Are Surface Skimmers Any Useful?

[EliteFishy]

Is this surface skimmer any useful? http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

 

[Fish_Mike]

Yes! I just bought one a week ago, and if you see any flim on your surface, it will be gone!

I love it, my surface is very clear. Although, it wasn't that easy to get working, but it makes up for itself in the end

 

[EliteFishy]

Do they make a lot of noise?

 

[clunkster]

dont know about the skimmer but if its just for getting film of water surface then try putting newspaper on water surface & lift it off as it gets wet that should remove the film & works out cheeper

 

[Fish_Mike]

dont know about the skimmer but if its just for getting film of water surface then try putting newspaper on water surface & lift it off as it gets wet that should remove the film & works out cheeper

It does work out cheaper, but for most people, it returns in a few hours. Not very effective now is that?

And no, the skimmer is silent.

 

[Synirr]

Skimmers are made for saltwater tanks and don't really do enough good in freshwater to be worth the cost.

Edit: If you're worried about film developing on the surface, the best solution is just to up the current. Adding a bubblestone will solve the problem quick enough.

 

[CFC]

Skimmers are made for saltwater tanks and don't really do enough good in freshwater to be worth the cost.

Edit: If you're worried about film developing on the surface, the best solution is just to up the current. Adding a bubblestone will solve the problem quick enough.

The skimmers in question here are surface skimmers which are an attachment that can be fitted to any canister filter to directly remove oily film from the waters surface and will work perfectly in freshwater. The skimmers for saltwater are protein skimmers which use a column of fine bubbles to remove dissolved organic proteins from the water and only work in water with a SG above 1.006. The name protein skimmer confuses a lot of people because they automatically presume that it must "skim" the water, a better name would be protein seperator as this more like what it actually does.