Do i need a skimmer for a fresh water aquarium?

Question

i hear people talking about a skimmer and i have no clue what that is or what that does so can some one explain this to me? do i need it for a fresh water tank?

Answer 1

Protein Skimmers are mechanical devices that are made to be used in Marine Aquariums, which contain saltwater with lots of salts. You can use a Protein Skimmer in a freshwater aquarium. A skimmer will not hurt the freshwater fish or degrade the water quality, and the freshwater will not damage the skimmer.

But a Protein Skimmer will not do much to improve the quality of the water in a freshwater aquarium. So the short answer is that if you have a freshwater aquarium you do not need a Protein Skimmer. The rest of the information on this page is about what a Protein Skimmer does.

A Protein Skimmer removes large molecules from water. Proteins are very large molecules with very large numbers of atoms. Protein Skimmers originally got that name because they were thought to skim protein molecules from the aquarium water. Actually it's now known that Protein Skimmers also remove other stuff from saltwater too.

The marine water in Marine Aquariums is quite expensive. One hundred gallons of marine water usually costs at least $20.00. Because of the high cost of marine water, it is cost effective to use a Protein Skimmer to remove the large molecules from Marine Water.



Did I answer you OK? Hope so.

Good luck.

If you need more information... Check out this link:

http://www.aquariumfish.net/pages/protei...

-Tyler Petersen

Answer 2

no you dont u just need a oxegen tank u can get them at any market or store like walmart

Answer 3

You don't need a skimmer but they do help keep the tank cleaner longer. go to a local pet store and ask, they can help you find the right kind. Or, if the cost seems too much for you, you don't necessarily NEED one. :) Good luck. :)

PS, give Tyler Best Answer , I didn't even know as much as he about them, lol I just know they help keep my tank a little clearer than before