In any aquarium, one of the important things to maintain is water purity. Doing so ensures that your fish lives in a clean and sanitary environment, which then ensures their health and longevity. For saltwater aquariums, one of the necessary devices used to achieve water purity is a protein skimmer.
The idea behind the protein skimmer is simple. It cleans the water through the injection of air bubbles. The air bubbles that pass through the water absorb organic waste and come up as foam on the surface. This foam can then be collected and removed from the water supply. The result is cleaner water for your aquarium.
There are different methods with, which you can clean the water through air bubbles. But whatever the method, there are three main qualities that you should look for in a protein skimmer. These are the amount of the air bubbles, the size of the bubbles, and the length of time the bubbles come in contact with the water, or dwell time. When you speak of air bubble amount, more is better. More air bubbles mean there are more bubbles to clean the water with. As for the size, they should be small so they can filter the water thoroughly. The recommended bubble size is from 0.5 to 1 mm. For the dwell time, the longer the bubbles have contact with the water, the more the bubbles can filter and absorb organic waste.
There are three general types of protein skimmers. These are: counter current, venturi, and turbo protein skimmers.
For a counter current protein skimmer, the idea is to have the air bubbles and water clash against one another. The air bubbles are injected to the water in the opposite current the water is flowing. A counter current skimmer would need a separate air and water pump, and these would force the water and air bubbles through a tube where the foam can be collected at the top.
The venturi protein skimmer use water pressure and a venturi tube. Water is injected to a venturi tube in high pressure through a water pump. Since the venturi tube is constricted in the middle and has an air intake tube near the bottleneck, the change in pressure creates a vacuum, where air is sucked in from the intake tube that creates the air bubbles.
Turbo protein skimmers, also called needle wheel skimmers, work by combining air and water then forcing them through a blade to create air bubbles. The water and air mixture are forced through the blade, then through a reservoir by a water pump. As the water is forced up through a tube, it creates more contact between the water and air bubbles for better water purification.
Your first consideration is the placement. Some types are placed inside the tank, while others can be placed on the rim of the tank. Some also require separate air and water pumps, while some can be integrated into your current filtration system.
The other consideration is price. With protein skimmers, the more expensive, the better the quality. It depends on the amount that you can spare for a protein skimmer. Remember that having a protein skimmer is a good investment in keeping the water in your aquarium clean and your fish healthy and happy.
The idea behind the protein skimmer is simple. It cleans the water through the injection of air bubbles. The air bubbles that pass through the water absorb organic waste and come up as foam on the surface. This foam can then be collected and removed from the water supply. The result is cleaner water for your aquarium.
There are different methods with, which you can clean the water through air bubbles. But whatever the method, there are three main qualities that you should look for in a protein skimmer. These are the amount of the air bubbles, the size of the bubbles, and the length of time the bubbles come in contact with the water, or dwell time. When you speak of air bubble amount, more is better. More air bubbles mean there are more bubbles to clean the water with. As for the size, they should be small so they can filter the water thoroughly. The recommended bubble size is from 0.5 to 1 mm. For the dwell time, the longer the bubbles have contact with the water, the more the bubbles can filter and absorb organic waste.
There are three general types of protein skimmers. These are: counter current, venturi, and turbo protein skimmers.
For a counter current protein skimmer, the idea is to have the air bubbles and water clash against one another. The air bubbles are injected to the water in the opposite current the water is flowing. A counter current skimmer would need a separate air and water pump, and these would force the water and air bubbles through a tube where the foam can be collected at the top.
The venturi protein skimmer use water pressure and a venturi tube. Water is injected to a venturi tube in high pressure through a water pump. Since the venturi tube is constricted in the middle and has an air intake tube near the bottleneck, the change in pressure creates a vacuum, where air is sucked in from the intake tube that creates the air bubbles.
Turbo protein skimmers, also called needle wheel skimmers, work by combining air and water then forcing them through a blade to create air bubbles. The water and air mixture are forced through the blade, then through a reservoir by a water pump. As the water is forced up through a tube, it creates more contact between the water and air bubbles for better water purification.
Your first consideration is the placement. Some types are placed inside the tank, while others can be placed on the rim of the tank. Some also require separate air and water pumps, while some can be integrated into your current filtration system.
The other consideration is price. With protein skimmers, the more expensive, the better the quality. It depends on the amount that you can spare for a protein skimmer. Remember that having a protein skimmer is a good investment in keeping the water in your aquarium clean and your fish healthy and happy.
About the Author:
Guss Fitzgerald is a professional author and aquarist. He has gained much knowledge of aquarium protein skimmers and other aquarium products from his several years of experience owning aquarium fish. To find out more about proper aquarium maintenance consider visiting MarineDepot.com.
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