protein skimmer ????

[rickster]

Just a silly question i wanted to throw out there .Can a protein skimmer be used on a cichlid tank set up ei my 180 gallon


I know they are usually on salt set up . thanks for any feedback .

take care  rickster

[Julie]

Hey Rickster, doesn't work on a fresh tank I believe because of the density of the water.  Dark can confirm this one.

[mseguin]

It really doesn't work well on fresh, because as Julie mentionned, the density of freshwater isn't enough to produce proper bubbles. If yuo want something to skim surface scum, yuo can get attachments for the intakes of HOB or canister filters.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp18033/si1315083/cl0/aquaclearsurfaceskimmer
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp18011/si1315082/cl0/fluvalsurfaceskimmer

[darkdep]

Yep, took me a long time to get a straight answer on this question.  As Julie and mseguin mentioned, the density of saltwater is much higher than freshwater.  Protein Skimming works on the principle that organic molecules are attracted to bubbles.  So, you throw a crap load of bubbles through a tube and it pulls all the organic molecules to the top, where you can "skim" it off into a little cup and dump it.

Unfortunately, because of freshwater's lesser density, the physics behind this principle don't work well enough for it to be worth your time.