# Is it possible to not have protein to skim?



## Kotton (Aug 22, 2010)

I know this sounds funny, but my protein skimmer will create foam for awhile then not. Ok, I recently moved and changed my tank; added a sump and a protein skimmer to the mix. During the move I used half of the water from a previous salt water tank (tank had been running for two years w/o a protein skimmer) & the other half new salt water that i mixed. when i 1st turned on protein skimmer it worked like a dream for about 4 hours or so and then no more foaming. I recently moved stuff around in my sump and the protein skimmer started foaming again. there are pictures in my gallery.

So my question is can the tank not be "dirty enough" to create the foam?


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## MediaHound (Jul 19, 2006)

There's a lot of factors that go into if foam will be produced, and if so, how much. One thing I can say for certain is all skimmers are "tempermental", that is, they work reliably one way one day and another way another day. This is why they need almost constant cleaning, constant adjustments, and such to keep them in best working order (hate to say it!).
And no, if you have a saltwater tank with living things in it, you can foam it provided the particulate matter isnt preventing that (the water isnt stirred up and is "clear" to a degree). Question is if the skimmer is set to actually catch the foam or even make a lot of it to begin with. The time of day, bioload, and many many factors go into this formula btw.


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