What is a Protein Skimmer?
Learning about what is a Protein Skimmer
Why should I buy one and really what is a protein skimmer? A lot of people will tell you that a tank skimmer is an essential piece of equipment when setting up a fish tank. Well, without sitting on the fence, the answer to this much aligned debate is….. yes and err no. Now I said I wasn’t going to sit on the fence so I guess I had better explain my answer in as little more detail. You see, the bottom line is that it all depends on the type of aquarium you are setting up! Still confused! Okay I’ll explain a little more.
Why a Protein Skimmer is Needed in Marine / Salt Water Tanks
If you are setting up a marine or salt water aquarium then it becomes absolutely essential that you should purchase an aquarium skimmer for your tank. The reasons for this are that salt water and marine aquariums have to be finely balanced ecologically. They have to be able to mimic and recreate their wild environment in order for fish, crustaceans and coral to thrive. Now nitrates and phosphates are very bad for the stability of marine and salt water life and a salt water aquarium skimmer removes these by means of bubbles! So how does this work!
Well, without getting all technical, bubbles are blown through a tube and the nitrate and phosphate particles will stick to the outside of the bubbles. After the bubbles burst they deposit all the organic matter on to a collection cup. This collection cup stops the debris from falling back into the water. Hey presto! Clean well balanced water. Now this begs another question…….
So, do you Need an Aquarium Skimmer for Freshwater Tanks?
Can you use a freshwater filtration system instead of salt water aquarium protein skimmers? The answer is quite simply no! Here’s why!
Freshwater aquariums do not have to be so finely tuned and have biological, mechanical and chemical filtration systems which are all designed to do one of two things. Either, turn matter into nitrate (which is really bad for your marine aquarium) or turn matter into phosphates (which again is really bad for your marine aquarium) In freshwater systems, the nitrate and phosphates accumulate and can only be gotten rid of with regulated water changes (which again is, guess what…. really bad for your marine aquarium!)
So if you are asking the question “what is a protein skimmer and why should I buy an one?” then the answer is that you don’t have to! Unless of course you are setting up a marine or salt water tank, in which case, a fish tank skimmer is imperative.
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