Can I test a protein skimmer performance with egg whites?

[arking_mark]

All-

I have a 34gal nano reef that is producing little skimmate. I want to test the production by adding a small amount of egg white liquid to the tank. Currently the tank is stocked with 3 small fish, some macro algae, an anemone, and a bunch of snails.

A couple of questions:

1. Is it safe to add a small amount of egg white? If so how much?
2. What should be the expected output of the skimmer with the egg white?

I cannot test the skimmer outside the tank as I cannot duplicate the setup (water level, flow, etc...)

Thanks-

Mark

[arking_mark]

A little research on egg whites (thanks Wikipedia):

Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins).

Main proteins:
54% Ovalbumin - Nutrition
12% Ovotransferrin - Binds iron
11% Ovomucoid - Blocks digestive enzymes[citation needed]
4% Ovoglobulin G2
4% Ovoglobulin G3
3.5% Ovomucin
3.4% Lysozyme - Kills bacteria
1.5% Ovoinhibitor
1% Ovoglycoprotein
0.8% Flavoprotein
0.5% Ovomacroglobulin
0.05% Avidin - Binds biotin
0.05% Cystatin

Any theoretical impacts to a reef tank?

[jimrawr]

Why not test this out of your main tank? Shouldnt be hard to save some water from a water change, throw it into a bucket and turn it on.. then add whatever you like

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by arking_mark

All-

I have a 34gal nano reef that is producing little skimmate. I want to test the production by adding a small amount of egg white liquid to the tank. Currently the tank is stocked with 3 small fish, some macro algae, an anemone, and a bunch of snails.

A couple of questions:

1. Is it safe to add a small amount of egg white? If so how much?
2. What should be the expected output of the skimmer with the egg white?

I cannot test the skimmer outside the tank as I cannot duplicate the setup (water level, flow, etc...)

Thanks-

Mark

If it is a new tank, don't worry about.

What type of skimmer is it?

[arking_mark]

Not a new tank.

RSM 130 Skimmer.

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by arking_mark

Not a new tank.

RSM 130 Skimmer.

May I assume the air valve is open to maximum and foam collector lowered all the way?

Has the skimmer ever worked to satisfaction?

Assuming two "yes" answers and that it has been in operation for months the air intake and air injection parts can become fouled with solids. You might take apart the pump and check that air inlets are clear snd that the pump impeller is clean.

I don't have any ideas for the types of things that you might be adding that would kill foam formation. For example, feeding can kill foam production for a little while but it sounds like this is not your situation.

[tkeracer619]

RSM130 skimmer? Nuff said.

You need a ATO to get the skimmer working. It will never work great but will work if you can get the water level constant and in the right spot.

[arking_mark]

Tank has been up for 4 months. Seeded from a very mature tank.

I have an ATO. First DIY project I did. In fact, the RSM should have that built in! Otherwise, who wants to top off everyday and adjust surface skimmer.

I have no trouble maintaining a particular water level in the refugium.

What I am finding is that there is little to no production of skimmate. It could be that there is very little to take out.

What I was looking for was a way to TEST the skimmer in place. IE, add something to the tank that should easily be skimmed but not hurt an operational tank.

Egg white came to mind, but others in the chemistry department pointed out that skimmers remove dissolved organic compounds (DOC) and it is unclear if egg white meets that criteria.

So what else could be added to test a protein skimmer? Skimmate from another tank? If so, could we make the assumption that adding x amount of skimmate or other stuff should produce y amount of skimmate in z amount of time.

In this way, we could see how well a particular skimmer operationally performs.

So far no good recommendations.

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by arking_mark

Tank has been up for 4 months. Seeded from a very mature tank.

I have an ATO. First DIY project I did. In fact, the RSM should have that built in! Otherwise, who wants to top off everyday and adjust surface skimmer.

I have no trouble maintaining a particular water level in the refugium.

What I am finding is that there is little to no production of skimmate. It could be that there is very little to take out.

What I was looking for was a way to TEST the skimmer in place. IE, add something to the tank that should easily be skimmed but not hurt an operational tank.

Egg white came to mind, but others in the chemistry department pointed out that skimmers remove dissolved organic compounds (DOC) and it is unclear if egg white meets that criteria.

So what else could be added to test a protein skimmer? Skimmate from another tank? If so, could we make the assumption that adding x amount of skimmate or other stuff should produce y amount of skimmate in z amount of time.

In this way, we could see how well a particular skimmer operationally performs.

So far no good recommendations.

Here is a lead for you on how to test a skimmer

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature

The next question is how are you going to measure the concentration of the protein?

[arking_mark]

According to the study: "One unassailable conclusion from those studies was that skimmate contains little, if any, protein, and so the use of a protein (BSA) to measure skimmer performance no longer seemed like a relevant model system."

This would indicate that egg yolk is not a viable test.

Which still begs the question, what is? The study just used tank water after a feeding and later, a mature tank for a better study.

[Dan_P]

Originally Posted by arking_mark

According to the study: "One unassailable conclusion from those studies was that skimmate contains little, if any, protein, and so the use of a protein (BSA) to measure skimmer performance no longer seemed like a relevant model system."

This would indicate that egg yolk is not a viable test.

Which still begs the question, what is? The study just used tank water after a feeding and later, a mature tank for a better study.

This seems to be the answer: measure TOC levels. This is not trivial or inexpensive though.

The other issue is that when you do finally get a number or trend then what? How will you use it? What will your reference point be to say that your skimmer is working or not working?

Your interest is a good one though. Skimmers are believed to be very important in maintaining water quality but there is not much hard science to back up this belief. Yes they remove things, but so what? Would the system be just as healthy without a skimmer? The answer would be expensive to obtain.

[andy01748]

API Stress Coat Plus will cause a skimmer to foam (based on experience), and should be considered safe to use. You could also test your skimmer by adding a few drops directly in to the skimmer neck instead of dosing your whole tank to confirm it creates a foam.

[gentledental4u]

The fish will eat the egg white, right?

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by gentledental4u

The fish will eat the egg white, right?

post is from 2+ years ago and IMO.. "weird" that you searched/posted..
What did you do?
Little kids dump an egg into your tank at the office?

Fish eat quite a lot of weird stuff..bubble gum,etc.. they are dumb mostly..
I had some Pacus that I would feed whole hot dogs and they loved them..