Let’s talk about protein skimmers. Skimmers are used as filtration devices on our reef tanks. They are essentially a water pump that creates a large mass of bubble within an acrylic chamber. The waste products from the tank stick to these bubbles and as they pop, get collected in a collection cup. This ‘skimate’ is the nastiest smelling stuff imaginable!
There are many types of skimmers to chose from. Some use a powerful water pump and a venturi device that suck air into a small tunnel to create bubbles. Others use a needlewheel or meshwheel to chop up the water and air to create fine bubble. Some skimmers are designed for external use and some skimmers are made to be used internally (insump). The most efficient & reliable skimmers (energy use & water/air ratio) are probably the needlewheel skimmers. In my opinion, the best skimmers in the world come from Germany and include the following: Bubble King, H&S, Deltec, and ATB.
I’ve selected the Bubble King Supermarine 250 as my skimmer of choice. Some design features of this skimmer are: super efficient needlewheel pump w/ high air to water ratio (generally more air is a good thing), double cone design skimmer body(smooth transitions cause less bubble pops before the collection tube and concentrate bubbles upward), bubble plate(funnels input upwards to smooth out turbulence in skimmer body), thick pvc & acrylic(built to last), and finally, because it looks bad ass!
Here’s some pictures:
