it to a 5 gallon bucket and let it get rid of the affected water. It seems to have settled down now. Thanks for the input everyone, it helps having more than my puny little brain working on the mysteries of my aquarium.

 

[kpiotrowski]

+1 on there being some kind of surfactant on the filter sock you added. unless you fed something different or more?

 

[pandora32]

Could have been something on the papertowels you ised to dry it. Some residue or something left behind. Maybe its far fetched.

 

[N1Husker]

Yeah, those filter socks weren't new, but I did wash them in a community washing machine here at my apartments. Might have been some residue from that. I didn't use soap but there might have been something left from a previous load. Could be something off of the paper towels. It seems like once it got rid of the water from the skimmer body, it settled right down, so I am thinking it was something on the inside of the skimmer body. It got rid of maybe a 3/4" of water in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket which makes me think it wasn't the sock.

 

[MAC2]

Did you add a new filter pad (blue). My skimmer overflows like this when I add a fresh pad. It will go away after a day.

 

[N1Husker]

Did you add a new filter pad (blue). My skimmer overflows like this when I add a fresh pad. It will go away after a day.

Yeah, I put a new filter pad in, blue on one side and white on the other. I have replaced them before and never had this problem. It kept bubbling for two days and I drained out about an inch of water into a 5 gallon bucket and it has calmed down now.

 

[MAC2]

Yeah, I put a new filter pad in, blue on one side and white on the other. I have replaced them before and never had this problem. It kept bubbling for two days and I drained out about an inch of water into a 5 gallon bucket and it has calmed down now.

That's the pad I was talking about. I have an ETS 800 skimmer that has a gate valve I can open up when it starts to bubble over. I ended up going to a foam shop and buying white pad material I cut up myself.