Does a protein skimmer use up more water?

[jassz]

Hi all. I recently revamped my hardware setup and added a skimmer to my new- to- me 135 gal FOWLR tank. It has a sump tank with three separate compartments... the return from the overflow goes in the tallest part, the submersible skimmer is in the middle part, and the sump return pump is in the lowest part. However, since I got the skimmer it seems I have to add a gallon of water every day just to keep enough water in the sump for the pump to run. Is this to be expected? Do all the bubbles in the skimmer cause excess evaporation? If I just made the wall lower so more water travelled from the middle compartmetn to the lowest compartment, would that solve the problem? Am I back to having a flood risk then? My hubby made some beautiful custom acrylic lids for the sump, so perhaps the evaporation will be less.

Also, although the water is now crystal clear and beautiful, when I did my chemical checks I found I had a small amount of nitrate(5) and nitrite(.25), which I almost never have. That surprised me, I thought the skimmer would remove those even more thoroughly. Unless it's related to the water drops in the sump, as this morning when I got up it was partially sucking air, as was the Fluval filter. Any thoughts?

[Blom]

I would imagine that there would be some evaporation through the use of a skimmer. The pump that is being used for flow through the skimmer will add heat and thus evap as well. As for the the water properties changing I have no idea, Im sure someone else on here will be able to chime in. If the skimmer was bought used than maybe there was some additions through that. But what do I know... Im a blonde

[BlueAbyss]

There will be some evap through the bubbles in the skimmer... I've been told that a skimmer can humidify air quite well, the more air through the skimmer, the more evaporation (seems logical to me).

OH yeah, you're running a fluval filter? Do you have bioballs in it? The reduced water flow through it when it was sucking air likely caused some bacterial die-off, which could cause a mini-cycle (where the nitrite could come from). As far as having nitrate, I have no idea... skimmers don't remove nitrite or nitrate, they should actually remove some waste products before they break down to that point.

[hillegom]

+1 on the fluval. It is ok if you are using it for extra flow, but if it has filter media, then you should be cleaning it every 2-3 days. Otherwise, it just becomes a nitrate factory.

[fkshiu]

Yes, a protein skimmer will increase evaporation because of the increased surface area created by the bubbles. More evaporation is GOOD in reef tanks because it aids in gas exchange and temperature regulation. You will find that your pH will fall and your temperature will rise if you purposely prevent evaporation. Furthermore, if you are using kalk then more evaporation means you can add more kalk.

I agree with the others with the NO2, NO3 spike being caused by the canister. Get rid of it. It is not required and will usually do more harm than good.

[BlueAbyss]

If you need the canister for circulation, it will work fine for that... but do remove the media, it will move more water and won't cause issues if this happens again.

[jassz]

If you can't tell what's what from the pics I can try to post a short video.