Protein skimmer on fw tank?

They can work in freshwater, but I've only seen foam generation in really hard water tanks (African rift lake tanks, Central American cichlids) and even then, the foam was no where near the production that you see in a saltwater tank or even a pond. For freshwater tanks, it's generally not worth it to throw it on there.

They don't work very well due to the differences in specific gravity and dissolved solids.....as for nitrates...good old water changes. Start with 30% a week and see where that gets you. You'll probably have to do 50% a week though....then twice a week...then upgrade lol.

You didn't say what your nitrate level is or how much you are feeding. Nitrate buildup is directly related to a) the amount of nitrogen provided per gallon of water and b) the amount of water replaced. By definition, if nothing changes, either the food needs to be reduced or the water changes increased. E.g., if you have well fed large fish in a small tank, there will need to be a large amount of water changed, all other things being equal.


The only practical alternatives (I'm aware of) to water changes are 1) using purigen or 2) adding plants that will consume ammonia and/or nitrates. (There is a pothos thread http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...Cheap-plants-less-nitrate!-POTHOS-(1-Viewing) that should help.) Better tank maintenance (capturing organic material like leftover or regurgitated food, is another option if that is a root cause.)

Regarding the catfish, many catfish prefer to hide in caves or under overhangs (in shaded or hidden areas) during the day. If they found one spot, look to see if it's the darkest or most secluded spot. Make more covered spots to let them move around or just let them be. It could also be that they see that as a prime spot to ambush prey. Also, that may be regarded as the safest spot in the tank, if the gar is seen as a threat. Again, adding more covered spots might solve the problem.

In any event, while it could be due to power head placement, that wouldn't be my first thought.

Not a chance the skimmer will work in fesh at all...even at salt levels a couple points below 1.024 skimmers do not function well. Would b nice if they did work on fresh tho lol...i much enjoy just emptying skimmer cups on my salt tanks as opposed to weekly waterchanges with my freshies.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App