Skimmer Vs. Water Conditioner

december_wind

december_wind

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Nov 1, 2005
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Georgetown, Ontario
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So after several weeks of nothing but water overflowing into the skimmer collection cup and lots of water changes it seems to be that my water conditioner is causing the problem. I discovered this after finally getting the skimmer working only to have it fail almost instantly when I topped up the tank with water that did have conditioner in it. So I ask you. Anyone else have these problems and what are you using that does work. I have a psk - 75h http://www.eshopps.com/hangskimmers.php . Are skimmers individuals when it comes to this kind of thing?
 
I recommend that you use RO/DI water, not tapwater that has conditioner in it. It makes things much easier and the water is of much better quality. Decent units can be had for $150. If you insist on using tapwater, then look for a water conditioner that doesn't help the fishes' slime coating. All "stress coat" style water conditioners will cause problems, IME.
 
Thank you! I was hoping to avoid putting another tank on RO water $ but oh well, here I was thinking that my rock hard water would finally be useful.

As for an RO unit..... I asked my dad about one a long time ago when I was trying to keep soft water fish. That just brought back memories of when the under-sink water filter cracked and wrecked the kitchen floor. He'll never let another one make it past the front door. :'(
 
They can be attached to a hose and placed outside, so long as the weather isn't terribly cold. That's probably the easiest way to do it. Otherwise, it may be worth looking into seeing if any local stores have RO vending machines or if an LFS carries it. The only downside is verifying the quality of said water independently from what is said/advertised. Of course, you'd have to do the same with your own water, but at least you know that you are making it correctly.
 
I don't think skimmer and water conditioner can be used to provide the same outcome...
Skimming is used generally to remove organic material (some believe protein) from the water column of an aquarium which is already running (however not 'fully' established).

Water conditioner is from what I understand a commercial term for removing chlorine (which is added to water by your water supplier) which kills bacteria and or parasites in water to make it suitable for drinking purposes or potable so you can use it as a top off for evaporation or in the use of mixing synthetic salt mixes.
You can condition water by simply leaving it stand for a couple of days (surface area dependant) as the chlorine will evaporate naturally (unless it also removes\neutralises\magically eliminates other contaminates) and is (sometimes) also marketed as generally providing a type of protective coating to your livestock... if it makes you feel good.

Conditioning and skimming are not associated.
 
i too have a 75h http://www.eshopps.com/hangskimmers.php. it is generating millions of large and small bubbles. the shop where i purchased it said it was due to the water conditioner they gave me. my tank is 55 gal and i've done over 75 gallons of water changes since the problem began and it is not improving. when i sent this problem to eshopps they said the answer was on this website. Anyone out there who can assist?

thanks, cristine
 
Did you stop using the water conditioner? If so, then have you cleaned the skimmer since then? Sometimes residue can cause the issue. If you have stopped adding the conditioner and cleaned the skimmer, I suspect issues with the skimmer itself, which can range from cracks, breaks, etc., to just plain poor design.
 
I haven't used the conditioner in over a month. I clean the skimmer over and over - at least 2 times a week. the collection cup doesn't have much in it but the bubbles keep coming. i just want to throw the darn thing against the wall. the last marine tank i had was in the 80's with undergravel filters - i never had any problems. ? i have a pair of clown fish, my live rock, crabs and snails. is this issue going to cause any harm? do i have to wait for all the bubbles to go away before getting more livestock?

what type of skimmer do you recommend? i like this one because it's so quiet and the pump is not in the tank.
 
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There are plenty out there. If you have a sump, look for the huge variety of in-sump skimmers. I recommend AquaC and Reef Octopus for decent bang for your buck.
 
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