Great Skimmer Reviews

[invincible569]

here is a great article on skimmer reviews:

http://www.acquaportal.it/Articoli/T...io/default.asp

[7thheaven]

I think it is good review. but the problem is....

I can not understand expression...(Is it Italian..?)

[Aged Salt]

Edward, would you care to translate that for the rest of us ? Bob

[Detritivore]

hm, i didnt know aquamedice had a 750...and sanders has a hangon!...

edit: nvm, that was a knop

edit again: its not a hangon at all, just looks like one

[nyfireman3097]

wish i knew what it said

[The man]

Here ya go some words cant be translated.


To recreate in Aquarius the same conditions that are found in the sea is the rule number one in order to succeed to raise fish and invertebrates with happening.
Finally we can assert that currently there are the presupposed ones for being resolutions in the attempt, and that the Aquarius reef is not more a hobby for little, but a hobby in which all they can succeed with happening easy (perhaps even more simply of the sweet water Aquarius).
Thanks to 10.000 lights HQI to and 20.000° K and to the actinic blue lights we succeed to having one light similar to that solar one and simulating an effect alba/tramonto.
With the electronic pumps to variable speed we imitate the currents and the tides.
With alive cliffs we recreate an atmosphere and a nearly independent ecosystem.
With it eats to me and the vitaminici complexes more and more it perfects to you, we succeed to supply a rich and balanced feeding.
With mixtures of it knows studied them purposely, the systems to osmosis and the integrators we are in a position to offering a practically identical water to that she is found in nature.
We even succeed to simulate the moonlight and its makes itself.
And finally thanks to a powerful one schiumatoio we resolve one of the main problems that until some year it makes had rendered to little the acquariofilia difficult and destined marine: the definitive elimination of knows them polluting (nitrates and phosphates) that bathed filter, sottosabbia, percolatore, fluid bed were accumulateed unavoidablly in the water to continuation of the action of the oxidating filters (), and recreating of the not suitable conditions (problem that in the sweet water Aquarius unfortunately remains unsolved).
The schiumatoio.
The schiumatoio it has had origin from the industry of the treatment of the trash and later on it has been used in the acquacultura systems.
The operation of the schiumatoio reproduces an effect that happens also in nature, that one of the waves that break up on the beach and that they carry with if by means of the foam the organic substances disciolte in the water.
The schiumatoio it reproduces this simple principle, the production of miscelate microbollicine immesse with to the water in one contact column. To the bollicine they join derived organic molecules from the excrements of fish (DOC: Dissolved Organic Compound) that they come deposited in appropriate container.
In this way the organic molecules come extracted physically from the water and it does not come concurred they to transform in Nitrates and Phosphates.
The organic molecules have a polarized extremity (idrophila) that it comes attracted from water molecules, and an extremity not polarized (idrophoba) that it rejects water molecules and that comes attracted from those of air.



Thanks to this electrostatic action the organic molecules join perfectly to the bollicine of air immesse in the contact column, and form a film around to the bubbles that them render stable of shape and dimensions, and prevent they to gather in larger bubbles. The organic molecules will follow the bollicine in their natural migration towards the surface of the water, and once caught up the surface will go back with to the foam that is accumulateed through the neck of the glass, until depositing in the definitively extracted container and being from the water.





By means of the foam deposited in the glass the schiumatoio it is in a position to eliminating:

- Proteins
- Amino acids
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Bacteria
- fat Acids
- Phenols
- Iodine
- Phitoplancton and plancton.
- Some metals (Iron, Branch, Zinc)
- Residual vary and particles in suspension.
- Toxins produced from the invertebrates

As can itself be seen I use it of the schiumatoio has very many for and some against that fortunately they are nearly insignificant or easy solvable.

Advantages:
Like already said the removal of nearly the totality of the organic substances that transform in Nitrates and Phosphates.
It recreates of the optimal hygienic conditions.
It increases the oxygen content disciolto.
It increases upgrades them redox.
It stabilizes pH thanks to the removal of organic acids.
It eliminates phenols and the substances that yellow the water.
It acts as from mechanical filter eliminating particles in suspension.
It eliminates the urticanti substances and it allows the breeding of many invertebrates and various type.

Disadvantages:
Elimination of the bacteria: insignificant problem, in how much the bacteria present in are quantitati to you enormous in alive cliffs, in the sand, etc and are in a position to the fastest riprodursi in ways.
Elimination of some elements useful like the Iodine and the Iron legacies to chelanti substances in order to maintain them in stable shape: the problem is easy solvable with specific oligoelement integration in liquid shape reperibili in the storees of Aquarius, and carrying out regular partial water changes with it knows them of good quality.

Structure of the schiumatoio.
A schiumatoio it is composed mainly from 3 parts:

- Column of contact: it is the zone where the water enters in contact with the bollicine of air.
- Glass: it is the container where the extracted organic substances are deposited dall' water.
- Neck: where the foam is separated from the water, it is dried up and laughed them towards the glass.





