Skimmer water change

[Red_Beard]

Anybody else do it? I just did 5 gallons...

The premise is that you stir up your tank until the skimmer starts going bananas and just let it keep going full tilt, draining as you go (i have a skimmer with a drain line. makes it way easier). You get a TON of lighter skimmate and burn through quite a bit of water.

Any potential downsides or upsides? What do you all think?

 

[Aquadude1]

Not a thought in my brain but following to steal steal other peoples ideas

 

[Red_Beard]

Not a thought in my brain but following to steal steal other peoples ideas

Ive done it a few times. Can definitively say though if you want to try it, you should probably be spending the next hour or 2 in the same room as your tank... Skimmer water on the carpet is something else...

 

[exnisstech]

My tank comes to life when the skimmer overflows lol. I've had rock flowers spawn twice when mine overflow. I suppose it could be a survival move on their part but corals show a great feeding response also.

EDIT: I think my tanks just love filth. Everything loves it when I cloud the water blowing detritus off rocks also.

 

[Aquadude1]

Not a thought in my brain but following to steal steal other peoples ideas

Ive done it a few times. Can definitively say though if you want to try it, you should probably be spending the next hour or 2 in the same room as your tank... Skimmer water on the carpet is something else...

Im assuming your not stirring the sand?

Yeah skimmer water in carpet sounds long term regret lol

 

[Daniel D Dawson]

Stirring up the sand ? Maybe experiment with your water testing and test just prior to doing this and couple hours after completing this.

 

[Red_Beard]

My tank comes to life when the skimmer overflows lol. I've had rock flowers spawn twice when mine overflow. I suppose it could be a survival move on their part but corals show a great feeding response also.

EDIT: I think my tanks just love filth. Everything loves it when I cloud the water blowing detritus off rocks also.

I think you are right! A good filth cloud always triggers a good feeding response in most of my stuff too!

Im assuming your not stirring the sand?

Yeah skimmer water in carpet sounds long term regret lol

It is a for sure way to start some beef with the wife, i will say that.

Stirring up the sand ? Maybe experiment with your water testing and test just prior to doing this and couple hours after completing this.

I almost never stir my sand. I have a starfish and nassarius snails that do a very good job of keeping it clean and mostly turned over. But, when i do disturb anything, or blow off the rocks, the skimmer will go wild for a while. Rather than dialing it down, i just let it go to town and skim really wet for a while until it settles back down. All the major elements test the same before/after. I was mostly concerned with minor/trace elements. sulfur and what not as the skimmate always has a very sulfurous aroma.

 

[Daniel D Dawson]

Ahh ok, I was just curious. I had a picture in my mind of you stirring up the sand bed to get a response out of your skimmer. I was thinking to myself... this can't be good!

 

[Red_Beard]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. This is after a 40 gallon water change, my sticks were stuck in low tide and slimed up really good. The skimmer with slime really pulls out some gunk. Got about 3 gallons of that.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. This is after a 40 gallon water change, my sticks were stuck in low tide and slimed up really good. The skimmer with slime really pulls out some gunk. Got about 3 gallons of that.

Never even thought yo try this... that said, I need to get a hose and valve for my skimmer, pulling the cup, or pulling the little plug and getting skimmate on my fingers is lame