When feed mode ended, my skimmer stopped foaming... ???

[Lylelovett]

Hi all,

I finally got my skimmer working this morning for the first time and was so elated! Then I started feed mode this evening (stopped the main pump and powerheads), and when I turned it all back on minutes later my skimmer is bubbling, but not foaming.

I've played around with the water level and the intakes, no real change... the bubbles don't even come close to the cup and there's no foam to speak of that would work it's way up there...

Air line is not blocked...

I'm dumbfounded. I guess I'll take it apart tomorrow and put it back together - see if anything is mucking up the innards.

Any obvious no brainers I might be overlooking?

 

[ncaldwell]

What food? Things like mysis with oils kill the foam for a half hour or so. Same with selcon.

 

[Lylelovett]

Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast - target feed corals.

 

[Captain Quint]

It would not hurt to power off the skimmer for a minute and see if it starts back up when powered back on.

I've seen some startup reversed occasionally and power off/power on has resolved it.

Worth a try anyway.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Sometimes skimmers stop foaming for a bit after feeding, because oils change the surface tension of the water. In the future, don’t re-adjust the skimmer, just wait it out a few hours.

 

[Lylelovett]

I had turned it off over night and started it up again this morning and it seems to be CLOSE to working... So it seems it may have been a food issue... will keep monitoring.

Thanks all.