protein skimmer+fw
- Thread starter danny
- Start date
Protein skimmers will not work effectively on FW, and is a waste of electricity. Try using the search function. This isn't the first time someone has thought of this.
Protein skimming in freshwater can be augmented with by the use of ozone instead of air. This will get the proteins to clump and thus be extracted as foam more effectively though not as much as with sea water.
If you are looking for an export path for organic material you can get a filter with a washable prefilter (some backwash at the turn of a switch) or use another fractional separator such as a cyclonic filter like the the koi guys use.
If you are looking for an export path for organic material you can get a filter with a washable prefilter (some backwash at the turn of a switch) or use another fractional separator such as a cyclonic filter like the the koi guys use.
I use protein skimmers on both banks of tanks in fresh water. They work well when there's something tio remove. If something dies that I don't notice, if I get lax on water changes or feed too much protein. I made mine from an article by Stephan Meyer in his pond column in AF Mag.Here it is working
Heres a bag of the waste effluent
another shot of the contraption
I did a test in the lab, to show tank water compared to waste
The test entailed filter out the solids and drying in an oven
the filters were tared and weighed, the waste solids were 7Xs heavier than straight tank water
Heres a bag of the waste effluent
another shot of the contraption
I did a test in the lab, to show tank water compared to waste
The test entailed filter out the solids and drying in an oven
the filters were tared and weighed, the waste solids were 7Xs heavier than straight tank water
I took 1 liter to the lab, from about 1 gal or 3 weeks of waste buildup and filtered 50mls thru a 0.45 micron Whatman filter pad.
The waste from the fractionator drips from the skimmer into a carboy, that has a spout that drains to the basement floor drain. The turbidity in the tank averages about 0.70 NTUs, the waste varies from 100-300 NTUs depending on my maintanence schedule. The amount of waste produced also varies, sometimes it doesn't foam at all, sometimes as in the 1st pic, it flows.
The waste from the fractionator drips from the skimmer into a carboy, that has a spout that drains to the basement floor drain. The turbidity in the tank averages about 0.70 NTUs, the waste varies from 100-300 NTUs depending on my maintanence schedule. The amount of waste produced also varies, sometimes it doesn't foam at all, sometimes as in the 1st pic, it flows.
I don’t doubt the device is concentrating the dissolved solids, or at least flocculating.
But I question the effectiveness of a method of filtration which can remove a few dozen grams of material over a period of weeks.
I’d suggest that this is not very effective as defined by the fact that vacuuming or a filter backwash system would outperform it as a solids export method by an order of magnitude.
But I question the effectiveness of a method of filtration which can remove a few dozen grams of material over a period of weeks.
I’d suggest that this is not very effective as defined by the fact that vacuuming or a filter backwash system would outperform it as a solids export method by an order of magnitude.
I agree about vacuming and solids, what is being fractionated off though, is not the stuff you can see, or vacum. Its actually the dissolved organic compounds and proteins you don't see, until it gets consentrated. The bag is about 8 hours to a days worth, the 2 weeks of waste probably was a total of 4 or 5 gallons. Fresh water fractionation seems to run wetter than with salt water. I usually replace a couple gallons of skimmer waste with fresh water every 24 hours, because I like to run it wetter than normal as a sort of semi-auto water changer.
People should use them both and see which works best for them. I have tried O3 but found the high pitched drone the generator made irritating and ozone is supposed to harden and deteriorate silicon rubber rapidly. Also expensive on the scale I would need for my volumes of water. Ozone is also a good steriliser too but I find UV filters more effective.
I have used DIY and a Berlin 600 saltwater skimmer with powerhead on freshwater and found both useful although not as effective as on salt. Still very useful if you have an excessive protein problem.
The more options and alternatives there are, the better off we all are. It isnt a case of which is best IMO.
I have used DIY and a Berlin 600 saltwater skimmer with powerhead on freshwater and found both useful although not as effective as on salt. Still very useful if you have an excessive protein problem.
The more options and alternatives there are, the better off we all are. It isnt a case of which is best IMO.