Protein Skimmer Discussion

[mr_x]

a refugium works better than a turf scrubber. turf scrubbers have been around for decades. some guy brought it back and claims it as his idea. it has long been replaced by the refugium. pm me, and i'll show you a link to a thread explaining it.
if you have "lots of dissolved organics" in your tank, you are headed for trouble.

 

[keith burn]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2888484
the amount of trace elements a reasonable protein skimmer will remove from your tank is very small. nothing to worry about.
protein skimmers are not a necessity, but recommended because not everyone performs the proper husbandry to insure clean water. this is just another in the line of defence against a filthy tank.
also, more people than not, overload their tanks with livestock.
i can speak for myself-
i have alot of lps. i feed them multiple times per week. i also feed my fish daily. i change 50 gallons of water per week and my protein skimmer still pulls massive amounts of crap out of the system. in my case, it's a necessity.
+1

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
http:///forum/post/2889024
Just an interesting fun fact:
At one time, on one forum, it was suggested that there was an endless supply of coral food that you could feed. It was very simple - dilute your skimmate and re-feed it. I do not suggest this, however. When skimmate is collected in the cup, the plankton, beneficial algaes and even generations of copepods and other crustaceans, including perhaps egg sacs for second generations. They're all... DEAD. No sense in feeding dead material, when it was actually alive in your system to begin with.
LOL I feed skimmate. yup I do. you would be amazed the amount of life in fresh skimmate (I will use a single days pull and dump it into the tank) I will not use any skimmate over 24hours old. I am also a nutjob that feeds 5-7 times a day, instead of the often reccomended every 2 days LOL I have been doing this for almost 3 years.
on a more serious note I DO NOT RECCOMEND THIS, neither my feeding habits nor the feeding of skimmate. you have to know your system very well and know the limits of your tank, your set up must be capable of handeling a serious influx of waste.
back on subject. I think a skimmer like many other pieces of equipment has its place. I definatly dont think any one form of filtation could ever be the "Be all end all" of filtration. I run skimmers with my tanks they are a nescessity for me. some systems a skimmer would be a waste of space on, others they would do more harm than good such as a pure non photo tank that need high planktonic levels. there is definatly no one size fits all answer to the conundrum of filtration.

 

[doggiepuffer]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2889398
a refugium works better than a turf scrubber. turf scrubbers have been around for decades. some guy brought it back and claims it as his idea. it has long been replaced by the refugium. pm me, and i'll show you a link to a thread explaining it.
if you have "lots of dissolved organics" in your tank, you are headed for trouble.
What is a turf scrubber???????

 

[snakeblitz33]

DoggiePuffer,
Since you asked, a turf algae scrubber is a piece of equipment where water is evenly passed over a screen (such as netting or patio screening) and a strong light is lit on it. This makes algaes, such as hair algae and red algaes grow on the screen. Once a week you wipe off the algae. It's like emptying a protein skimmer cup - getting rid of excess phosphates and nitrates.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Plus, they cost maybe $60 dollars to DIY where as a protein skimmer for the same amount of water volume would cost $200+

 

[reefkprz]

turf scrubbers are really old technology (this is not a bad thing) early models were HUGE (we're talking ten foot actuated trays for wave motion and stuff like that)and they really took a backseat to most upcoming tech like skimmers, and reactors, the newest DIY concepts are pretty compact and tend to work well, definatly a decent addition to a tanks filtration/nutrient removal.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Yeah, they are old tech, but the new types of models aren't that bad. I think I am most definately going to use one on my 240 gallon that I am currently setting up.
So, I guess in most FOWLR tanks and heavy fed reef tanks, you should most definately protein skim. If you have a tank with a low bioload, it's definately not a necessity.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Well, skimmers have their place. Some skimmers you can attach a drain valve to the skimmer cup to another resivore so that the resivore can fill up over a month and then you clean and empty it. Turf scrubbers need weekly maintenance. (but protein skimmers in my opinion need weekly maintenance as well.)
I'm going to use a turf algae scrubber for my 240 gallon sps dominated reef. I think that there is going to be a lot more food in the water for the corals to eat, and practically zero phosphate and nitrate.