protein skimmer is draining my tank, fast.

[adrox88]

yeah, have a hang on filter on the tank as well, so i think im just going to leave it off for a day or two and see what happens.

[omard]

Originally Posted by adrox88

so im kind of a noob with the saltwater, my tank has been up for about a month and i just got my protein skimmer last week. for the first few days it was fine and working great but then today i did a water change and the collection cup filled up with water in about 30 seconds, i have been messing around with it for like 3 hours and it wont stop! i dont now what to do. the skimmer is a Current USA Fission Nano skimmer and its on my 20 long reef tank. i need some help asap please, i dont wanna leave it unplugged for too long, but if i leave it on, its going to drain half my tank over night. if anyone has any suggestions pleeeease help, thanks.

Did you add anything to your change water besides salt mix?

[sssnake]

Originally Posted by adrox88

... my tank has been up for about a month..

Has the tank finished cycling and have you checked your params?

Some skimmers are very fussy about the water level and need at least a couple of inches of water between pump and water line. Make sure to read the manufacturer's instructions about this.

Also, as a side note, one month into it is very early to start skimming IMO and as stated previously.

[adrox88]

nope nothing new in the water, and i tested it a few times and everything is in the norm.

[matt s]

I'm new to the hobby myself, but isn't one month really early to have all the stuff in there that this does (live rock, fish, anenomes, etc)? I'm only asking because I'm wondering if perhaps a little advice from those of you with more experience here could keep this whole thing from crashing and losing a bunch of money.

[sssnake]

Disconnect the skimmer. You don't need it yet. Keep a powerhead going. At this point your LR (presuming it's fully cured) is the only filtration you need.

Let the tank be for a while (another month or so) and test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates frequently.

Do not do a water change unless you see a spike in ammonia, nitrite or nitrates. One month into a tank is way too early for a water change when there's nothing wrong with the water.

Keep us posted and best of luck

[G-Boy]

aslo, if you are using tap water and you are conditioning the water with any chem at all, this will cause your simmer to go nuts. if you are sticking your hands into the tank alot as i did when i first started out and you have anything on your hands, lotion , soap residue or even oil from your skin can cause a skimmer to go nuts. hope that helps

[wastemanagement]

my clorine nutralizer made my skimmer go nuts when I first started out then I realy pulled back to using the minimal correct amount and it seems to have helped