When beginning your salt water aquarium, you no doubt tried to cut all of the corners possible and save the greatest about of money you could. That’s why, when many people are told that they need a protein skimmer they are reluctant to make the purchase. But, you’ll soon learn why having a functioning protein skimmer is necessary to keep any salt water aquarium in good working order.
The main goal of a protein skimmer is to remove waste from your salt water aquarium. But, hold on, waste is a very broad word, so let’s clarify a little bit. Protein simmers remove organic compounds before they have the chance to break down into nitrogenous waste. These compounds could be anything from proteins, to fats, fatty acids, carbohydrates, trace elements, and other particulates that could be harmful to the health of the organisms living in the tank. By getting rid of this “waste” your aquarium’s water redox potential is improved.
So how do these magical protein skimmers work? Well, I could get really technical on you, but I don’t think you’d appreciate that and I really don’t feel like using that much brain power. Thus, I’ll give you the broken down version of how the skimmers operate. Pretty much a thing called surface tension makes this phenomenon work. The tension created between the water and the skimmer in essence “charges” the molecules in the tank. These charged molecules are then attracted to the bubbles produced by the skimmer. The molecules attach to the bubbles and are then herded to the collection cup where the bubbles burst and the waste is deposited. There! Pretty easy, huh?
Without profiling every protein skimmer on the market, I’ll go ahead and tell you that there are two main types of skimmers. First is a co-current skimmer. This kind of skimmer “goes with the flow” and sends water flowing up from the bottom of the tank. On the way to the top, bubbles attract the waste molecules, and you know the rest of the story. Counter-current skimmers work a little differently. These skimmers spend a bit of time moving against the flow of the water at the bottom of the tank before moving upward. This stirs up the molecules a bit, getting more waste attached to bubbles and out of your aquarium.
There you have it! A simple to understand explanation about how protein skimmers work! If you have something to add, or you wish to get a bit more technical, simply post a comment and let us all bask in your intelligence!