Protien skimmers, an essential piece of equipment

[Cumminz]

hey guys im new to the whole saltwater thing and i am wondering what a good inexpensive brand of a protein skimmer is. thnx

[1979camaro]

It depends on the size of tank, but generally "good" and "inexpensive" don't go together.

[Cumminz]

125 gallon, what is a [u]Descent[u] inexpensive skimmer?

[Lorna]

An Aqua C Remora Pro hang on or Aqua C Remora Urchin insump will run about $250 and are good skimmers

[Cumminz]

I was looking at this skimmer, Kent Marine Nautilus TE Turbo Eductor Protein Skimmer What do you think?

[trspann1]

I was curious on protein skimmer operation. Whenever I open the valve (even slightly) I still get micro-bubbles coming through into the tank. (I have a Red Sea Max I set up for my daughter). If I turn it down enough to where I don't see bubbles, I can't really tell if the skimmer is doing anything, as nothing is removed. Do these micro-bubbles harm anything in the tank? Or, do they actually add any oxygenation? I'm not sure what else I could do if this is a problem.

[Verga]

Originally Posted by dbarrs

Hello everyone I am a newbee at this and I wandering if there is a way to build my own skimmer or should I purchase a new one. Also I was told to use ocean water in my tank instead of the salt mix. Can someone let me know which way to go. Thanks.

I wanted to add my $0.02 in on the topic. I built my own air-driven Skimmer:



It consists of a Red Sea Collection Cup and a plastic tube. In the tube is a replacement pre-filter for a pond pump with an air pump inside it. the entire thing is in a hang-on-the-back filter [cleaned regularly to keep nitrates < 10ppm] so except for the collection cup the entire thing is under water.

Works well. Empty the cup every three or so days when its about half full.

My thoughts about skimmers in general is to be a step ahead rather than play catch up. with my over the back filter, i collect a lot of the solid waste that i just rinse down the into the sink. I dont use the bio-pad though.

Plz tell me what you guys think.

[TRe]

looks very interesting..... hey if it works what can i say

[sweetpickles7]

What skimmer would you guys recommend for a 29gal tank? I can seem to find a good one for it? I find either ones that are to small or ones that are to big?

[Verga]

im a fan of the simple air-driven skimmers. they are cheap and effective.