# What is a SKIMMER???



## phensway (Apr 7, 2003)

What exactly is a skimmer for a salt water tank??? what do they cost???? thanks


----------



## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

a protien skimmer runs around $200 for a decent one
plus u need a air pump $40 and a powerhead 301 $25
it pumps water to the skimmer and airrates the water and causes bubbles
the bubbles rise to the top with dirt and debry and it overflows to a waste bottle


----------



## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

avoid the visi-jet skimmers, what a piece of junk









ayone use a red sea prizm skimmer, are they any good?


----------



## 14_blast (Oct 6, 2003)

water is pushed into the skimmer by a powerhead/pump and air is also sucked in by a venturi which creates turbulence in the water causing it to create foam. Have you been to the beach and see the waves causing foam? The foam is not necessarily white, it's brown. That's the protein. Same principal with the protein skimmer. Hope I explained it right.


----------



## mr_meanor (Nov 5, 2003)

a skimmer creates a tornado like motion that bubbles up into a cup. During this motion protiens aka fish sh*t and left over food, are driven into that cup by the motion. If you have some soft corals and inverts it is necesarry to turn your skimmer off when feeding some nutrients. You can get a good skimmer off of ebay for around a hundred bucks. A must have for any marine tank


----------

