Protein skimming has rapidly become one of the hottest topics in the marine aquarium industry. And for good reason, since this method of "filtration" is one of the easiest, sure-fire ways to promote the health of a saltwater system. Although most would agree that a protein skimmer, or foam fractioner, is a must-have on any marine tank, there nevertheless remains a healthy debate over the subtle intricacies of just how to accomplish the process of skimming. This debate has led to a small amount of confusion among some beginning aquarists, and even experienced veterans in a few cases.
We at AquaC pride ourselves as the manufacturer of quality products designed to make the job of an aquarist as easy as possible. Please take a few minutes to read the following passages - you're certain to walk away with the knowledge you'll need to purchase the ideal skimmer to fit your needs. Hopefully, you will agree that an AquaC skimmer can help you capture the beauty of a coral reef.
Protein skimming is nothing new - advanced aquarists and professionals have been using the technique for decades. Other fields unrelated to the aquarium industry have also used forms of foam fractionation to separate compounds from liquids. Only in the last few years, however, has the widescale market for skimmers exploded. New models and methods seem to pop up with the frequency of political scandals these days. This has led to a great deal of controversy as to who makes the best skimmer. This is not an easy question to answer. An aquarist looking for a small unit designed to skim a 15 gallon tank would not agree that a six foot tall venturi model would be the best choice. On the other hand, a hobbyist with a 100 gallon reef would hotly argue that this very skimmer is the best choice! Who is right??
They both are There is no such thing as the "best" skimmer!
In many ways, protein skimmers are a lot like automobiles. Some people lust after a two door sportscar, while others might desire a four-wheel drive truck. Although neither automobile is quantitatively better than the other, each fills the needs of a different type of driver best. Although you might not realize it, the skimmers on the market today vary as much as a Toyota Truck and Porsche Boxter do. And, if we carry this car analogy just a bit farther, there are the Mercedes Benzes of the skimmer world, just as there are the Ford Pintos (our apologies to the Ford Motor Company).
The first thing to do, then, is to examine the criteria which are important to you. In most cases, the two most important factors that will be considered are cost and size. Money doesn't grow on trees, and most people don't want a skimmer which resembles a Giant Redwood poking out of their living room floor.
The cost issue is a no-brainer - all else being equal, purchase the most inexpensive skimmer (unless you're Bill Gates, that is). Another factor to consider are the ongoing costs. Protein skimmers require pumps, which suck up electricity. Some of the high performance models sold today use hefty, energy-sucking water pumps, so be sure to calculate this cost before your purchase. Another ongoing cost might be maintenance related. Some types of skimmers will require regular, scheduled cleaning and/or replacement of air stones. There is more on this below Choosing the right size skimmer is a bit more complicated, as several factors need to be considered. First of all, do you have a sump or will the unit hang off the back of the tank? What size skimmer footprint (including pump) will your sump accommodate? How tall of a skimmer will fit under your cabinet? Can the skimmer be placed outside of the sump, and if so, is any special plumbing required? Before purchasing a skimmer, carefully consider these questions and make the necessary measurements/calculations to help you choose the best model. Although size doesn't always correlate with performance, a general rule of thumb says that a larger skimmer will usually outperform a smaller one (Don't worry guys, we're talking skimmers here!).
Another note about your budget A lot of new aquarists will invest $500 on "entry-level" equipment and then immediately spend $300 on livestock, all within the first month or two. This has got to be the biggest mistake that nearly all inexperienced hobbyists make, and it usually ends up costing truckloads of money in the long run. After working for several years in a tropical fish store, I can't tell you how many people ended up pawning off their original, shoddy equipment and investing in quality products. That $100 queen angel you have your eye on might look great, but if you skimp on your filtration set-up you are effectively playing Pomacanthus Roulette.
So let's say you set your budget at $250 for a skimmer which must be no taller than twenty inches, the size of your aquarium stand. Remember, most units require occasional servicing - don't buy a skimmer that will fill the sump like a fitted glove. Now we can talk about the real nitty grittythe most complex factor you will be forced to consider when purchasing a skimmer - THE METHOD. This, unfortunately, is where it gets tricky!
