Large Skimmer Bubbles Help?

[maxfrenkel19]

Hello,

I have a skimmer that has been working well since I got it, probably 6 months ago. Apologies but I do not know the make or model.

Recently (past 2 weeks) I have had problems with bubble size. The skimmer produces nice foamy bubbles, but as they travel up the body of the skimmer, they get larger and larger until they are almost like soap bubbles. There is a noticeable point about 3/4 the way up the body of the skimmer where you can see this change happening. Not sure what's causing it, there is a fair amount of coralline growing in the skimmer which I am trying (and failing) to get rid of. Still doesn't explain why the bubble breakup happens at a very specific level, as the coralline is all over.

Anyone run into this problem before? I'm this can not be good for my skimmer, may need to look at getting another.

Thanks!
Max

 

[kyuubichan218]

Have there been any changes in bioload? Skimmers work based on the surfactant molecules present in a system, and if there are not enough present, or if they are being disturbed by an oil (for example), then the bubbles will not be able to maintain surface tension and will agglomerate into larger bubbles.

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[Walter White]

My bubble king does this sometimes but it does not seem to affect performance. For what ever reason mine usually does it following a water change. Are the large bubbles effecting performance?

 

[maxfrenkel19]

Have there been any changes in bioload? Skimmers work based on the surfactant molecules present in a system, and if there are not enough present, or if they are being disturbed by an oil (for example), then the bubbles will not be able to maintain surface tension and will agglomerate into larger bubbles.

I haven't had a change in bioload recently, although I did add a couple new corals from the frag swap. I did have my arms in the tank for an hour the other night rearranging my scape... maybe some oil from my skin is the culprit? Can you elaborate on what could cause a deficiency of surfactant molecules in the system? I'm not familiar with this term, and google isn't giving me an aquarium-based answer yet.

My bubble king does this sometimes but it does not seem to affect performance. For what ever reason mine usually does it following a water change. Are the large bubbles effecting performance?

Glad to hear it's not just me...hard to say whether or not its affecting performance yet. I water change probably too often, so my nitrate and skimmate is always pretty low.

Appreciate the responses both of you! One other thing I should have mentioned: While I was cleaning the skimmer the other day, I accidentally broke the plastic bit where the air input hose connects to the pump. I superglued it and thought I had it airtight, but maybe this is causing, or at least exacerbating, the problem.

Thanks Again.

 

[Andrew_bram]

IMO you should have fine bubbles half way up or so depending on how dark you want skimate to be. They will build upon themselves and give you what you want. Also I have noticed when feeding something small for coral like cyclopeze the skimmer will be rather over productive.

 

[kyuubichan218]

Surfactants are a wide class of molecules, usually for aquariums you hear them called dissolved organics. Lots of things can change that, like food type or feeding schedule changes, livestock additions or die off. Oils from your arms should dissipate pretty quickly unless you had something especially difficult to get rid of, like lotion.

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[jda123]

Clean the pump. The impeller might be junked up and no longer capable of chopping the air like it did. A little muratic acid in a bucket of water for 20-30 minutes should do the trick. The muratic acid will clean the coralline off of the skimmer too.