Thank the dirty work of the sewage treatment industry for developing an excellent way to clean your aquarium water with a protein skimmer.
Wastewater treatment experts discovered that a variety of waste-from carbohydrates, fatty acids and fats to particulates and phytoplankton- possess a propensity to soak up air bubbles.
Float small bubbles through a column of polluted water and the waste adheres to foam at the top.
Skim the protein-filled foam from the top of the sewage plant and you have the first step to cleaner water.
By placing a protein skimmer in your setup as the first instrument for cleaning aquarium water you reduce the cleaning load, because a skimmer removes protein prior to allowing nitrifying bacteria to turn the nitrites into nitrates.
As a result, these bacteria guzzle up lower oxygen amounts.
So, you receive lower nitrate levels and higher oxygen in your aquarium water, making for happier living creatures swimming inside your tank.
Protein Skimmer Similarities Some common principles are inherent with all protein skimmers.
First, water flows through a compartment where a string of tiny bubbles are introduced.
These bubbles collect unwanted material and take them to the water's surface.
There, foam collects into another chamber.
This foam consolidates into liquid, which is removable.
Since it's filled with contaminants, it can fluctuate from a deep black to a pastel yellowish-green color.
Skimmer Differences Initial skimmer designs involved an air stone at a base of a column that emits vast amounts of tiny bubbles.
A better design developed using a pump to blast water and air through a venturi, or a constricted area, as a way to develop finer bubbles.
Smaller protein skimmers are built using the venturi design.
A further development involves creating bubbles using an impeller.
The impellers are modified.
One, called a pin-wheel protein skimmer, uses a disc with pins protruding from the disc at a 90 degree angle.
Another, named a needle-wheel skimmer, contains pins projecting perpendicular to the rotor of the impeller.
A newer design, entitled a mesh-wheel skimmer, uses mesh material on discs.
All of these designs put a stream of air bubbles through the impeller to manufacture the tiniest of bubbles.
The pin impeller design has multiple benefits, including less noise, enhanced proficiency of removing proteins, and reduced electrical consumption Beyond internal design differences, protein skimmers also vary according to where they're located.
There are skimmers manufactured to locate in the sump of your filter.
Others, called free-standing protein skimmers, are placed next to your aquarium filter.
Yet another variety is fabricated to hang inside and at the back of your aquarium.
Selecting the Right Protein Skimmer So, how do you pick the skimmer that's right for your aquarium? First, check the prices of protein skimmers.
Expect to pay $25 to $50 for cheap skimmers, $80 to $100 for average varieties and $300 to $1,200 for top-of-the-line protein skimmers.
Determine your tank size and purchase a skimmer that not only fits the size of your aquarium, but is the best you can get for the budget you can afford.
It never hurts to oversize the skimmer capacity compared to your tank size, due to two factors.
First, if you upgrade your aquarium, you can keep the skimmer for your new tank.
Secondly, if the bioload of your tank exceeds your tank size, your protein skimmer can still keep up with the waste removal.
Inspect the height of the skimmer.
Experts advise that taller skimmers tend to operate better than shorter varieties.
Seek skimmers with maximum bubble production.
The smaller that the bubbles produced by your skimmer, the better it operates.
You want to see a milky, white appearance in your skimmer's operating tube, not individual bubbles.
Finally, keeping your skimmer well-maintained and clean is imperative to a healthy environment for the inhabitants of your aquarium.