First of all, no matter where you go, who you talk to, or what you read, you're going to hear different and possibly contradictory reasons why Brand X is better than Brand Y, or why Method A is better than Method B. The fact is, there simply is no such thing as a "best" skimmer. If your budget is $100, ninety percent of the skimmers on the market aren't even an option! Since nearly every skimmer is best given a different set of circumstances, there is really no reason to enter a silly debate over brand names. But we can talk about the meat and potatoes - what should you look for in a protein skimmer.
The skeptical reader will have read the last statement and wondered how a protein skimmer manufacturer can possibly avoid entering a silly debate regarding brand names. Well, we are starting to wonder that ourselves! Seriously though, the answer is very simple. Although the purpose of this document is to demonstrate why AquaC skimmers are among the best in their class, we hope to accomplish this fact by educating our customers about the process of protein skimming rather than by simply stating "we are the best" High performance protein skimmers are not inexpensive pieces of equipment, and we want all of our customers to invest in our products for the right reasons - which will ultimately guarantee everyone's satisfaction. Now let's dig deeper into the exciting world of protein skimming
Protein skimmers benefit water quality by facilitating two major processes - gas exchange and export of organic wastes.
These are both critical to the maintenance of optimum water conditions. The sad truth is that no captive system can ever truly duplicate the conditions found on a natural coral reef. Effective protein skimming can, however, bring us very close to this desired goal. The beneficial gas exchange that goes on inside of a protein skimmer is largely dissolution of atmospheric oxygen into the aquarium water. Other gases like nitrogen and hydrogen also play roles here, but we aren't as interested in them. Some evidence even suggests that ammonia might be "blown-off" into the atmosphere during protein skimming. It is important to keep dissolved oxygen levels as high as possible, since most organisms (fish, corals, inverts, etc.) we keep are used to these conditions found in the wild. Waste removal is accomplished through chemical interactions between charged particles of air and water, which allows proteins, trace elements, and other compounds to become attached to air droplets. These protein-laden air droplets then coalesce into a thick foam which is skimmed off into a collection cup. Those who are interested in the technical aspects of protein skimming should read Richard Harker's recent article in Marine Fish and Reef USA, which is an extremely informative document regarding the complex chemistry of the process. Delbeek and Sprung's The Reef Aquarium is another source of information regarding the topic.
Although it is certainly important to understand how and why protein skimming works, the actual physics and chemistry of the process involve some pretty scary equations. Many of the factors involving effective protein skimming are far from being understood, even to this day. Luckily, however, the basics are relatively easy to understand
We at AquaC pride ourselves as the manufacturer of quality products designed to make the job of an aquarist as easy as possible. Please take a few minutes to read the following passages - you're certain to walk away with the knowledge you'll need to purchase the ideal skimmer to fit your needs. Hopefully, you will agree that an AquaC skimmer can help you capture the beauty of a coral reef.
Protein skimming is nothing new - advanced aquarists and professionals have been using the technique for decades. Other fields unrelated to the aquarium industry have also used forms of foam fractionation to separate compounds from liquids. Only in the last few years, however, has the widescale market for skimmers exploded. New models and methods seem to pop up with the frequency of political scandals these days. This has led to a great deal of controversy as to who makes the best skimmer. This is not an easy question to answer. An aquarist looking for a small unit designed to skim a 15 gallon tank would not agree that a six foot tall venturi model would be the best choice. On the other hand, a hobbyist with a 100 gallon reef would hotly argue that this very skimmer is the best choice! Who is right??
They both are There is no such thing as the "best" skimmer!
In many ways, protein skimmers are a lot like automobiles. Some people lust after a two door sportscar, while others might desire a four-wheel drive truck. Although neither automobile is quantitatively better than the other, each fills the needs of a different type of driver best. Although you might not realize it, the skimmers on the market today vary as much as a Toyota Truck and Porsche Boxter do. And, if we carry this car analogy just a bit farther, there are the Mercedes Benzes of the skimmer world, just as there are the Ford Pintos (our apologies to the Ford Motor Company).
The first thing to do, then, is to examine the criteria which are important to you. In most cases, the two most important factors that will be considered are cost and size. Money doesn't grow on trees, and most people don't want a skimmer which resembles a Giant Redwood poking out of their living room floor.
