protein skimming frshwater???

Skimmerking · #1 01-19-2010, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chase31

just ran a skimmer in freshwater and vinigar and it wouldnt skim, wont work without salt unless you look up a pond skimmer it works a little diff

Totally disagree here young fella, all the time when I clean my skimmer's i use fresh water and vineger to clean, it will make super tiny bubbles and clean your skimmer unbelieveably clean. addd some more vineger and watch the skimmer go crazy.

the marine apprentice · #2 01-19-2010, 06:56 PM

i was waiting for mike to read this and reply. so what is your opinion on this mike?

Aquattro · #3 01-19-2010, 07:35 PM

FW can be skimmed, but for the equipment needed, you're better off doing water changes.

Can't go into it now, gotta go to work, but google this

foam fractionation in fresh water

Skimmerking · #4 01-19-2010, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the marine apprentice

i was waiting for mike to read this and reply. so what is your opinion on this mike?

I aprreaciate you saying that you are waiting on me to reply.

Actually Im just a guy you have owned alot of skimmers. But you u think about it when you have a high Alkaline water the water becomes sticky lets say and with the nutrients in the water its going to stick to the Molecules in the water and with the air that is lighter then the water, casuing the nutrients to float to the top. Fresh was wont have the same effct on the skimmer. With Fresh water the nutrients are usually on the top so surfaces skimming is the answer.

does that make sense.

Aquattro · #5 01-19-2010, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmodeus

does that make sense.

none

the marine apprentice · #6 01-19-2010, 08:04 PM

yes mike it does make sense, alot of what everyone is saying makes sense. but when you have it running through an overflow you get all that surface crap out right?

Aquattro · #7 01-19-2010, 08:12 PM

No, it doesn't make sense. The dissolved organics are not solely at the surface of the water, they're in solution just as with saltwater. Alkaline water is not sticky, the molecular charge of the water and nutrients at the air/water interface (hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties) determines what "sticks" and what doesn't. Fortunately for us in SW, the contents of the SW act as a better surfactant than is (generally) available in FW. Essentially SW is "thicker", if that makes any sense.

Skimmerking · #8 01-19-2010, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquattro

No, it doesn't make sense. The dissolved organics are not solely at the surface of the water, they're in solution just as with saltwater. Alkaline water is not sticky, the molecular charge of the water and nutrients at the air/water interface (hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties) determines what "sticks" and what doesn't. Fortunately for us in SW, the contents of the SW act as a better surfactant than is (generally) available in FW. Essentially SW is "thicker", if that makes any sense.

Where there you go the science right answer and that is why Brad is a Mod and I'm not.

RuGlu6 · #9 02-02-2010, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmodeus

Totally disagree here young fella, all the time when I clean my skimmer's i use fresh water and vineger to clean, it will make super tiny bubbles and clean your skimmer unbelieveably clean. addd some more vineger and watch the skimmer go crazy.

x2!

StirCrazy · #10 02-02-2010, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmodeus

Totally disagree here young fella, all the time when I clean my skimmer's i use fresh water and vineger to clean, it will make super tiny bubbles and clean your skimmer unbelieveably clean. addd some more vineger and watch the skimmer go crazy.

I disagree with you there young fellow.. the bubbles you get with vinager are totaly different than salt water.. the bubbles from vinager are short lived and low surface tension, and what they are doing is imploding along the sides of your skimmer because they cannot maintain the bubble. this implosion is the same as cavatation and causes little tiny pits in the size of the skimmer scale, hence cleaning it. but this cleaning action is two fold.. first you have the implosions knocking the scale off the sides, then you have the acidic power of the mixture desolving it. it goes crazy when ou add more vinager as it start fizzing (just like when you have a viniger water mix they you cleaned a lot of pumps with so it is saturated with Ca and you add more viniger to that.. fizzes right up.

Steve