i read of somone once using a protein skimmer as an aerater in their planted aquarium at night, because the fish and the plants together output crazy ammounts of CO2 if it's heavily stocked...

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-well i'd think that a planted aquarium alone would supply a decent amount
of oxygenation...

really? is it that bad? i thought it was something new that just came out. it is rated for 400 gallons is why i bought it. havent received it yet, it's in the mail.

ok I think you guys are talking about two different things, the surface skimmer for 10 bucks is not a proteen skimmer, all it is, is a add on to your filter that makes it take the water from the surface to get rid of surface skum, it is not a proteen skimmer.

Steve

Some people have a tidy house and others...well. Blame it on the equipment I guess and toss it out.

CLK: Works great for me. There is a travel of approx 4" for water evaporation. If you maintain your system it works well just like every other piece of equipment.

Rick.....

You are absolutely correct Stircrazy. Do not get it confused with a protein skimmer. I have yet to see a protein skimmer that works on a freshwater tank. Just doesn't work.

Rick....

actualy they will, just a little harder to make it work.

I am thinking of playing with the idea on my new fresh water tank I am going to builds.

Steve

my bad he was talking about surface skimmer lol

Actually there are a few protein skimmers designed for freshwater applications only. We have seen units available for ponds and there has been several articles in Ponds USA dealing with DIY units for ponds. We have a large Sanders freshwater protein skimmer operating on our koi quarantine system which happens to also displayed in The Reef Aquarium Volume 3. The key is maximum aeration through specialized ceramic air stones being fed by approximately 20 l/min of air. This particular skimmer stands 7 feet and removes high levels of organic waste. The foam is less frothy but rich in organics. We saw various models at the Interzoo in Germany last year but again, most are marketed towards large applications. Expect to see smaller versions in the years to come particularly with the increase in ozone use with smaller freshwater aquariums in Europe.

Big Al's BC

Cool.