why a skimmer?

[tarpon]

So i just have a question. Why do you need a skimmer for saltwater and not fresh? Is it bc the live rock is acting as the filter and it cant get the finer particles but the skimmer can? Where as in freshwater the filter does a good enough job?

Would a freshwater tank benefit from a skimmer?

Dont want any of these questions to sound stupid, just want to expand my knowledge and feed the urge to know "why?"

 

[Dons]

So i just have a question. Why do you need a skimmer for saltwater and not fresh? Is it bc the live rock is acting as the filter and it cant get the finer particles but the skimmer can? Where as in freshwater the filter does a good enough job?

Would a freshwater tank benefit from a skimmer?

Dont want any of these questions to sound stupid, just want to expand my knowledge and feed the urge to know "why?"

No question is stupid if you learn from it. A skimmer wouldn't work very efficiently, if at all, in a freshwater tank. A skimmer works by creating micro bubbles and capturing debris/detritus and forming a "scum" that is deposited into a cup. With fresh water it would be very difficult to create that "scum" also known as skim mate. In a fresh water tank the filters used are what does that.

 

[slitherbomb]

Freshwater cannot create the bubbles that carry the proteins into the cup. Also, freshwater fish are a lot less sensitive than saltwater fish so you wouldn't need one anyways lol.

 

[Gti_Leo]

Freshwater cannot create the bubbles that carry the proteins into the cup. Also, freshwater fish are a lot less sensitive than saltwater fish so you wouldn't need one anyways lol.

bingo, although with enough crap in the water you can still make the bubbles stick and get frothy