Can low alkalinity = over skimming???

[Jon]

I have posted a couple of times that I am putting alot of Kent superbuffer in my tank everyday to keep my alkalinity between 9 - 12 (between 4 - 6 tsp per day). I have switched salt brands and am now using Reef Crystals and still have the same problem. I have looked at the Reef Central board regaring the nutrient count in all of the major salt brands and feel that Reef Crystals should be sufficient.

Over the weekend I put some new coral in my tank and when I used the epoxy to glue my coral, it sent my Tunze 9010 protein skimmer for a "whim". The water was overflowing everywhere and my skimmer has since been turned down to almost nothing for the past three days. Since my skimmer is turned down very low I have noticed that I am not adding as much superbuffer everyday. My alkalinity is holding strong from 10- 12 on 2 tsp of buffer a day.

Than today all of a sudden a light went off in my head with this conclusion that I am not sure about. Could my protein skimmer be overskimming my tank. I have a 58 gallon Oceanic with a 20 gallon sump. The protein skimmer is rated for tanks up to 267 gallons. Honestly, I'm not sure that it can actually handle a tank that size. But, I bought it for it's small footprint and its quality name.

Does anyone know if this can be true??? Thanks for your time - Jon

 

[concept3]

Epoxy does that to the skimmer, it will make it go crazy.

As far as I know, a tank can never be 'over skimmed', it just won't skim anything at all. The way a protein skimmer works is that dissolved Organic molecules (since they love oxygen) will adhere to the bubbles produced in a skimmer's chamber. The more contact time with bubbles, the frothier it gets, so it rises above the neck and spills in to the collection cup. The smaller the bubbles, the slower it rises, longer contact time. If there were not enough organics in the water, then a skimmer simply won't produce as much skimmate.


Low alkalinity can be rectified by adding baked-baking soda a little at a time. You can try that out instead of using Superbuffer; having and adding the correct amounts of other trace elements and/or supplements should also maintain your levels. Finally, see if you can open a window or two at home to circulate fresh air into the house. An enclosed room with no fresh air coming in will have a slightly higher CO2 level, thereby reducing the pH of a tank ever so slightly, another minor contributing factor to alkalinity measurements.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/2/chemistry