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What causes a skimmer to foam?

ervine

By ervine,
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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Hi guys..

Even when I had my weipro my skimmer never really foamed much... now that I've upgraded to my DIY skimmer the same thing is happening...

The only time it DID foam was when I scrapped the algae off the glass... or when I added dechlorinator...

So what is it that causes the skimmer to foam then? Is it a bad sign when my skimmer doesn't foam or do I just have to wait for it to break in more... but then my old skimmer didn't really foam either...

Thanks..

Ervine

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FuEl Newbie

FuEl

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Either you have gunk stuck on the rising tube that impedes the foam from rising, or you have nothing much left to skim..

Sometimes got to do with your kH too. I kind of noticed that skimming is more efficient at higher kH...

Always something more important than fish.

http://reefbuilders.com/2012/03/08/sps-pico-reef/

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Either you have gunk stuck on the rising tube that impedes the foam from rising, or you have nothing much left to skim..

Sometimes got to do with your kH too. I kind of noticed that skimming is more efficient at higher kH...

Oh.. higher KH.. interesting... any particular reason behind this?

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FuEl Newbie

FuEl

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Hmmm...something like how bubbles form in a bubble bath. If you feel the water whereby kH powder was dissolved in it kind of feels soapy right? :ph34r: Not sure how true this is. But I experience the following... Whenever I do kH topups into my sump my skimmer will skim more gunk, although it is slightly more watery.

Always something more important than fish.

http://reefbuilders.com/2012/03/08/sps-pico-reef/

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Hmmm...something like how bubbles form in a bubble bath. If you feel the water whereby kH powder was dissolved in it kind of feels soapy right? :ph34r: Not sure how true this is. But I experience the following... Whenever I do kH topups into my sump my skimmer will skim more gunk, although it is slightly more watery.

I see i see.... I go test my kH now... maybe it got depleted...

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Oooo... kh was at 5-6dkh, Ca at 380ppm.... a little on the low side... seems like my kalkreactor not charged up enough....

Anyway.. added some kH buffer to bring kH up to around 10-12... will check out to see if the foam has any change...

BTW.. I thought i was harder water that is more difficult to lather to foam in the shower? It's soft water that's difficult to lather meh?

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Congrats! Funny to see someone excited over the sight of foam. :P

That's coz I spent a lot of effort doing up my DIY skimmer... haha and I was beginning to doubt if I had constructed it wrongly or something...

Nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing a DIY project take off.. haha... just look at my tank u'll know...

DIY autotop up

DIY kalkreactor

DIY skimmer

DIY stand

DIY modded MH + stand

next is DIY stream!!

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Hmmm...so it was the kH? ;)

maybe part of the reason... I also adjusted the water level after taking a peek at some other LFSs running similar skimmers without reducers at the neck...

Seems like I had to lower the water level to BELOW the upper riser... if not there would have been mega bubbles (due to the lack of a reducer) disrupting the formation of the foam...

Hope the foam stays, the last time I had foam (a lot less than now) it lasted for 2 hrs then dissapeared...

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Achilles Tang Newbie

Achilles Tang

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New acrylic will have a layer of oil/chemicals on the inner walls... affecting the bubbles and it will also prevent/delay the formation of foam... so you won't see foamrising up the wall.

It does take some time to 'break in' new skimmers.

Aside from that... the feeding of some food/additives will affect the water chemistry temporarily and affect foaming... esp oily food.

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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New acrylic will have a layer of oil/chemicals on the inner walls... affecting the bubbles and it will also prevent/delay the formation of foam... so you won't see foamrising up the wall.

It does take some time to 'break in' new skimmers.

Aside from that... the feeding of some food/additives will affect the water chemistry temporarily and affect foaming... esp oily food.

Yup yup.. I think tupperware plastic is especially oily...

You know you can silicone the damn thing like mad and when it dries you can peel the silicone off COMPLETELY without it having any visible leftovers on the plastic... that's probably why my old DIY skimmer leaked like crazy... could never seal it properly...

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Ervine, can't wait to see your DIY car and DIY house! :lol:

Eh don't be surprised.. I'm an architecture student.. one day might just be able to literally build my own house... :lol:

As for car.. eh.. too complex for me.. haha.. DIY skateboard maybe?

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Hm... i wonder if my riser is too high.. the foam is having a hard time climbing all the way to the top... woke up this morning only to find a little foam still at the top with the same gap between the bottom foam and top...

Aiyah I should be patient and wait some more right...

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delirium Newbie

delirium

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You know you can silicone the damn thing like mad and when it dries you can peel the silicone off COMPLETELY without it having any visible leftovers on the plastic... that's probably why my old DIY skimmer leaked like crazy... could never seal it properly...

Better keep an eye on your skimmer. Silicone doesnt bind well with plastic and acrylic. Wish you prosper and lotsa foam dude. :D

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Domino Newbie

Domino

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I really like your choice of materials for this DIY skimmer!!

Great work!

PS: I think all DIY people are freaky about their beloved projects! Should see me when I build something new...

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Better keep an eye on your skimmer. Silicone doesnt bind well with plastic and acrylic. Wish you prosper and lotsa foam dude. :D

Oh din't use silicone for this one.. just plain old super glue... works like a charm..

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ervine Newbie

ervine

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Hm... anyone knows why my skimmer foams like mad at times then cuts down to a dribble at other times?

Seems like whenever I meddle with the tank, eg. put my hand in to rearrange something, the foam dissapears... then reappears a while later...

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Achilles Tang Newbie

Achilles Tang

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Ervine,

Primarily, oils from your hands will affect the water temporarily. It happens during feeding times too.. esp. when you use garlic oils and such.

AT

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