Very clear protein skimmate.

[samuel88]

Hello guys, i have a 2 feet tank connected to a 2 feet sump, with a Deltec MCE600 protein skimmer, which is a pretty powerful skimmer for my tank size.

the tank has been running for a few months now. and something weird happened which i cannot seem to figure out.

this morning when i woke up and looked at the protein skimmer collection cup, it was filled to the brim with water, clear liquid, so i thought that something must've happened to the tank, like a bacterial bloom or something that cause it to over activate. so i was preparing for the worse when i looked up at the tank.

but to my surprise and relief everything was fine, the water was clear as usual, the corals and anemones all seemed alright, there didn't seem to be any mass die off of any kind.

so, has this happened to anyone before, or could anyone take a guess what happened?

additional info: i run biopellets, maybe it could be the bacteria consuming the biopellets? but this has never happened before.

[surreal1228]

What is the water smell？

[samuel88]

What is the water smell？

i was expecting an ammonia smell, but it was odourless as well.

[tropic]

Any glue or epoxy used the day before?

[Firestarter]

Check if anything is blocking the skimmer intake pump.

[jai9prakash@yahoo.com]

Did you change water the night before?

If u have then was the skimmer running or was it switched off?

I experience this when I change water leaving the skimmer running....

[samuel88]

Any glue or epoxy used the day before?

Hmm, i did buy a frag that was freshly glued on saturday, but it was only one tiny zoa frag

[samuel88]

Check if anything is blocking the skimmer intake pump.

nothing blocking the intake, the water flowing in and out per normal.

[samuel88]

Did you change water the night before?

If u have then was the skimmer running or was it switched off?

I experience this when I change water leaving the skimmer running....

i changed water on saturday, hmmmm never had this happen before though, i would like to know why water changes would cause this.

[samuel88]

Any glue or epoxy used the day before?

oh, wow, i did a internet search and it appears epoxy can cause skimmer to overactivate, is this something to worry about? and also it was only one frag though, could it have this effect with so little epoxy?

[tropic]

I had the same effect . With glue or epoxy. Hate it when it just overflow from the cup. Just tone down the skimmer before putting in. sudden increase in nutrients may affect this, like when maintenance and you scrapping the tank wAll..it will go back normal. Of cos, there may others that experience differently.

[hotsoup]

If really the epoxy effect, it will take a few

Days before it resumes to normal

[tunicate]

Could your power have tripped during the night, then recovered(or someone in your household turn it back on) without you knowing?

During power trip, water level in sump could have exceeded skimmer limit, resulting in what you see in the morning.

[samuel88]

Thanks for all the input guys and helping me solve this mystery.