Stress coat plus vs. skimmer

[Dtorre125]

So sadly I started my tank with stress coat plus and was then found out the aloe it contains really messes with the skimmer. I have a 54 gallon tank and have done one 20% water change. I was going to do one more this weekend then try to run the skimmer. Would I be better off doing a third water change then trying to run my skimmer?

 

[ezy33]

Keep up with the water changes. Your skimmer won't have much to do with no live stock. Good luck!


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[Dtorre125]

I actually have 2 clowns starry blenny a blood shrimp (I waited as long as I could but I needed the shrimp haha) and 20 snails/hermits. Tanks been running a little over a month. I want to get skimmer going ASAP. I do weekly 20% water changes so that's not the problem. I really just don't want to start skimmer and have issue. Im curious when I will have diluted the water enough to avoid these complications? I do not want to put skimmer on and have it bug out.

 

[ezy33]

Step up your water changes to 30% and let the skimmer run if it's not making a mess. A few years ago my wife used a large amount of coral epoxy that caused my skimmer to over produce. Fortunately my skimmer sits in a tub so no harm when it overflowed.


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[Dtorre125]

I'm going to do one more 30% I guess and then try to let it run. I appreciate the help a lot, thanks.

 

[Dtorre125]

So after another 30% water change my skimmer is still acting up. Would soaking skimmer in vinegar make a difference or are a couple more water changes in order? The thin layer of aloe at the top of tank seems to be gone.

 

[jjh302]

I have made this same mistake. I found that I let the skimmer run and emptied it about every 3-4 minutes when it got full and after about a half hour all was well. That was with doing no water changes so it may not take you as long.


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[Dtorre125]

So as planned I tried to put the skimmer on after a 30% water change. I had no luck and the skimmer builds foam up to the point of overflow in a matter of seconds. I tried to rig the overflow into a bucket but the foaming is simply to fast and is already coming out the top before it goes down the siphon. I'm very frustrated that I can't get this skimmer going. Any help would be greatly appreciated. What should I do?

 

[Dtorre125]

Will letting skimmer run and emptying skimmer take forever? Am I better off just doing water changes the next month or two and then try skimmer again? I also cleaned skimmer in vinegar solution so shouldn't be an issue there.

 

[Dtorre125]

Also getting a lot of micro bubbles if that means anything significant

 

[Dtorre125]

I'm letting it foam then liquify then dumping it. I guess it's foaming slightly slower but still no where near where it needs to be.

 

[Retired_AF]

I have that same skimmer. Have you tried adjusting the it so it doesnt overflow or is that already at it's lowest setting? If you can get the bubbles to stop just below the rim of the inner cylinder the impurities will still go into the cup.

If it is already at its lowest setting, and the aloe is floating on top of the tank try taking a dry paper towel and laying it on top of the water to soak up as much as possible. Remove the towel when it gets wet and you should be taking a good bit of the aloe with it. repeat as needed.

 

[Dtorre125]

Thank you for the advice, At the lowest setting bubbles build up all the way to the top of collection cup. I believe I'm having a harder time then most due to the amount I put in (I was informed you can not over dose on stress coat so I didn't use it too sparingly) I first attempted to remove the aloe with a 20% followed by a 30% change the next week. Did not improve the bubbling. The next attempt I let skimmer run and just scooped up bubbles and let them settle and got about a half bucket of clear bubbly skimate. There was still no improvement. I'm going to try the same thing again but on larger scale. Next water change I'm going to try to empty at least 5 gallons straight from skimmer. I'll also give paper towels a shot. I have a feeling this rookie mistake is going to take some time to fix.

 

[ezy33]

Have you tried cleaning your skimmer that might help


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[Dtorre125]

Ya I actually soaked it in some hot water and vinegar for a day. I really think I would have solved problem with what I've been told to do on here but it's just a lot of aloe in the water. I appreciate all the advice and I thinking trying these ideas with regular water changes will solve problem over time. I'll keep posted and for sure post when I have my skimmer running haha.

 

[ezy33]

You might try running some activated charcoal if you can fit it in your system.


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[ScaryFatKidGT]

use fluval water conditioner or something alo does nothing for fish

 

[Dtorre125]

Ya I used to use stress coat in my freshwater tank and really didn't know it wasn't something that is used in saltwater tanks. I'll take it as a blessing in disguise, it's really making me exercise my patience.

 

[Dtorre125]

Alright so I'm curious if any one would know best approach to completely changing water in my tank. I could set up another tank to house fish. Would I have to wait out another cycle period if I completely changed the water. I really just want this stress coat out and I'm switching to ro di water anyway. Any information or ideas to approaching this plan would really help.

 

[Sillyfishies]

My eshopps skimmer did that, and I didn't even have aloe in the tank. Just put it on it's lowest setting and let it run. After awhile, it'll break in and stop doing that.