Protein skimmer

[leon1972]

Hey guys. How do I know if I have a good quality protein skimmer? Mines an hob and it has no label on it. It came with the tank so I have no clue the brand. My nitrates has benn consistently at 20 and my skimmer is pulling crap out, but I wonder how efficient it is really running. I've also been using chaeto for the last month but zero growth on it. Is this a good sign meaning not enough stuff in the tank to feed on or bad for some other reason?

 

[Bifferwine]

If it's pulling crap, it's working. Hard to say how well though -- how much crap it pulls depends on a few things, such as the quality of the skimmer, your bioload, and how much you feed. What kind of light do you have on the chaeto?

 

[leon1972]

6500k bulb. The chaeto is still a healthy green, though it is either expanding or falling apart

 

[Bifferwine]

If it's just staying stable, that's good. If it loses color or falls apart, then something is up.

 

[leon1972]

It may just be expanding from the container it was kept in. There is plenty of food for it. My nitrates reading is 20 and I have phosphates still leaching from my rock from my pre ro water