activated carbon versus protein skimmers

Octoman

Octoman

Well-Known Member
Protein skimmers will remove particles and dissolved solids (fish/coral wastes, leftover food), while carbon will remove dissolved chemicals - both organic and inorganic (metals, other elements, organic compounds such as toxins released by corals).
 
beireefer

beireefer

Member
but skimmers are known to remove chemicals too such as trace elements and so, are they not able to remove the toxins that carbon removes?
 
Octoman

Octoman

Well-Known Member
A skimmer will remove bipolar compounds that are attracted to the air-water interface. This is the stuff that would be forming a skin on the surface of the water otherwise. I have not heard of skimmers removing trace elements, but I would be interested to see any info you have.

A skimmer would remove toxins if they have a bipolar nature, but if the compounds are polar and therefore highly soluble in the water, then they would not be easily removed by skimming.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
No the skimmer does NOT do the same as carbon. I run my skimmer 24/7 but only run carbon 1 week our of 4. It's amazing how CLEAR the water looks within a day of adding the carbon bag to the system. It really gives the water a "smooth/finished" look to it.

I'm sure a small amount of "Trace Elements" are removed via skimming but those are readily replaced with your water changes. More trace elements are "removed" by the corals than anything else. The water change quickly and easily replenishes them as well as giving the tank a "Breath of fresh air" by getting rid of accumulated chemicals in the system.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I'll always run my skimmer. Once I saw and smelled the stuff it pulls out of the water I was convinced for life.
Carbon I run occasionally in a reactor. I tend to leave it there too long so I don't run it very often.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I'm with you Lynn. Once you get a wiff of that odor you'll be like "I don't want THAT in my tank ANY MORE!" Plus I've seen first hand what GOOD the skimmer does. I've ran my tanks without before and within a week you can visibly see the difference. If you can SEE the difference just imagine what you can NOT see!! :)
 
fishnu

fishnu

Member
Skimmers only remove organic compounds, right?

Of course they remove some amount of dissolved salt and minerals just by virtue of the water they pull out.....but that is not huge.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
They remove mostly "Dissolved Organic Compounds" or really anything that will "Bind" to the micro-bubbles but the majority of that is "DOCs"


My tank is fishless too. I don't feed him often unless I have company. EVERY ONE wants to feed Hairy!!
 
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beireefer

beireefer

Member
so activated carbon is important afterall. is it commonly used in tanks? do you use it urself? if you do, do you think there would be problems if you don't use it?
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I think it's VERY important in the aquarium. I use it like a band-aide or aspirin. Many corals commonly practice "Chemical Ware fare" in our tanks. Any time I "Suspect" a problem I drop a bag of carbon into the water column in my sump. I always have at LEAST one bag rinsed and ready to drop. ALWAYS!!

Even when "All is well" I run carbon in EACH of my tanks for 1 week our of 4. It polishes the water in addition to removing so many things we can't see or test for. YES I think everyone should run it on occasion but not full time. Once the media is "exhausted" it becomes a "Detritus" trap and can actually diminish water quality. Don't put it and forget it!! :)
 
beireefer

beireefer

Member
i didn't use carbon for two years, i thought it had the same functionality as a skimmer, but recently i excpected having some "toxins" in the tank that i cannot test for (as u mentioned) so i dropped a bag of activated carbon called ACTIV KOHLE PLUS it's italian, hopefully it will have good impact on the tank, surprisingly it says you could leave it for 90 days, i was thinking i would leave it for two months then thraw it away
 
Jason25

Jason25

Active Member
I run mine full time through a phosban reactor. I sometimes run phosban with it if I start to get an algae bloom.
 
beireefer

beireefer

Member
going back to my suspected "toxins", there's this RO plant from which i used to purchase my RO water from, but later i knew that he uses soap (possibly like the ones u use for dishwashing) to clean the containers in which he transfers water from his place and to the client houses.
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
(moved to Reef Chemistry)

I'm no expert but carbon can adsorb a larger variety of chemicals than skimming alone can. Skimming removes dissolved protiens and other things that are attracted to the air surface (bubbles).
I have both going in my reef.

Where is Boomer... :D
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
If I have to clean it's VINEGAR and thoroughly rinsed MANY times. No soaps around ANYTHING to do with a tank or equipment. Soaps are FULL of phosphates and who knows what other chemicals!!
 
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