I have often read of people criticising one skimmer or another for causing a flood or overflowing their skimmer cup resulting in wet floors or skimmate dumped into the sump.
I must have owned 20 skimmers in my 35 years plus of reefkeeping from nano to medium size skimmers ( have never owned anything bigger than my current Nyos 160 apart from an early Tunze skimmer ) Each one of these would periodically overflow their collection cup. This morning I came into my living room to find my Nyos 160 skimmer cup overflowing which happens on a regular basis, I would say on average about once a month. The rest of the time it performs faultlessly.
IMO this is the result of natural occurrences within my tank and not the fault of the skimmer. Why should it be the fault of my skimmer after all it more or less performs consistently the rest of the time. The cause is a shift in surface tension within the tank water IMO with a change in that tension occurring always in my case at night so why and why would I blame my skimmer? IMO something is happening in my tank late at night and I suspect that happening is a spawning of fish or coral or other.
When your aquarium conditions are right such spawnings are almost inevitable and so they should be. Skimmers do not skim in fresh water (well OK some specially made for freshwater may do but very few) as the water is not dense enough to create bubbles small enough to make the foam required. Alter the water tension in our tanks and we will get an alteration in foam production resulting in more or less skimmate.
Alterations in salinity will also result in an alteration in foam production due to thicker/heavier water. Changing filter socks, feeding and even just putting your hands in the aquarium may all result in a change in skimmate production. Now I am no expert in protein skimmers but I do know when a previously fine working skimmer all of a sudden goes crazy it is unlikely to be the fault of the skimmer but a result of a change in surface tension between the water and the bubbles produced.
I have no doubt some skimmers maybe more prone to over production than others to some extent but I believe many people are barking up the wrong tree blaming their skimmer for such an occurrence. Another reason why your skimmer might be more prone to over production of skimmate is how you have you skimmer dialled in. I tend towards slightly wet skimming with my skimmer and so when something occurs in my aquarium to alter the waters tension it is perhaps more prone to cause a cup overflow of skimmate.
These are just my thoughts and experiences on why a skimmer might all of a sudden overflow the cup based on all the years I have been using protein skimmers and I am sure others will say a certain skimmer would overflow regular but when they bought X brand skimmer it didn't happen anymore. However IME all skimmers have the ability to overflow that is unless of course you have it permanently drained into something which can produce it;s own problems like a reduction in salinity when employing an ATU on the tank.
I must have owned 20 skimmers in my 35 years plus of reefkeeping from nano to medium size skimmers ( have never owned anything bigger than my current Nyos 160 apart from an early Tunze skimmer ) Each one of these would periodically overflow their collection cup. This morning I came into my living room to find my Nyos 160 skimmer cup overflowing which happens on a regular basis, I would say on average about once a month. The rest of the time it performs faultlessly.
IMO this is the result of natural occurrences within my tank and not the fault of the skimmer. Why should it be the fault of my skimmer after all it more or less performs consistently the rest of the time. The cause is a shift in surface tension within the tank water IMO with a change in that tension occurring always in my case at night so why and why would I blame my skimmer? IMO something is happening in my tank late at night and I suspect that happening is a spawning of fish or coral or other.
When your aquarium conditions are right such spawnings are almost inevitable and so they should be. Skimmers do not skim in fresh water (well OK some specially made for freshwater may do but very few) as the water is not dense enough to create bubbles small enough to make the foam required. Alter the water tension in our tanks and we will get an alteration in foam production resulting in more or less skimmate.
Alterations in salinity will also result in an alteration in foam production due to thicker/heavier water. Changing filter socks, feeding and even just putting your hands in the aquarium may all result in a change in skimmate production. Now I am no expert in protein skimmers but I do know when a previously fine working skimmer all of a sudden goes crazy it is unlikely to be the fault of the skimmer but a result of a change in surface tension between the water and the bubbles produced.
I have no doubt some skimmers maybe more prone to over production than others to some extent but I believe many people are barking up the wrong tree blaming their skimmer for such an occurrence. Another reason why your skimmer might be more prone to over production of skimmate is how you have you skimmer dialled in. I tend towards slightly wet skimming with my skimmer and so when something occurs in my aquarium to alter the waters tension it is perhaps more prone to cause a cup overflow of skimmate.
These are just my thoughts and experiences on why a skimmer might all of a sudden overflow the cup based on all the years I have been using protein skimmers and I am sure others will say a certain skimmer would overflow regular but when they bought X brand skimmer it didn't happen anymore. However IME all skimmers have the ability to overflow that is unless of course you have it permanently drained into something which can produce it;s own problems like a reduction in salinity when employing an ATU on the tank.
