Protein skimmer bubbles?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1305
Printed Date: July 02 2026 at 4:04pm
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Topic: Protein skimmer bubbles?
Posted By: Thaiphoon
Subject: Protein skimmer bubbles?
Date Posted: November 20 2003 at 6:43pm
Hi everyone who reads this  . I just registered on this site and am pretty new to taking care of salt water tanks. My question is in regars to my hang off the back protein skimmer. I've read others thoughts that a 30 gallon tank such as mine would probably not require a skimmer, but it's pulled some dark green gunk out before. I think that the problem lies with the skimmer not getting enough bubbles because I understand that's how that gunk gets collected. I just cleaned it all out and still can't figure it out  . Please help with suggestions unless you think I should take the bad boy down.
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Replies:
Posted By: GonZo
Date Posted: November 20 2003 at 9:13pm
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If you're like me you want answers 30 minutes after you post, so here's my attempt. (You'll hear from the experts later, I'm sure) Skimmers only work if theres stuff to take out. I'v got a 55 G with a skimmer and I love it, but it dosen't froth all the time. (I know I'm gonna get in trouble here, but here it goes) After my heavy feedings it skims great, but the froth dies down as the particulates are removed. If I cleaned it right then, it would remove more particulates, but I only get around to cleaning it once or twice a week. If you are not sure you need a skimmer then take it off-line for a while, test your water quality and see how your inhabitants fare. More tiny bubbles should increase gunk production, but there has been quite a lot of argument if this much skimming is necessairy or healthy for reef tanks. There are some basics to this hobby, but a a lot of it is personal experimentation and what works for you (and in some cases your budget) Good luck and let us know what you decide to try. ------------- Cortney (West Jordan) The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel. - Claude Bernard |
Posted By: crazy-sps
Date Posted: November 28 2003 at 9:40pm
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IMO, even if your skimmer doesn't pull anything out, leave it on. Its not going to hurt anything by oxygenating your water. |
Posted By: Suzy
Date Posted: November 29 2003 at 6:27am
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I turn ours off when there's is no algae issues! I like to add live
food, and I think the skimmer removes good stuff,too. Maybe the green color is phytoplanton? I really would prefer to run it 24/7 'cause I think it's adding a ton of O2 when it's on........ ( I think you can never have too much O2, even better to have zero co2! ) |
Posted By: crazy-sps
Date Posted: November 29 2003 at 8:59am
| Suzy, you are right, a skimmer is going to pull out any proteinaceous waste, but I do not know about the live though. I do not think I have ever seem a pod swimming around in my skimmer cup. Maybe it dies and deteriorates too quick. I turn the main pump off with the feed button on my Neptune for fifteen minutes when I feed so nothing new gets to the sump. If there is zero CO2, then wouldn't anything that has to photosynthesize die? At night time, plant matter takes in O2 and releases CO2, so there would be no way that you could ever have zero CO2. Right??? |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 29 2003 at 9:19am
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Zero CO2- I don't think so...There must be a balance or life would not be possible! ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Suzy
Date Posted: November 29 2003 at 5:05pm
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Rob says sometimes I exaggerate.......I say Rob doesn't know
everything! I know there couldn't be zero co2, but it goes hand in hand with o2, right? So, if most of our stuff is o2 consumers and co2 releasers, wouldn't more o2, less co2 be best? Even the stinkin' bacteria in the sand bed uses o2 and needs to get rid of co2 (except the anaerobic stuff).......I think..... I'll ask Rob. He knows everything! Esp GAS! (not just because he has it , either!!)_ |
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: November 29 2003 at 5:11pm
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IMO, you want the gases dissolved in the water to be in equalibrium with the gases in the atmophere. The more you can do to increase the water/air surface area the better (closer to equalibrium). So I agree, a skimmer (and Rob) is great at passing gas. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: crazy-sps
Date Posted: November 29 2003 at 7:23pm
| People can die from too much O2, right? I'm not in the medical field... I would assume the same from our tanks. |
Posted By: Suzy
Date Posted: November 30 2003 at 6:08am
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I don't think you can die from too much O2. I work in lots of critical
care units where the patient comes up from the ER on 100% 02 and has sky high blood levels of 02. But high levels of Co2 kill people every day.......That's why we put them on ventilators! We can actually help the person to "blow off" the poisonous co2 level. Whenever I put an extra power head in the bottom of a tank and "blow" the water from the bottom of the tank to the top, I think I'm putting the tank on a ventilator! Then I gotta figure out why the patient is not able to do this for himself......Maybe he needs more lungs (water motion) or better kidney function (bicarb/buffer/alkalinity) or maybe he has too much body mass (biodiversity, inc the unseen bacteria) and needs a gastric bypass! Rob works in ICU, too. He gets paid to pass gas!!! |
Posted By: GonZo
Date Posted: November 30 2003 at 1:18pm
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There is also the consideration that we are not injecting pure O2 into our tanks. If there is as much O2 in the atmosphere as there is in the tank, then no additional O2 will be added to the tank. We increase water to air contact to remove CO2 from breathing and add O2 used for breathing. ------------- Cortney (West Jordan) The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel. - Claude Bernard |