Reef Octopus Extreme 250 going crazy

[phastroh]

So I have had no issue with this skimmer so far and it has been running month and a half.

Today I added Kents Marine Snow, Coral Vite and the Strontium and all night I have been fighting micro bubbles.and Molybdenum to my tank.

I have taken the skimmer out and checked it all and no matter what it keeps pumping out micro bubbles and overflowing while all the way open.

Anyone else have the same problems after dosing these items and wouuld you say this is the cause.

Thanks

 

[Mandarin66]

Nice 1k post lol and did u read the direction on the bottle?

 

[phastroh]

Yeah it only said to shut of the skimmer and mechanical filtration for 1 hour after dosing.

I did that.

It is actually Two Little Fishes Julian Sprungs Marine Snow.

It is the only thing I did before the chaos.

I noticed there were micro bubbles shooting out of the pumps or I mean one pump until you turn on the second pump.

The bubbles were coming from the output. It was like a new skimmer and I have to keep it off as the water just pours out of the cup and it is huge.

I do not want to have to run it for a day to clean the plastic inside I am hoping if the dosing cause it, it will dry up sooner or later haha.

 

[Mandarin66]

Try testing the water or try a water change

 

[fastrd400]

There are times when we dose our tanks with chemicals that a reaction like this occurs. If it was me, I'd turn the skimmer off for a day and let the chemical dissipate. Turn your skimmer back on tomorrow and see how it reacts.

 

[Mandarin66]

There are times when we dose our tanks with chemicals that a reaction like this occurs. If it was me, I'd turn the skimmer off for a day and let the chemical dissipate. Turn your skimmer back on tomorrow and see how it reacts.

Or try that lol

 

[phastroh]

Well I plugged it in this morning and there was good and bad news but I think I have an explanation.

Good
No more Microbubbles coming out at all so far.

Bad
The cup was still overflowing instantly

IDEA
First off I think I need to wait more than the recommended hour to turn on the skimmer. More like the next day which is ok for the tank.

I also think I should get a Strontium test kit just to make sure I wasn't putting way more than needed. It has a dosing amount per gallon but I have a feeling that is a waster of print and should be tested first regardless.

I can't imagine the 2 Little Fishes Marine Snow or the Coral Vite would cause this to happen. I could be wrong but I am betting its the other stuff.

I am leaning toward the skimmer got the dosed water in it and while it sat the plastic still has some left on it so I left it running to try to clear it up.

My conclusion as of now is to just like I said leave it till the next day so no dosed water gets in at full strength.

NOTE: Only the Marine Snow instructs you to turn off the skimmer but I am sure that is so you don't waste it.

 

[little_fish]

why are you dosing strontium in the first place? That is trace element that should be taken care of by water changes, even infrequent water changes

 

[phastroh]

I dosed the stuff because I decided based on what I read that it would be beneficial. I did not use hardly any compared to the instructions. Maybe 1/3 if that. No-one should ever dose as much as they say.

I am more concerned with my skimmer not running. I do not know how many days will become an issue.

I have sat and thought of why this is happening and this is my conclusion.

I originally took my sump socks of to install a new sump sock holder but I left it running and the water was blasting into the bottom of the sump.

There is a thin layer of sand in there and I have a feeling it clogged the pumps somehow. They blast great but there could still be some blockage. The air and water mix well but when I turn the 2 pumps on it is like 5 seconds and it overflows a tone.

I plug the venturi and it overflows faster but when I let go it goes back down to normal for a second before rising again.

If I turn only one pump on it does not overflo and that is either pump singly. I I close the gate valve with one pump it starts blasting microbubble out of the bottom backward into the tank. That is the weirdest part.

I can't get the skimmer out to work on it and untwisting a pump in impossible to get torque and grip the way it is.

My last resort is to use a large wrench and do it underwater.

 

[phastroh]

Ok so yeah I mentioned how the microbubbles were gone the next day after I let it sit. Like Fastrd400 said and I also suspected it was the water and it needed to sit

The overflowing cup never stopped overflowing though. So last night I took out the motors and opened and inspected for clogs, salt creep or anything but there was nothing to be found. I did clean them out though anyway.

So after that the cup was still overflowing and a stream of water pours out the drain hole. I placed a little cube sponge to try to curb the bubbles but they are large and make no difference. I turned one of my 2 fans around to blow on them. It did help pop and keep them at bay.

Microbubbles were not an issue but they are sneeky when your bubble trap is not working like mine. The first baffle came loose on the bottom making it irrelevant so I am looking into a new sump.

Anyway so I decided to let it run overnight because there was not the foam I was getting prior. My sump sock was not helping so I changed it also.

In the morning I come out to look at it and it is still overflowing but not nearly as bad. The drain has a stream but it is noticeably thinner. So I let it continue to run all day.

One minute it is not draining and just a lot of foam, the next it is water coming out.

I have to say that overall it is not the same waterfall but at times it is a stream of water.

The last time I looked I decided to put the plug in the drain cup because it had stopped dripping so it took my 10 minutes to get the plug and get back to the skimmer and I open the door and it is draining water again. It is not that it is draining it is draining to much to put a plug because it will fill up in a few hours and come out the top.

The cup overhangs the sump to far for it to drop back in the sump but I may slide it in. So far the fluid has been clear thankful as it is just because the water is moving straight to the cup and it not the result of actual skimming.

With no observable defects or clogs I am at a deadened especially since the gate valve is all the way open yet running like it is closed.

These skimmer are supposed to be set to only have the water level 3/4 of the way up on the main skimmer body and then adjusted from there. That is waaaaaay below where that is now.

 

[phastroh]

After I posted the above post last night I went downstairs to check the skimmer.

It was fine. The foam was 3/4 the way up the body and there was nothing even close to the neck.

Now this morning the foam is barely coming to the top of the cup before it flows over. When I say that I mean in the correct way. Dry skimming.

There is no way I will believe the water took a week to settle down but what else could it have been?

I know the microbubbles went away after one day so it seems it had to have been the water.

I had a feeling that maybe I turned the skimmer on before I should have and it coated the inside and caused the issue. I did wait for over an hour. I am worried about feeding my corals now.

I will though dose the 2 Little Fishes Marine Snow alone and see what happens and then do each one alone for the next week because I have to find out the problem. Now that I know the results I think I can handle it with less stress next time.

I will let the skimmer run for a week correctly before I do it to get some crap out of the water.