Protein Skimmer only pulling water!

[Exotrezy]

Hey guys, currently I have a fallow period that ended like 5 days ago but just noticed that my skimmer is only pulling water. Even during the fallow period it was still pulling skimmate with bubbles but not only water. It is an Aquatic Life 115 Protein skimmer. I have modded it to have the airline tubing instead of the regular air so that it is quieter and works better.
If I pull the skimmer out of the water about half way, i can see it starts producing bubbles again but once I put it back in it stops and the bubbles go away and it goes right back to water. Any ideas?

 

[Exotrezy]

I can send a picture if anyone wants.

 

[KrisReef]

Skimmers often clog up with calcium deposits, especially when running excess Ca & alkalinity 10+

 

[cilyjr]

Did this start happening after you modded with airline tubing? If so, get a larger diameter airline tubing.

 

[Exotrezy]

Skimmers often clog up with calcium deposits, especially when running excess Ca & alkalinity 10+

I didn't supply anything though. I added calcium carbonate as a DIY coral snow mixed with RODI and MicroBacter7

 

[Exotrezy]

Did this start happening after you modded with airline tubing? If so, get a larger diameter airline tubing.

Nope, I modded it back in December I think and It has been fine. I just noticed it doing this so maybe in the last week it started.

 

[Exotrezy]

@KrisReef @cilyjr I took an airpump and attached it to the end of the airline that is sticking out and the bubbles started coming again. I think it just wasn't getting enough air and was getting too much water.

 

[Exotrezy]

The skimmer is known to be more of a wet skimmate so I don't mind it being wet but its much better then the water I was getting before.

 

[Exotrezy]

@KrisReef @cilyjr Hey, one last thing. I am planning to get a YWG and pistol shrimp. These will be my first fish after the 60+ day fallow. I don't have a quarantine tank but the LFS that I found seems very trustable and knowledgeable. I will be getting the YWG from them and the Pistol shrimp from a different person who I got my coral and snails from.
Do you think that will be fine?

 

[cilyjr]

@KrisReef @cilyjr Hey, one last thing. I am planning to get a YWG and pistol shrimp. These will be my first fish after the 60+ day fallow. I don't have a quarantine tank but the LFS that I found seems very trustable and knowledgeable. I will be getting the YWG from them and the Pistol shrimp from a different person who I got my coral and snails from.
Do you think that will be fine?

You will likely get pests eventually. Cryptocaryon or the like. If you don't want that in your tank, you will need to quarantine. Doesn't matter how trustworthy anyone is.

I'm not getting into the debate as to management or eradication.

 

[Exotrezy]

You will likely get pests eventually. Cryptocaryon or the like. If you don't want that in your tank, you will need to quarantine. Doesn't matter how trustworthy anyone is.

I'm not getting into the debate as to management or eradication.

Ok, isn't that just Marine Ich? Doesn't that come eventually either way?

 

[cilyjr]

Ok, isn't that just Marine Ich? Doesn't that come eventually either way?

Not if you hard core qt.
If you search around this forum, you will find many debates on management versus eradication.

 

[Exotrezy]

Not if you hard core qt.
If you search around this forum, you will find many debates on management versus eradication.

Ok

 

[exnisstech]

Why is the tank fallow? If due to disease then it seems like the fallow period was almost a waste of time if your adding non QTed fish afterwards.

 

[Exotrezy]

Why is the tank fallow? If due to disease then it seems like the fallow period was almost a waste of time if your adding non QTed fish afterwards.

Basically what happened was that I made the mistake of buying Clowns from Petco back in November. They died from brook and so I fallowed for about 45 days and got some more clowns from a more trusted LFS which died after 1 week and I asked online and vetteguy said that it was most likely brook with a secondary disease. I also had added a fire fish to the tank about 3 days after I got the clowns when the clowns seemed fine and didn’t show signs of anything. The fire fish died about 1 month later and seemed like he had starved because he would hide a lot in the rock and I would feed him but he would just be hiding a lot. It has been about 65-70 days since the Firefish died.
As for the nonQT fish, they aren’t fully nonQT as the LFS QTs them with copper and one other thing I think. By the way this is a different LFS that I would be getting it from and is called Cinco Ranch Aquariums. It is in Katy if you want to search it up.

 

[Exotrezy]

But instead of that LFS I might go to Ocean2You Aquariums which is very well known. I don’t think they have a YWG right now though. Last Option would be Houston Aquarium Warehouse.