The function of protein skimmer

Protein skimmers are commonly found in fish farms. After fish excrete a large amount of feces, conventional methods cannot remove them well. Using protein skimmers can effectively remove these debris and prevent them from further decomposing into ammonia nitrogen that is toxic to fish. Protein skimmers have many functions and you can choose one according to your needs. So, what are the functions of a protein skimmer?

Protein skimmer (also known as protein skimmer, protein separator, egg dissolving, nitrogen dissolving device, protein defoamer, protein fractionator, foam fractionator. It uses the principle that the surface of bubbles in the water can absorb various granular dirt and soluble organic matter mixed in the water. It uses oxygenation equipment or vortex pumps to generate a large number of bubbles, which will be purified through the protein skimmer. These bubbles are all concentrated on the water surface to form foam. The foam that absorbs dirt is collected in a container on the water surface, and it will turn into turbid liquid and be discharged.

The function of protein skimmer:

1. Quickly and effectively remove impurities such as fish feces, leftover bait, etc. in the aquaculture water to prevent them from further decomposing into ammonia nitrogen that is toxic to living organisms.

2. Because the gas and water are fully mixed, the contact area is greatly increased, and the dissolved oxygen content in the water is greatly increased, which is very beneficial for fish farming.

3. It also has the function of regulating the pH value of water quality.

4. If the air inlet is connected to an ozone generator, the reaction barrel itself becomes a sterilization chamber. It can also sterilize and disinfect while separating impurities.

5. Made of high-quality imported environmentally friendly materials. Resistant to aging and strong corrosion. It is particularly suitable for industrial circulating aquaculture in marine and fresh water. The materials come from AVIC Environmental Protection.

The working principle of the protein skimmer is very simple, but it can effectively use the surface tension of bubbles to separate proteins in water. There are three types of protein skimmers: countercurrent, pressure and gas lift (basically eliminated). Theoretically, a protein skimmer can separate 80% of the protein in water, but its actual working capacity can only separate 30-50% of the protein waste in water. It is already very good to reach 50%.

The contact surface of a protein skimmer is similar to the surface between air and water. For example, the contact surface formed by the water surface of the aquarium has a certain surface tension, so cellulose, protein and food residues will inevitably accumulate here. In fact, if the surface area is enlarged, for example by creating air bubbles (making foam), more cellulose, protein and food particles will naturally form on the surface. The viscosity of the foam will change as the surface strengthens and expands, and the bubbles gradually disappear. The effectiveness of a protein skimmer therefore lies in the expansion of the surface area between gas and liquid and their specific surface tension. However, the foam produced is separated from the discharge of the water cycle in the aquarium, which is why foam can be a direct method of removing waste from the aquarium.