Freshwater protein skimmer?

[probassfisher010]

I'm sure it's been asked before but I'm on my phone and the search function is limited. Anyways I got a protein skimmer for free today, and not having a salt tank, would it do anything on freshwater?


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[Ptrick125]

I'm sure it's been asked before but I'm on my phone and the search function is limited. Anyways I got a protein skimmer for free today, and not having a salt tank, would it do anything on freshwater?


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Not unless you had a pond, but you would need to DIY for that...

FW doesn't contain as many nutrients and "protein" as SW tanks, so it can't make the bubbles as much.



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[probassfisher010]

Yea I actually put it in a tank just to see, not nearly the foam creation that you get in a sw tank. I'm tempted to try a salt water now...


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[Ptrick125]

Yea I actually put it in a tank just to see, not nearly the foam creation that you get in a sw tank. I'm tempted to try a salt water now...


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Go for it! We will answer just about any question at the SW section It's really not that hard to do, it just sounds that way...


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[boldtogether]

The protein skimmer you have is designed for salt water and wont provide the proper amount of bubble production. Freshwater foam fractionators are at least twice the size and produce twice the flow. There are many freshwater aquarium people using skimmers, but usually the skimmers they use are modified marine skimmers or DIY skimmers using marine parts like the needle wheel pumps and high volume venturis.

I have had some success with foam production right after a feeding, but the foam production falls off not long after. Increasing the aeration will produce a consistent foam, but I haven't seen a benefit yet and it takes ALOT of aeration. Freshwater just doesn't have the density saltwater does and therefore, the bubbles don't last long.
I will say this; if you are able to produce superfine bubbles and very turbulent water movement, you will produce foam(skimmate) and it will be cruddy and nasty just like a marine setup. It takes a little ingenuity and some tweaking, but protein and other junk can be removed with a skimmer in freshwater.

 

[Miguel]

The protein skimmer you have is designed for salt water and wont provide the proper amount of bubble production. Freshwater foam fractionators are at least twice the size and produce twice the flow. There are many freshwater aquarium people using skimmers, but usually the skimmers they use are modified marine skimmers or DIY skimmers using marine parts like the needle wheel pumps and high volume venturis.

I have had some success with foam production right after a feeding, but the foam production falls off not long after. Increasing the aeration will produce a consistent foam, but I haven't seen a benefit yet and it takes ALOT of aeration. Freshwater just doesn't have the density saltwater does and therefore, the bubbles don't last long.
I will say this; if you are able to produce superfine bubbles and very turbulent water movement, you will produce foam(skimmate) and it will be cruddy and nasty just like a marine setup. It takes a little ingenuity and some tweaking, but protein and other junk can be removed with a skimmer in freshwater.

This.

And not easy getting airstones to make it work like the sw airstones..or air "wood"

 

[duanes]

I use protein skimmers on my cichlid tanks, and my ponds, they work well but..the salt water commercial skimmers are way too wimpy to produce enough agitation to separate the nutrients in the air water interface. Salt water is more dense, thus easier to fractionate.
And if your tank is pristine it won't produce foam. I make my own fractionators, and they have saved me when a large fish dies unnoticed, or I neglect water changes.
Beside taking out nitrate precursors and DOC, they have the ability to help remove parasites and free floating algae. In the lab I compared straight tank water to skim waste, the single celled and multicelled organism removal was 8 and 10 to 1. Everything from ciliates, and nematodes to water bears

 

[Miguel]

Duanes, care to explain the step by step path to those amazing pics above?

 

[duanes]

The upper pic in the previous post,is a bio fractionator. Water is pumped to the top of a 4 ft tube filled with lava rock, as it cascades over the rock the air/water separates the unwanted nutrients, they attach to bubbles and foam and are separated out, the valve allows water to pass, while foam is blocked an spills out the aperature.

The above design is from koiphen.com
The design below is from Aquarium Fish magazine Stephen Meyer

the lower pic is a venturi model, as water passes thru a venturi tube, air is sucked in, mixes with water. The unwanted nutrients are carried up a column by bubbles and foam is separated out.
Venturi tube

column

 

[Miguel]

If water is pumped up a 4 feet tube full of lava stone, the foam hole comes out the side, on the top of siad tube? And the water, where does it flow to after the 4 feet tube?