can you use a skimmer on fresh water tanks

[oneonta]

I was going to do a saltwater tank, but am considering doing a fresh water tank instead. I have a fancy skimmer. Can I use the skimmer/sump on a fresh water tank?

Thank you.

 

[adamdwalker]

i think you can but there is no need, i think (not sure) that the skimmer is used because of some of the pollutants coral give off

 

[PumaWard]

I think that they actually remove protein, bug I am also not 100% positive. They really wont do you much good in a FW aquarium.

 

[Biotoper]

The purpose of a protein skimmer is to take organic wastes out of the water before they have a chance to decompose. In a normal freshwater set-up, you do this by frequent water changes and vacuuming the substrate. By using a protein skimmer in a saltwater setup, you don't need do frequent water changes and high water turbulence keeps wastes from precipitating out of the water. And you get more constant water purity, rather than the up and downs you get in a FW tank from water changes. In theory, with high enough water turbulence, a protein skimmer could be useful in a FW tank, especially if you had particulary dirty fish. However, I believe freshwater will not foam much. You need water with high pH and salinity to create enough foam to work. It might work in a brackish tank, if you want to do brackish - try asking on the brackish forum.