coraline algea in skimmer

[Kona26]

I am starting to get some coaline algea on the inside of my skimmer. Dose not seem to be affecting it...but also not sure the best way to clean out if need be.

any ideas or if it is even bad to have in the skimmer

[eb2292]

I have the same thing and was wondering if it would effect skimmer performance as well. I would assume a vinegar bath would dissolve it most of the way if need be.

[milto29]

It won't do nothing.

[PaleHorse]

as long as its not effecting it

[milto29]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUKdQcNWgBo

Does it look like this ?

[Kona26]

lol not yet

[milto29]

LOL.You will be OK. My 30g was like that and it ran perfect.

[slief]

It can create turbulence inside the skimmer which doesn't help the skimmers efficiency. Keep in mind that coraline is a plating growth. It may start out flat on the walls of the skimmer but will eventually protrude out into the water column. It also impacts the slime coating on the wall of the skimmer so the longer you allow it to grow, the greater the impact it will have on the skimmer. Coraline and other growth inside the skimmer is not ideal and should be avoided if at all possible. The impact may be negligible in the short term but still, it's not ideal.

To clean it, remove the skimmer and soak it in a mixture of water and vinegar. That said, if you can shield you skimmer from light, that will prevent coraline growth. When I designed my sump and fuge, I designed it such that light from the fuge would not effect the skimmer. Also, my skimmer is under the tank and as such is shielded from ambient light which also helps.

[Kona26]

Just house hold vinegar..? It is starting on the side near my fuge. Its not bad just wanted to see what other people are doing about this problem. I may have to find a light fixture for my fuge that will direct the light downward more.

[slief]

Just house hold vinegar..? It is starting on the side near my fuge. Its not bad just wanted to see what other people are doing about this problem. I may have to find a light fixture for my fuge that will direct the light downward more.

I use household white vinegar to clean coraline off my Tunzes as well as other things that get covered in calcareous algae. I also clean my skimmer pumps in it as well. You could also just put some straight vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the inside of the skimmer down and let it sit a few minutes. It will soften the coraline up within a couple minutes and it will wipe right off with a sponge. Straight vinegar won't hurt a thing either. When you're done with your cleaning rinse it well and let it air dry for a bit and put it back in the tank.

Reality is that a little coraline in the skimmer won't really hurt anything but once it starts growing, it won't stop so you are best off eliminating it and coming up with a plan to prevent it all together and blocking the light source is your best bet.

If you can get a piece of black acrylic or black ABS and place it between the skimmer and fuge, that will do wonders for blocking the light. My sump and fuge are separate and the walls that divide them were done in black acrylic for this very reason.

For fuge lighting, I use a four 10w 6500K LED flood lights. They grow chaeto like crazy but I also have a 90 gallon fuge in a 40"x40" footprint and only light half the fuge. My fuge is covered to limit evaporation and I set the lights directly on the lid.

These are the fuge lights I use. While not exactly directional, if you can figure out a way to keep the light away from the skimmer, these lights are great, cheap, water resistant and bulletproof. By far the best fuge lights I've used to date.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10W-Outdoor-LED-Lights-Security-LED-Flood-Lamp-Cool-White-6000-6500K-/121334978054?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c4020d606

[Kona26]

so my wife has some Heinz distilled white vinegar says 5% acidity on the bottom of the label ...will this stuff work ..? or should I go buy something else..? I have some power heads that need cleaning and want to try it on there first...just want to make sure I have the right stuff so I don't kill my fish.

[snowcarver75]

Love the experts advice on a subject which hasn't been analyzed and quantified. But judging the prevalence of lit sumps and dirty skimmers, it's probably not a big deal to have coraline in your skimmer.