Skimmer not working since adding carbon

[David - Miami]

I added a bag of chemi-pure (carbon) to my wet dry about four days ago and my skimmer has not worked since then. It is an Aqua C EV-120, and it is not producing foam.

Can anyone help please?

[ricde]

The chemi-pure is removing the organics that the skimmer usually does. This happens to mine to, when I change carbon. 4 days is a long time to kill the skimmer though.

[David - Miami]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15377921#post15377921 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ricde
The chemi-pure is removing the organics that the skimmer usually does. This happens to mine to, when I change carbon. 4 days is a long time to kill the skimmer though.


That is why I am nervous. Four days seems excessive. I am hoping someone with this experience can help.

[David - Miami]

Make that five days now.

[stanlalee]

did you get a new reactor? carbon and GFO never effected my skimmer performance until I got a reactor. It acted exactly as if the reactor was releasing oils like a new skimmer supposedly does and causing the skimmer to break in/alter surface tension all over again and now that I've had the reactor for a while it acts normally after changing carbon and GFO and I use good quality carbon (seachem matrix) WAY above recommended amounts for my size tank. My skimmer didn't skim for a week either after I put the reactor in. I used the same carbon and GFO products in mesh bags prior and the skimmer was uneffected (perhaps poor efficiency and nothing to do with the actual reactor material but that doesn't explain why the skimmer is uneffected NOW that the reactor is good and worn in).

[David - Miami]

I do not have a reactor. I simply added a bag of chemi-pure (it came in a mesh bag) into my wet dry and the skimmer has not produced any foam since.