Fluval Surface Skimmer

[ZenKitty]

Has anyone ever used a surface skimmer in place of a protein skimmer? I have a 16gallon FOWLR, and was thinking of adding a Fluval surface skimmer on to my 104.....any suggestions?

[Charles Poole]

They are not the same thing. A surface skimmer just takes the water being filtered from the waters surface. Works the same as any other particulate material removing filter.

A protein skimmer is a filter that injects massive amounts of tiny air bubbles into a water column to create a foam that is rich in proteins and other Dissolved Organic Compounds. This also has a side benefit of increasing the dissolved oxygen content of the water, which is a good thing since sea water is lower in dissolved oxygen than fresh water... :)

[ZenKitty]

But will the surface skimmer have any benefit to my tank at all?

[Macbeth417]

Surface skimmers (Fluvals, Hagen ACs pipes ect) are often employed by aquarist who do not have a means to draw the organics off the top of thier tank.

Think about it as a means for more gass exchange and removal of "surface scum" in lue of having an overflow.

Surface scum: The oily slick of organics, coral mucus ect, that can gather on the top of your tank in much the same manner as DOCs are bound to the surface of the bubbles in a protein skimmer.

I know many people choose to use these in conjuctiojn with a HOB or canister powerfilter running carbon and or particulate media. Most often this is because they have a HOT/HOB skimmer that does not draw from the surface of the tank (CPR BACKPACK ect.) I actualy use these on some of my freshwater tanks and find them to be of benifit.

HOWEVER, by no means should this be considered a replacement for a protein skimmer. Unless you are constantly flushing the media that this water is being forced through then you are not exporting the matter so much as removing it from the water colomn. You still have to rely on the break down of the mull and what-have-you by bacteria (you know the drill here) and these DOCs will still be involved in the nitrification process that constaly occurs within your tank.

In reef aquaria we use skimmers to crucumvent this process as much as possible by removing the DOC entirely from the system.

Hope that rambling made some sense. If you would like me to go more in depth on any of that just let me know and I'll be glad to chatter at you some more.

Best,

-Erik :D

[ZenKitty]

Macbeth417, Thanks, Erik- that was really helpful. I just setup a 16gallon FOWLR last Saturday 3/13. I was unsure about using the surface skimmer- but I thought that at a fraction of the cost of a protein skimmer I thought I might give it a try. I have been told that I MUST have a protein skimmer in my tank- what do you think? And at this point do I need it now? Also- what are your thoughts on lighting?

[Macbeth417]

Lighting and skimming and new-tanks, Oh MY....

OOOOOh, We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of setups...

Okay you get the jist. I'm at work now, but I'll start writing you up the novel that this explaination may take when I get home. In the mine while may I suggest you read our articles section and try to knock out some answer on your own.

-Erik

[ZenKitty]

That would be great- Thank you! :)

[Charles Poole]

Lighting and skimming and new-tanks, Oh MY....

I second that... :lol:

[ZenKitty]

Help me! :cry: Everything I find online is conflicting- and my LPS doesnt seem to know what he's talking about! My fish are doing great though... :)

[Macbeth417]

Looks like you have more problems than I thought if you have an LPS talking to you... hehe

FYI

LPS (Large Polyped Scleractinian/Stoney)
LFS(Local Fish Store) or Lucifer's Fish Salesmen

Sorry I didn't get to your question tonight, I was picking up some new frags (two red M. Digita, a S. Hystrix and a A. spp.):

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_members/showphoto.php?photo=525

Before I invest my time in you young patawan learner you must tell me everything about your system and your goals with it. :lol:

best,

-Erik

[ZenKitty]

:oops: Oh Goodness- maybe a little too much stress, and too much info. at once, I was thinking Local Pet Store! I have been reading everything I can get my hands on....My goal for my tank is pretty simple- I am doing FOWLR, and in the future I would like to add a few mushrooms and feather dusters. I just want to make sure I am doing everything right. At this point I have-
Fluval 104
Ebo Jagger 75watt
Rio50 Powerhead
20lbs. live sand
10lbs. live rock
Strawberry Pseudochromis
Domino Damsel
Yellow Tail Damsel
and the 12watt fluorescent blub that came with the hood.
I was thinking about getting a Coralife 28watt 50/50 to replace the existing bulb, and from what I have read that seems to be sufficient for what I want to do, but the LFS is telling me to get the 96watt bulb at twice the price...The other question is the skimmer- from what I understand I MUST have one- I am just not sure on which is the best to get for my tank. It's only a 16 gallon bowfront, and it already has alot of equipment in it- I would like to keep the bulk down as much as possible.

Thats pretty much it, the tank is finally starting to cycle- the ammonia went way up last night, and I am starting to see the first sign of nitrites. The fish dont seem stressed at all by this- I read that they (especially the pseudochromis) like meaty food- so I have been feeding them mysis shrimp. Is this OK to do in the cycling process? I was told that I should be feeding them pellet food, as to not add to the ammonia- but they wont eat it now that they have had a taste of the shrimp!

Any advice/help is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you in advance! :)

[Charles Poole]

It is not a MUST have thing with a skimmer. But it is a really, really good iead for newbies. Even those who are advanced often keep the skimmers.

Check out our articles section for info on Protein skimmers... :)

Heres a link to my article called What do Protein SKimmers do? (http://www.coralforum.com/reference19.html)

That should give you a good idea why they are so popular and widely used...

[ZenKitty]

I did read that article yesterday actually-very nicely written :) ...After reading it I decided that I am defintely going to get a protein skimmer. Still have questions about which would be the best for my tank though....

[ubasst]

ok i have a eheim 2213 with a surface extractor which eheim says it work like a skimmer so i didnt think i would need one but if i do need one what kind can u recommend for a 20 gallon tank

[Paidbychrist0825]

get the best one you can reasonably afford. this way, if you upgrade, ther is a good chance you will already have enough skimming power