What is a protien skimmers function?

Question

I am setting up a brackish water tank and saw one at Petsmart for $100.00 U.S. dollars. They look like a better filtertration system, do they do more?

Answer 1

Volumes could be written about protein skimers and filtration in fresh, brackish and salt water. But, as the previous poster stated, protein skimmers are designed to remove protein-based molecules from the water.

The process is fairly simple -- a column of water is injected with air bubbles (lots of ways to do this), and protein molecules, being polar, "stick" to the air bubble. These air bubbles then collect and rise out of the solution into a collection cup.

They really help because the proteins would otherwise breakdown in the water through the help of bacteria -- that release acids and other wastes through their actions. By removing them from the filtration process altogether, you greatly improve a normal filter's function.

They can operate in brackish water, but are designed for saltwater because of the unique properties of the salt in the water. Surface tension is increased with the salt, allowing bubbles to remain complete longer. Without as much salt, it becomes harder for the bubbles to hang around, and so the protein has a harder time finding one.

It may be as simple as oversizing the skimmer or adding a larger pump/diffuser to the skimmer to force more air into the column.

If you want to keep a brackish tank for a good deal of time and you plan to invest your time, effort and $$ into the whole thing, I'd say a protein skimmer is a worthwhile investment -- you could always add it to a salt tank in the future if brackish isn't your thing.

Make sure to have a properly sized biological filter as well -- the skimmer will likely not be enough by itself.

Hope it helps!

Answer 2

It's a supplement to regular filtration that removes "fatty" waste material very efficiently. Check with someone knowledgeable about whether it works for brackish tanks. I know it's great for salt water and doesn't work at all for fresh water; not sure about brackish. Anyway, you will still need a regular filter to go with it.