Help for a friend

[Jmlorfam]

Im a saltwater FOWLR hobbyist and have a friend that wants to start a freshwater setup. So i am giving him some advice on equipment and have a quick question for you freshwater folk. Protein skimmers, are they useful in freshwater set ups? a quick search seems to suggest not, however i cant find a reason why. I don't want him wasting money on useless equipment, but a protein skimmer is a must have for saltwater (IMO). Thank you for your help in advance.

 

[xtra51]

Protein skimmers do not work in freshwater because the saltwater is heavier than the freshwater. Interestingly enough, Protein skimmers were designed for freshwater! Hope this helps!

 

[Terrance]

There are freshwater skimmers that operate differently than saltwater skimmers. They are designed for ponds, so most are big and very expensive. Companies are smart enough to not sell freshwater aquarium skimmers because water changes are a lot cheaper. A 50% water change on a weekly basis is much better than buying/operating a skimmer because water changes take out much more waste and replenish lots of minerals in the water.

 

[OscarFan76]

I'm a newbie to the hobby. So I could be completely wrong, but I thought the reason for a protein skimmer instead of water changes in salt water is to save on the cost of salt.

 

[Terrance]

You are correct about skimmers saving on salt cost. Skimmers prolong water change because they remove organic waste. There are plenty of other waste that it cant pick up, so a water change is a must at least once every 2 weeks. You can also prolong SW water changes if you have live rocks, chaeto, and other stuff that help keep the water cleaner.

If you decrease the frequency of water changes, then you will spend less money for water changes.

I think too many people on the SW side of this forum use these salt savers as excuses to overstock a tank.