Red Sea Reefbeat Update

[Mark Goode]

Yesterday I noticed some unusual behaviour from some of my fish (foxface, hippo tang and firefish) - they were periodically taking a gulp of air from the surface and blowing out bubbles. Clearly an oxygen problem.

Red Sea remotely updated the Reefbeat app a few days ago, and it appears the update turned off my skimmer - the app just showing a message saying "wrong pump" (which it is not).

Probably something to be aware of if you have an app controlled RS skimmer.

 

[exnisstech]

Do you think you have issues causing low oxygen? I know skimmers can add oxygen but I would hate to think my fish were not getting enough oxygen just because my skimmer stopped working. I run tanks with no skimmers and have no issues with low oxygen that I'm aware of using my fish behavior as a gauge. I would hate to see you loose fish because your skimmer stopped working.

 

[Mark Goode]

I can think of no other cause, other than reduced oxygen. It wasn't a constant gasping at the surface, but an occasional gulp several minutes apart. By the time I noticed this my skimmer had been off for three days, so it wasn't a rapid collapse in oxygen supply.

So I dunno; all has returned to normal today. I have one of my gyres aimed at the surface, which causes visible ripples across 3/4 of the tank. I'm not overstocked, I don't overfeed, so I can't think of any other reason.

 

[BigAl07]

Your tank Oxygen level should NOT depend upon aeriation from your skimmer. The skimmer is a Filtration Device (even though it does add aeriation) and should not be part of Life Support.

We ran SW tanks for decades before skimmers were even a thing.

 

[Mark Goode]

Your tank Oxygen level should NOT depend upon aeriation from your skimmer. The skimmer is a Filtration Device (even though it does add aeriation) and should not be part of Life Support.

We ran SW tanks for decades before skimmers were even a thing.

Well, okay, maybe I imagined the oxygen issue. But whatever, the RS update crashed my skimmer.

 

[Mark Goode]

If anyone is interested, I think I have solved the 'lack of oxygen problem' discussed above: at the opposite side of the tank from the gyre that agitates the surface was a small area of undisturbed water (varied between the furthest 9 - 12 inches of a 5' tank). I guess a few edible bits were floating there, hence the gulping at the top. I've adjusted the gyre and it's now gone.