dodgers948

I am just looking into saltwater today and saw everywhere that I need a protein skimmer. What does it do? Thanks for all the help!

aquarist48

It removes build up from on top of the water...also adds oxygen into the water.

travie

It pulls out organic gunk (not technical term) from the water. In my opinion it is essential for all tanks that have coral in them. It pretty much cleans the water. Not in the same way a filter works in a FW system. Hope that helps a little.

That isn't true; it doesn't remove build up on top of the water. You are thinking of a surface skimmer. But you are correct in that it oxygenates the water.

aquarist48

Thank you...I stand corrected

au01st

As organic waste breaks down (fish poo, uneaten food, etc) it is converted through a cycle into nitrates. Many corals will not do well with high nitrates. The skimmer uses a process in much the same way the foam in an ocean wave works. When the air is injected it bonds with the protein and then floats to the top and overflows into the skimmer collection cup to be removed. It keeps all that nasty stuff from even having a chance to break down as it's removed before it becomes nitrates.

Common terms are skimming "wet" or "dry" and basically refers to the amount of skimmate being produced. Wet skimming will usually produce an olive green gunk more quickly than Dry skimming which can produce dark brown to black sticky gunk. With wet skimming you'll have to empty the cup more and closely monitor the salinity of the tank as it does remove some salt water as well, where with dry skimming you'll have to empty the cup less, but it will be nastier and more concentrated.

I prefer to skim wet and just keep the salinity/s.g. in check with a strict water change schedule.