Thread: Protein skimmer are they worth it

I used to get frustrated with these on marine tanks, so never bothered on ponds, however
My air lifts act like skimmers. It's really interesting to see when it starts to foam up, enough to escape the chamber and it rarely does it, but if you catch the skimmate foam and look at it once its settled, it's horrible brown crap, so must be doing something.

Like Alburglar I have an airlift and the amount of scummy foam it generates is almost alarming. I regularly skim this off and one of the benefits (I suspect) is no foam in the pond - even with the water feature running.
Just working on an automatic foam-skimmer-offer

I'm running a koi water life protein shower.

I can't get it running perfectly all of the time and not quite sure where I'm going wrong, but when I do hit the sweet spot the foam production amazes me and the pond water looks fantastic.

A protein skimmer that works well is definitely a nice thing to have.

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Skimmers work when you get cooler temps - over the evening or in the shade.

I note that when the sun hits the pond, the foam disappears.

The other option is ozone of course

Originally Posted by Djstiles999

The other option is ozone of course

Then you don't want that in an enclosed space, O3 needs ventilation away from people.

I ran a closed unit in my garage, don’t think ozone vents, you’re looking at the extra oxygen molecule attaching to things in the water to oxidise?

Ran the Koizo 3 for the first couple of years.
When the electrodes needed replacing I never got round to it and have to say I didn't notice any change in the water.
Now sat on a shelf somewhere and surplus.

With regard to foam removal it's sticky stuff and unless I lose a lot of water over a skimmer weir a mechanical extraction method is required.
Current thinking is a rotating brush - lifts foam on one side, scrapes off on the other - just love to tinker

Originally Posted by NickK-UK

Then you don't want that in an enclosed space, O3 needs ventilation away from people.

I used to run ozone in a hang on skimmer on the side of my tank with banded cat sharks. That was in my living room! (Of course I did not have a wife or girlfriend then)

That didn't have any special ventilation and I never noticed any ill effects. Probably was gasing my whole house out...

Originally Posted by RS2OOO

I'm running a koi water life protein shower.

I can't get it running perfectly all of the time and not quite sure where I'm going wrong, but when I do hit the sweet spot the foam production amazes me and the pond water looks fantastic.

A protein skimmer that works well is definitely a nice thing to have.

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You are probably doing fine. I've never been able to fathom what makes them work best, and consistently, and constantly fiddled about with them (on my indoor marine tanks). The skimmate produced seems to follow no rhythm or reason, that I could ever predict. The best thing to do is just leave them alone and sometimes it will skim loads, and sometimes it won't.
I think that's the best you ever get.