Protein skimmer questions - lower nitrates?

ser_renely · 07/19/2008, 09:12 PM

After a few days, got my skimmer working decent, still tunning, lost a couple of corals from the micro bubbles.

To my questions, does a PS lower nitrates? I assume it does, and from what I have read people say it lowers nitrates because it doesn't allow a break down to ammonia. but if I have high nitrates, 20ppm will it lower them or can that only be done by water changes. I guess I really want to know does it lower nitrates or does it prevent a lot of them?

What other things do skimmers do? I read some people say it made their water clearer?

TY,
Ser

MIKE HUNT · 07/19/2008, 09:45 PM

well, mainly it takes organics out of the water , poop, detritus, debris, various organics. It keeps the water a bit cleaner and yes a good protein skimmer will lower your nitrates a good bit.

jdiddy8384 · 07/20/2008, 12:40 AM

Like he said a good skimmer will lower nitrates, but a mature fuge will do a better job of it.

cloak · 07/20/2008, 03:58 AM

I'll take an efficient skimmer over a refuge any day. Everything a refuge can provide can be done in the main tank.

snorvich · 07/20/2008, 04:40 AM

Agree with above. A protein skimmer (good one) can beat a refugium for nutrient export. However a refugium's main purpose is NOT nutrient export, it is product of critters such as copepods and provding refuge for them But as cloak says, you CAN do that in the main tank.

Hargitai · 07/20/2008, 05:35 AM

but the amin tank will not have big pods to breed and you will have no place for pods to realy multiply. A skimmer is very good but all it does it export which is realy good, but it does not grow pods, it only skims. Where as a ruge takes some nutrionts but mainly breeds pods.

So i say have both as they both have huge benifits. Neither is better because they are different.

HaywoodJafragit · 07/20/2008, 05:46 AM

20 PPM is not horrible, I've seen great SPS tanks that have hover around 50 PPM (which IMO is too way much).

It's good to have some nitrates if you want to have healthy corals.

By the way, and it's only a matter of semantics, a skimmer doesn't lower your tank's nitrates, it just traps proteins before they are decomposed into ammonia > nitrites > nitrates, thus avoiding nitrates to accumulate in your tank.

If you want to lower your nitrates you either add a denitrator or do larger water changes.

nmbeg · 07/20/2008, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by HaywoodJafragit

If you want to lower your nitrates you either add a denitrator or do larger water changes.

or you let nature do it's thing and let the bacteria on your rock or your sandbed take up nitrates, or the algae growing in your fuge.

ser_renely · 07/20/2008, 09:53 AM

thanks guys. Appreciate the info

07/19/2008, 09:12 PM	#1
ser_renely Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,820	Protein skimmer questions - lower nitrates? After a few days, got my skimmer working decent, still tunning, lost a couple of corals from the micro bubbles. To my questions, does a PS lower nitrates? I assume it does, and from what I have read people say it lowers nitrates because it doesn't allow a break down to ammonia. but if I have high nitrates, 20ppm will it lower them or can that only be done by water changes. I guess I really want to know does it lower nitrates or does it prevent a lot of them? What other things do skimmers do? I read some people say it made their water clearer? TY, Ser

07/20/2008, 04:40 AM	#5
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Agree with above. A protein skimmer (good one) can beat a refugium for nutrient export. However a refugium's main purpose is NOT nutrient export, it is product of critters such as copepods and provding refuge for them But as cloak says, you CAN do that in the main tank. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

07/20/2008, 05:46 AM	#7
HaywoodJafragit Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Macomb, MI, USA Posts: 60	20 PPM is not horrible, I've seen great SPS tanks that have hover around 50 PPM (which IMO is too way much). It's good to have some nitrates if you want to have healthy corals. By the way, and it's only a matter of semantics, a skimmer doesn't lower your tank's nitrates, it just traps proteins before they are decomposed into ammonia > nitrites > nitrates, thus avoiding nitrates to accumulate in your tank. If you want to lower your nitrates you either add a denitrator or do larger water changes. __________________ 100 glass, 55 hex acrylic, shared 22 gal refuge and 18 gal sump 350 pounds of live rock, 4 inch DSB, many SPS and LPS, 2 perculas, 1 common star, 1 brittle star. ASM G-2, 1 Mag 9.5. Current Tank Info: 195 gal gross

07/20/2008, 09:53 AM	#9
ser_renely Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,820	thanks guys. Appreciate the info __________________ RIP: Osc. Clown - Ammonia, YW GobY - overflow, YW Goby - Pistol shrimp, Firefish - acclimation. 5 Fire fish - pistol shrimp, Mandarin - Pistol shrimp!!!!! Current Tank Info: 60g Cube, 15g sump/fuge,Tunze 9010 skimmer, Reefbreeders Photon 16" - 2 Osc. Clowns,2 Lyretail Anthias, Blue Chromis, mp20, mp10....another DAMN pistol shrimp!

07/19/2008, 09:45 PM	#2
MIKE HUNT Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Atlanta Posts: 92	well, mainly it takes organics out of the water , poop, detritus, debris, various organics. It keeps the water a bit cleaner and yes a good protein skimmer will lower your nitrates a good bit.

07/20/2008, 12:40 AM	#3
jdiddy8384 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 138	Like he said a good skimmer will lower nitrates, but a mature fuge will do a better job of it.

07/20/2008, 03:58 AM	#4
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	I'll take an efficient skimmer over a refuge any day. Everything a refuge can provide can be done in the main tank.

07/20/2008, 05:35 AM	#6
Hargitai Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Africa Posts: 52	but the amin tank will not have big pods to breed and you will have no place for pods to realy multiply. A skimmer is very good but all it does it export which is realy good, but it does not grow pods, it only skims. Where as a ruge takes some nutrionts but mainly breeds pods. So i say have both as they both have huge benifits. Neither is better because they are different.