Skimmer and outside air

fishysteve · 02/09/2010, 11:39 AM

Does it cool the tank too much when it's really cold outside? Currently I don't use a heater because my return pump keeps it at 78 24/7.

thegrun · 02/09/2010, 11:59 AM

In theroy, it will cool the tank a little, but you will have a lot more heat loss from the interaction of the tank walls to the outside air than you have between the air bubbles and water in your skimmer. If you didn't have an issue before, adding a skimmer will not be a problem. If you are bringing air from outside the house (perhaps fighting off a CO2 issue with inside air), I still don't see all that much of a heat loss. I would wait and add a heater if you start to see a problem.

fishysteve · 02/09/2010, 12:51 PM

I'll give it a shot tonight.

02/09/2010, 11:39 AM	#1
fishysteve Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 1,804	Skimmer and outside air Does it cool the tank too much when it's really cold outside? Currently I don't use a heater because my return pump keeps it at 78 24/7. __________________ On a break

02/09/2010, 12:51 PM	#3
fishysteve Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 1,804	I'll give it a shot tonight. __________________ On a break

02/09/2010, 11:59 AM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	In theroy, it will cool the tank a little, but you will have a lot more heat loss from the interaction of the tank walls to the outside air than you have between the air bubbles and water in your skimmer. If you didn't have an issue before, adding a skimmer will not be a problem. If you are bringing air from outside the house (perhaps fighting off a CO2 issue with inside air), I still don't see all that much of a heat loss. I would wait and add a heater if you start to see a problem.