WHAT IS A PROTEIN SKIMMER (FLOTATOR)
Protein skimming is a water treatment method used in many marine aquariums. The skimmer removes dissolved and dispersed organic matter from the aquarium water and provides increased aeration.
Why combat excessive concentrations of organic matter in the water?
Organic compounds are compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen and may also contain other additional atoms. Often these compounds contain nitrogen or phosphorus. If the concentration of organic compounds in your aquarium is too high, your aquarium inhabitants can be severely affected.
How is a flotator different from conventional filtration?
A protein skimmer is a type of mechanical filtration, but still has some differences:
- The contaminants removed by the skimmer are physically removed from the water. in traditional mechanical filters, uneaten food, waste, etc. are trapped in the filter media, but are still in contact with the water. In a flotator, organic compounds go into a special container from which they can later be removed;
- The flotator is capable of removing particles of molecular size. Standard mechanical filters remove particles about the size of a millimeter. From this we can conclude that the skimmer performs filtration at a much smaller level.
How does a skimmer work?
Skimmers usually consist of a tube with a collection cup on top. Small air bubbles move up and down this tube. It is very important that the air bubbles be as shallow as possible, in which case there will be a much larger area of contact with the water. As they move, the organic compounds suspended in the water are attracted to the surface of the bubbles. At the top of the tube, the bubbles combine to form foam. This foam is then pushed into a special cup mounted on top. Thus, the foam, containing most of the organics, is not further in contact with water and is completely removed from the water. It is necessary to periodically check the salinity of the water, because the skimmer removes together with organics and salts.
What are the benefits of a protein skimmer?
The main advantage is the removal of organic compounds and debris from your aquarium water. Dissolved compounds and very fine solids that cannot be removed by standard mechanical filtration are removed with a protein skimmer.
The second, but still very important, advantage is that when the water enters the skimmer, it is oxygenated thanks to the large number of bubbles in the tube. Oxidizing the water has the obvious benefit of replicating the highly oxygenated environments that many of our salt water dwellers are used to.
Where should I use a protein skimmer?
Many aquarists prefer not to use skimmers and their aquariums are in good condition, but generally if you have a reef aquarium or invertebrate aquarium, having a flotation device is preferable.
A protein skimmer is a very effective way to remove dissolved or solids from a saltwater aquarium. There are various models on the market to choose from, but they all basically do the same thing.
