Selcon, skimmer and hair algae

[Bobbofin]

When I put Selcon into food it causes my skimmer to shut down. It no longer has a collecting frothy foam, it's like a water bubbler. It lasts for many hours. Has anyone else had this experience? I feed twice daily so my skimmer would be inoperative for 7-8 hours. Also I've read on posts here that it causes hair algae. Appreciate opinions.

 

[Cliff Tishler]

I have been a samm amount of Selcon in food 1X daily for a few years. I can't see any effect on the skimmer and no visible signs of hair algae. Do you use any other food additives?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Oils (like in selcon) often cause bubblepopping in skimmers. I discuss it here:

What is Skimming?
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/rhf/index.php


specifically here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/rhf/index.php#13

Bubble Popping in Marine Aquaria



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The effects of this bubble popping process, if not the mechanistic details, are easily observed in an aquarium, where many things may cause a bubble popping effect. One cause that most aquarists encounter is oil from their hands. After reaching into a saltwater aquarium, skimming action often comes nearly to a halt as bubble popping dominates foam drainage and collection. The popping will proceed until the oil is somehow removed. Among other ways, oil can be removed by splattering it above the foam height in the skimmer, being foamed out bit by bit, being emulsified into the general foam as very, very tiny droplets which no longer span air bubbles, becoming attached to solid objects and removed, being consumed by tank microorganisms and by eventually dissolving into the bulk tank water. Many foods used by aquarists have a similar effect on skimmer bubbles.

As an aside, the bubble popping action of hydrophobic oils is exactly how most anti-gas medications for humans function. Simethicone is really polydimethylsiloxane, which is a hydrophobic polymer liquid. It pops bubbles in your stomach or intestine, and permits the gas to be eliminated. Antifoaming agents also are the basis for a large number of industrial products that work on the same principle. Other things also cause bubble popping. One of these is the fatty acid supplement Selcon. It causes bubble popping in the same fashion as skin oil droplets. Hydrophobic solid objects can also cause popping. Fine particles of activated carbon, sand, inorganic precipitates, or granular ferric oxide/hydroxide, once coated by organic compounds, can serve to break foams in a manner analogous to the described for liquid oils.