can you just have a protien skimmer as main filtration

Aquarium Filtration and Aquarium Filters - Algone.com

If anything, its chemical filtration but I don't even agree with that. Its almost magentism that causes the bubble/protein attraction that allows a skimmer to work properly. Mechanical filtration uses a physical filter to remove waste. Filter Socks, RO Membranes, floss. Chemical Filtration uses chemicals to bind to the waste so that it is neutralized and no longer detrimental to the system. Biological Filtration is bacteria that converts compounds to other compounds or free molecules.

There are three types of filtration: Mechanical, Biological and Chemical. If you categorize them by what they remove, what does a mechanical filter remove?

 

They are not classified by how they work. They are classified by what they filter, their efficiency and what purpose they're used for, meaning the recommended applications.

 

Removes coarse and fine particles of many sizes depending on the specific model of the mechanical filter. These can be organic or inorganic.

 

i have a oddyssea light and love it my polyps love it to

but for the skimmer i let the big wiggs dill with

 

:LolLolLol mine doesnt filter nothing just sits there and blows bubbles...

 

This is an interesting conversation.

I have always classified filtration by the method it employees to remove undesirables not by what it removes.

Also, I use a skimmer and refuge, no other types of filtration, e.g. HOB, Canister, etc. (Nothing with any type of foam/sponge media.)

 

I'm not about to get into what kind of filtration a skimmer is. But LR and a skimmer is all I've ever used. I've kept Soft coral, LPS and mostly SPS without any other filtration.
I think a lot of the mechanical or bio-filters do more harm than good.

The Idea is to get ride of, or convert harmful nutrients that build up in your tank. A good skimmer takes care of the "get rid of" part and the LR deals with the convert part.

J

 

So mechanical filters remove mechanical things?


They're classified by how they work.

Live Rock and denitrators are biological because they work by employing biological bacteria. They biologically break down the waste, they're not physically removing the waste.

HOB filters with the little wheel you mention are mechanical filters because they use mechanics (i.e. filters and moving parts). They physically remove the waste, they do not break it down.

Skimmers don't use bacteria to work. They do not break down the waste. They do use mechanics (i.e. the cup and pump), but the waste gets to that cup by a chemical process (praise the properties of water phobia). I would say skimmer is a chemical filter, but I could see an argument for calling them mechanical.

All waste is biological that we're trying to remove. If you classify by what they remove, then they are all biological filters and there would be no such thing as mechanical filters...

my 2 cents

 

Skimmers employ chemical attraction between organics and an air surface. It removes chemical compounds that are organic in nature. It is a chemical filter. It does not employ biolgical processes. It does not remove biological "things". It is not a biological filter.

We can argue semantics. Foam fractioning is a chemical process that takes advantage of chemical properties of the filtrate we wish to remove.

We can agree to disagree on how to classify a filter. Filters are clasified by their mode of operation. Mechanical filters do not remove mechanicals. They remove particulates and solids. They use mechanical means to achieve that.

Skimmers do remove solids just by washing them out with the skimmate. They do remove particulate matter, even though that is not it's primary purpose. You can filter particulate much cheaper and more efficiently than by using a skimmer.

 

no one's gonna win..how about we just make a filtration class for skimmers alone lol that would solve everything..