the subject explains it all, I have known for a long time that a protein skimmer won't work for a Fresh Water Aquarium, but why? I find the effects of these very desireable, and though I never plan on using these for FW, I believe a little explaination is in order.
Curious Question-Why won't protein skimmers work for FW?
- Thread starter GobyGuy5
- Start date
there is no protien buildup in a FW aquarium that comes close to that of a SW Aq. Although stagnant water may build up protien in a FW, many things can solve this, such as a air stone, a HOB filter, a little surface aggitaion by a power head or canister outflow.
Actually, I did read someplace that it is POSSIBLE to have a protein skimmer for freshwater that WORKS. It would have to be extremely large though, so it is impractical for the common hobbyist.
I was kind of curious about this subject as well.... I've had cichlid and predatory fish tanks for years, and have had problems with protein deposits on my tank hoods before and thought about buying a protein skimmer.... Good thing I didn't waste my money, huh? I guess it's not so much a problem of "impossible" as it is "impractical" or "unneccessary"....
protein skimmers can and do work for FW.
They have trouble getting smaller bubble size, as the density of FW is lower than that of SW.
They have trouble getting smaller bubble size, as the density of FW is lower than that of SW.
You need foam to have a good protein skimmer. Foam is easily made in salt water where there are lots of dissolved things. In freshwater, foam is much much harder to make, and thus protein skimming is much much more difficult.
It doesnt need to be any larger for bubble size.
If you can make bubbles as small as the ones seen in SW, the skimmer can stay the exact same size it is.
If you do have larger bubbles, you need to increase contact time, by either slowing the flow through the skimmer, or making it taller.
This has nothing to do with dissolved organics, SW tanks usually have much lower levels of dissolved organics.
If you can make bubbles as small as the ones seen in SW, the skimmer can stay the exact same size it is.
If you do have larger bubbles, you need to increase contact time, by either slowing the flow through the skimmer, or making it taller.
This has nothing to do with dissolved organics, SW tanks usually have much lower levels of dissolved organics.
Yes, skimmers do work in freshwater, and are frequently used in aquaculture and public aquariums. It is a question of surface area and a property of water called surface tension. Smaller bubbles have a greater surface area, and so can bind more protein per unit volume of air. And because of surface tension, it is easier to make smaller bubbles in salt water. So for freshwater, you must generally use much larger volumes of air, which is hard to do with aquarium-scale equipment. The cost is usually greater than the potential benefit, which is why so few people bother.
