but the next statement in my previous post is certainly true, the cost of developing a FW skimmer would make it prohibitive for all but the most extreme of filtration needs.
well you see that's not true either. foam fractionation units/ protean skimmers, are out there for freshwater
applications. agreed they are aimed at the pond market, but if you have a tank of 500 or so litres, the base units will do fine. these things have been used in freshwater aquaculture for some years. in the past they were monsters, standing 2 meters or more. but as time and technology have moved on they can now be less than 1 meter tall. as for how safe the water produced is, well the main market for these things seems to be the Koi trade or keepers. if these guys trust their valued fish to the result, it must be a good sign.
Ah well, looks like i'm misguided or misinformed in my argument so i'll revert to personal opinion.
A skimmer's not worth it for freshwater.
lol i think i agree there
. but the base unit costs "only" (lol) £260. and i think it may have possibility's in keeping fish or inverts that like food that is "on the turn" as it were!
I would say there are a lot of advantages, making them well worth the cost:
1) with the massive amount of oxygenation happening, even if you get NO skimate, you still break down most nitrIte to NitrAte (NO2 + 202 = NO3 + 02 + 0 )
2) as long as you get the bubble size and density small enough, there is as much skimate produced as a marine tank. This is all stuff that is not causing water quality issues
3) It's an excellent mechanism to introduce ozone to the tanks safely.
I built a mini-skimmer for my friend, as his kids were being a bit heavy handed in feeding the fish. The thing was only 14" high but ripped out huge amounts of gunk from the water initially, and then settled into a steady state producion.
Now, this was only a normal 120l tank that many people have, and the advantages were massive. I recken the cost of me making it was about £40, which is as cheap as a filter. In fact, the tank is now filterless, and the fish are thriving, it just uses the skimmer.
It should be remembered that 20 years ago, maybe even 10, the marine guys were talking about skimmers being a waste of money, and now they are considered close to essential. The issue with making them work in small spaces is all about bubble size. And my DIY skimmers show that this problem is now fixed.
As to the cost of developing one? Well, I HAVE developed one, and like I said, I'm hoping to get one of the big manufactuers to pick it up from me. I didn't cost me a huge amount in terms of money possible £500, I think I made 6 prototypes in total, it just took a bit of reading of textbooks on chemistry and physics, and a lot of study of marine skimmers and reading on the net.
Steve
