duanes;1581419; said:
duanes, wasn't this your article http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1646
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Are Clarity Freshwater Protein Skimmers Effective?
- Thread starter aquaventions
- Start date
duanes, wasn't this your article http://cichlid.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1646
Photos are gone now.
I was curious because of a conversation I had a while ago with a LFS owner and local Monster Fish guru. He said that unpressurized skimmers will work with high pH, hard water.
As I understand it, the problem is that pure freshwater has too much (too little? I may be backwards) surface tension to allow the formation of microbubbles and hence foam. Am I way off base?
Anyways, it's hard to argue with results, and it sure looks like Duane's skimmer is removing some nasty sludge!
As I understand it, the problem is that pure freshwater has too much (too little? I may be backwards) surface tension to allow the formation of microbubbles and hence foam. Am I way off base?
Anyways, it's hard to argue with results, and it sure looks like Duane's skimmer is removing some nasty sludge!
I tracked down a chemist who explained the roles of solubility and bubble surface area. So skimmers are more effective when either the water is less soluble e.g. greater salt content or there is more bubble surface area e.g. smaller bubbles and/or greater density of bubbles in the water.Dan Feller;1582684;1582684 said:
That is the thread I started a while back, Dr Joe.
And in theory aquaventions, the more salt and hardness, the better.
But one of my tanks, which is brackish (3+ ppt salinity), the skimmer is less effective than on a totally fresh water tank. I believe it may have more to do with the water pressure exertedby the pump on the venturi valve, and the amount of fish in the tank.
Even though it doesn't always foam though, doesn't mean it isn't working.
i have done tests in the lab with turbidity and checked waste efluent from the skimmer under the microscope.
The population of microbes in the waste is always @ triple, that of straight tank water. And suspended solid waste is at least triple, when desicated and weighed.
I believe it can also be considered an extra aeration device, and at the same time, has the ability to help remove saturated microbubbles that occur in water from the tap here in WI in winter that can be dangerous to fish, due to the cold weather.
I hope I don't sound like I'm trying to make fractionation into a panacea, I also believe in frequent partial water changes, planted sumps for nitrate removal and I use filter socks for particulate. Fractionation is just another addition to the arsenal.
And in theory aquaventions, the more salt and hardness, the better.
But one of my tanks, which is brackish (3+ ppt salinity), the skimmer is less effective than on a totally fresh water tank. I believe it may have more to do with the water pressure exertedby the pump on the venturi valve, and the amount of fish in the tank.
Even though it doesn't always foam though, doesn't mean it isn't working.
i have done tests in the lab with turbidity and checked waste efluent from the skimmer under the microscope.
The population of microbes in the waste is always @ triple, that of straight tank water. And suspended solid waste is at least triple, when desicated and weighed.
I believe it can also be considered an extra aeration device, and at the same time, has the ability to help remove saturated microbubbles that occur in water from the tap here in WI in winter that can be dangerous to fish, due to the cold weather.
I hope I don't sound like I'm trying to make fractionation into a panacea, I also believe in frequent partial water changes, planted sumps for nitrate removal and I use filter socks for particulate. Fractionation is just another addition to the arsenal.
I have news ... about the Clarity Skimmer.
I saw one in operation today on a Koi pond ...softish water, PH was only 6.9 and I agree it lookes like basically a giant wet/dry tower there is no air injection or venturi and the water flows in the top and out the bottom so I can't see how it would work as a protien skimmer in fresh water at all.
But ....
There is a pipe ....that is suppossed to discharge the foam.
And OMG!!! WOW I don't know HOW IT DOES IT .... but IT ACTUALLY WORKS AS A FRESHWATER SKIMMER !!!! Massive and I mean MASSIVE (filling up a 55gal plastic drum) amounts of dirty foam were coming out the discharge pipe.
I don't know how it works ...its obviously nothing like a conventional protien skimmer in operation (it can't be it does NOT inject air at all )but it definetely works and it works on freshwater and soft freshwater at that !
Anyone know how to look up Clarity's patents? Because whatever design they have is revolutionary.
I saw one in operation today on a Koi pond ...softish water, PH was only 6.9 and I agree it lookes like basically a giant wet/dry tower there is no air injection or venturi and the water flows in the top and out the bottom so I can't see how it would work as a protien skimmer in fresh water at all.
But ....
There is a pipe ....that is suppossed to discharge the foam.
And OMG!!! WOW I don't know HOW IT DOES IT .... but IT ACTUALLY WORKS AS A FRESHWATER SKIMMER !!!! Massive and I mean MASSIVE (filling up a 55gal plastic drum) amounts of dirty foam were coming out the discharge pipe.
I don't know how it works ...its obviously nothing like a conventional protien skimmer in operation (it can't be it does NOT inject air at all )but it definetely works and it works on freshwater and soft freshwater at that !
Anyone know how to look up Clarity's patents? Because whatever design they have is revolutionary.
I have heard rumors from old school fish heads saying that a skimmer may be able to remove phosphates and/or other waste, but not nitrates. Duane, does this sound possible based on your experience using one?
THe guy running the Clarity skimmer on his pond said the his average Nitrates used to be 80ppm just before his weekly WC. After the Skimmer had been in operation only a week he saw that drop to 50ppm and now after a month its only 25ppm. So I'd say it reduces Nitrate. How? I have no idea but it seems to work.
skimmers remove protiens from the water before they can be broken down into nitrates, so in effect it will lower your nitrate levels.
I have a kind of an overstocked pond (if I don't build another one 3x its size I'll have to thin the herd in a year or two) with a wet/dry filter on the side for extra filtration. As the water trickles through the bio-balls, it creates foam and sometimes the foam accumulates and sits there in the bioballs. If I were to create a small opening just above the water line, I can see how the foam would seep out and push itself out where it's open.
The Clarity protein skimmer is sort of set up like this, but its media is supposed to be specifically designed to make foam this way. This is what I've gathered from looking at a drawing at the unit's internals. I think a DIY project might be able to be done but I really am not good with those things.
The Clarity protein skimmer is sort of set up like this, but its media is supposed to be specifically designed to make foam this way. This is what I've gathered from looking at a drawing at the unit's internals. I think a DIY project might be able to be done but I really am not good with those things.
