Are Protein skimmers safe for freshwater

[doxponygirl]

I can get a good deal on a 75gl. wet/dry system with a protein skimmer. My question is, is it safe to use on a fresh water tank with plants?

[ChilDawg]

More than safe, but why would you use it?

http://www.*****************/pages/protein_skimmer.htm

[doxponygirl]

Hard to pass up a good bargain!!! But I do plan on turning this tank into a marine tank in about a year or so. But I wanted to go ahead and use it now for the better filtration.

[ChilDawg]

It's not really that effective, if you read the link...and it definitely isn't cost-effective until you start talking about salt water.

[slipknottin]

hmm. besides the obvious benefits of increased water movement and oxygenation, skimmers can be setup to function in FW tanks. Bubble sizes need to be made much smaller, and flow rates need to be decreased to give increased contact time (dwell time)

There isnt a whole lot of information on foam frantionators on FW tanks largerly because of the reasons listed in that article.

[doxponygirl]

Thanks guys for the information and the link. Found out some usefull information. Guess I could hold off on using it till I change over to a salt water tank!! :)

[ChilDawg]

That's probably best...your tank looks great, and you have some nice fish in it...I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that your filtration is adequate for FW. :)