Protein Skimmers

[O]

Protein Skimmers - has anyone used them in a discus tank? It makes a lot of difference in a marine/salt water tank set up. It seems like a good idea to me. What do you guys think? Pros? Cons?

Thanks.
O.

[Ardan]

Hi,
I have not used one, but I think you need the high salt content to get the protein to foam and be removed.

hth

[O]

hmmm...yeah, that makes sense. I should have thought of that.

O.

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
O, I believe that it has something to do with the water body's density and since salt water is more dense than fresh, especially our discus water, it does not produce a foam such as in a salt setup. I think another name for one is called a foam fractioner or similar. Any reef keepers on here to help out more? Hmmmm, this is a good question for my chemist bud.

Steve

[BlueTurquoise]

Hidi ho!

Yes, apparently the way skimmers work is to foam up the tank water in which tiny solid protien particles will be "scooped" up into the foam and collected. This foaming process does not happen with fresh water because the density fresh water is not high enough.

You can pretty much do the same thing with high volume mechanical filtration...

I think that's right if my memory serves me correctly, don't quote me on it though! ;D

Chong

[nalah]

Chong,
what about an egg beater. would that work.http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/f/spinface.gifLOL

[Bruce]

If you have sufficient aeration through airstones to break up surface tension across most of the tank surface, you should never have floating oils and visible proteins at the surface. As long as the floating oils are continually mixed with the rest of the water, they will be removed with daily water changes. I noticed that with even a vortex of powerfilters and powerheads, surface oils still appear; but with even a moderate amount of air-bubble aeration, the proteins are convoluted and removed w/ water replenishments.

I place an airstone at each corner of the tank to keep the surface rigorously mixed, but without creating strong currents in the tank, which Discus don't seem to like. The whole tank sort of becomes of a protein skimmer, but instead of foaming up the protein for separatation, its the opposite, mixing the protein for water change removal.

[yippy]

Well after all this time i have finally learnt what a protein skimmer is! Ive been to embarassed to ask anyone!
Yippy ???

[O]

Never be embarrassed to ask anything. We are all here to learn.

O. ;D ;D

[yippy]

Thanks O, I wont be emabarrassed anymore!!! Its just that sometimes people think if you have discus youre an expert for being able to keep them, Ive only ever lost one and it wasnt through sickness - my boyrfriend turned the light on too early one morning and he banged against the glass in fright and just dropped - the others were all ok - they thought it was breakfast time so he mustve been a nervous type. The breeder i got my discus off was alot of help to me - she used to test my water for me all the time when i was beginne r( I didnt even know about PH or anything!!) with just angels and other hardy fish and didnt have any discus - she said "Kerry, your water is always so good - try discus, but you will have to get rid of your angels" (she swapped my angels for 3 discus) I was a bit nervous at first but i had a very good teacher. I love doing water changes believe it or not, it relaxes me - i have 2 x 55 gallons ( i with 6 discus - 2 are only juveniles, one male betta, 4 bolivian rams, bristlenoses, clown loaches, black neons and danios) , the other 55 gall with a red devil, one outdooor goldfish tank 40 gallons, 1 30 gallon with 2 juvenile discus, a male betta, corys and bristlenoses , and 4 smaller tanks with heaters and air pumps with male bettas. I do them all twice a week! i wish i could do more! I love looking after them. But when it comes to all that techincal stuff im pretty dumb! :P Yippy