The cost issue is a no-brainer - all else being equal, purchase the most inexpensive skimmer (unless you're Bill Gates, that is). Another factor to consider are the ongoing costs. Protein skimmers require pumps, which suck up electricity. Some of the high performance models sold today use hefty, energy-sucking water pumps, so be sure to calculate this cost before your purchase. Another ongoing cost might be maintenance related. Some types of skimmers will require regular, scheduled cleaning and/or replacement of air stones. There is more on this below Choosing the right size skimmer is a bit more complicated, as several factors need to be considered. First of all, do you have a sump or will the unit hang off the back of the tank? What size skimmer footprint (including pump) will your sump accommodate? How tall of a skimmer will fit under your cabinet? Can the skimmer be placed outside of the sump, and if so, is any special plumbing required? Before purchasing a skimmer, carefully consider these questions and make the necessary measurements/calculations to help you choose the best model. Although size doesn't always correlate with performance, a general rule of thumb says that a larger skimmer will usually outperform a smaller one (Don't worry guys, we're talking skimmers here!).
Another note about your budget A lot of new aquarists will invest $500 on "entry-level" equipment and then immediately spend $300 on livestock, all within the first month or two. This has got to be the biggest mistake that nearly all inexperienced hobbyists make, and it usually ends up costing truckloads of money in the long run. After working for several years in a tropical fish store, I can't tell you how many people ended up pawning off their original, shoddy equipment and investing in quality products. That $100 queen angel you have your eye on might look great, but if you skimp on your filtration set-up you are effectively playing Pomacanthus Roulette.
So let's say you set your budget at $250 for a skimmer which must be no taller than twenty inches, the size of your aquarium stand. Remember, most units require occasional servicing - don't buy a skimmer that will fill the sump like a fitted glove. Now we can talk about the real nitty grittythe most complex factor you will be forced to consider when purchasing a skimmer - THE METHOD. This, unfortunately, is where it gets tricky!
First of all, no matter where you go, who you talk to, or what you read, you're going to hear different and possibly contradictory reasons why Brand X is better than Brand Y, or why Method A is better than Method B. The fact is, there simply is no such thing as a "best" skimmer. If your budget is $100, ninety percent of the skimmers on the market aren't even an option! Since nearly every skimmer is best given a different set of circumstances, there is really no reason to enter a silly debate over brand names. But we can talk about the meat and potatoes - what should you look for in a protein skimmer.
The skeptical reader will have read the last statement and wondered how a protein skimmer manufacturer can possibly avoid entering a silly debate regarding brand names. Well, we are starting to wonder that ourselves! Seriously though, the answer is very simple. Although the purpose of this document is to demonstrate why AquaC skimmers are among the best in their class, we hope to accomplish this fact by educating our customers about the process of protein skimming rather than by simply stating "we are the best" High performance protein skimmers are not inexpensive pieces of equipment, and we want all of our customers to invest in our products for the right reasons - which will ultimately guarantee everyone's satisfaction. Now let's dig deeper into the exciting world of protein skimming
Protein skimmers benefit water quality by facilitating two major processes - gas exchange and export of organic wastes.
These are both critical to the maintenance of optimum water conditions. The sad truth is that no captive system can ever truly duplicate the conditions found on a natural coral reef. Effective protein skimming can, however, bring us very close to this desired goal. The beneficial gas exchange that goes on inside of a protein skimmer is largely dissolution of atmospheric oxygen into the aquarium water. Other gases like nitrogen and hydrogen also play roles here, but we aren't as interested in them. Some evidence even suggests that ammonia might be "blown-off" into the atmosphere during protein skimming. It is important to keep dissolved oxygen levels as high as possible, since most organisms (fish, corals, inverts, etc.) we keep are used to these conditions found in the wild. Waste removal is accomplished through chemical interactions between charged particles of air and water, which allows proteins, trace elements, and other compounds to become attached to air droplets. These protein-laden air droplets then coalesce into a thick foam which is skimmed off into a collection cup. Those who are interested in the technical aspects of protein skimming should read Richard Harker's recent article in Marine Fish and Reef USA, which is an extremely informative document regarding the complex chemistry of the process. Delbeek and Sprung's The Reef Aquarium is another source of information regarding the topic.
Although it is certainly important to understand how and why protein skimming works, the actual physics and chemistry of the process involve some pretty scary equations. Many of the factors involving effective protein skimming are far from being understood, even to this day. Luckily, however, the basics are relatively easy to understand