Efficiency of the schiumatoio.
There are many factors that affect the efficiency of the schiumatoio, some like the pH, the temperature, the density, the amount of organic substances disciolte, are legacies to characteristic chemistries and physics of the water of the Aquarius, others are consequent to the variable derivatives from the characteristics of the schiumatoio same.

Diameter of the bubbles: the air bubbles in order to make to join the greater organic molecule number and in order to render the schiumazione efficient must not have of too much of too much great a small diameter. The too much small bubbles go up towards the surface with difficulty and stretch to dissolve themselves, the too much large bubbles go up too much fastly, they offer minor a surface of adhesion (in proportion) they stretch to gather in more and more large bubbles and form minor foam on the surface of the water.
For the report the bubbles of ideal dimension must have a diameter comprised between 0,5 and 0,8 milimeter.

Time of contact: greater it is the time with which the air bubbles they are to contact with the greater water will be the organic molecule amount that joins to the bubbles. One obtains immettendo bubbles of the just diameter that go back with one corrected speed, and increasing to the height and the diameter of the column.
Some schiumatoi like as an example schiumatoi the Knop Mega to spread counter-current, the Turboflotor 5000 Aquamedic to Nedle weel and the ATK Maxi to lucks (photo under, in the order), take advantage of of the columns many high (some exceed the 3 meters quite).





Others as the schiumatoi to lucks Red Sea (Berlin) and the Shuran (Elos) increase to the length of the contact column inserting two or three tubes one within the other forcing the water to carry out a double or triple distance. Other methods are the increase of the diameter of the column like in schiumatoi Turboflotor 5000 shortly, the H&S and abnormal way in Deltec AP 1006 (managed from six pumps Eheim 1060!), or I use it of a low column but with inner a circolatorio motion that of it the time of contact (Tunze increases).


To) normal Column. B) Triple column C) Column with circolatorio motion D) Column with counter-current (the water comes down, the air knows them).



Shape of the glass: two types of foam exist: clear foam, contains little organic substances, many elements trace and plancton; dark foam, is that one that we want to obtain, contains many organic substances and little elements trace and plancton. More it is tightened and short the neck of the glass more the foam knows them fastly, the result is residual a much liquid, abundant, transparent, with little residual ones to the inside. A neck just determine the proportions concurs with the foam to go up slowly and to lose water during the way. The result is a foam sand bank and a residual a lot concentrated of color dark brown, this is index of good operation of the schiumatoio.

Residual in the glass of a Turboflotor 1000




Schiumatoi the Turboflotor thanks to the working with stamps to warmth has the neck of the sagomato funnel glass in order to facilitate the gone back one of the foam. Moreover they have in equipment three wide adapters that concur to modify the height of the neck to second of the requirements.

Amount of the bubbles: Clearly greater it is the amount of the bubbles greater will be the attracted organic molecule number. Three methods for immettere air in the column exist: the method to spread by means of porose in wood, the method to injection or Lucks and the method to aspiration or Nedle weel.
Everyone has different characteristics that they make some to vary the efficiency.

Spread with porose: the air comes introduced in the column of contact by means of of the compressori small (air-vents) and sminuzzata they give of the porose in wood of tiglio (photo under).




E' a method much economic, but conceptually exceeded that from it turns out to you modest. Often taken advantage of E' in schiumatoi many small in coupling to biological filters (is not in degree, to difference of schiumatoi the lucks and nedle weel, to manage an Aquarius alone). It can be to the limit used in small Aquarius and in order to take advantage of it to the maximum it is better to use of the powerful air-vents and to use more porose in wood. Some schiumatoi to spread are fortified of pump for the water breaking in and of "too much full" tail pipes in order, others do not have the pump and the new water introduction is concurred from a tube of inserted smaller diameter in the contact column. E' the same flow created from the air emitted from the porosa to low have the water depurata towards the escape.
Models for the inner, external installation exist in commerce and in the sump.
The correct term in order to synthetize the description of the diffuser air-vents is: "they are better than nothing".

Advantages: Economic.

Disadvantages: The compressor in little months of activity reduces the capacity remarkablly reducing considerably the introduced air amount.
The porosa in wood already after little weeks marcisce and intasa giving to the system an efficiency batch processing line it is regarding the introduced water amount is regarding the quality of the bollicine.
The compressor is much noisy one.


Schiumatoi to air spread: Sander AH, Knop Maxi and Mini, Miniflotor Aquamedic, Midiflotor Aquamedic.



Injection or Lucks: Differently from the system to spread, the method lucks is extremely efficient and concurs one perfect schiumazione and one rendered optimal.
The water and the air come captured from one pump powerful motion and pushes with force in a cone with to the extremity a small hole (photo under) posizionato to the inside of the sent tube of of the pump. In this way the water and the air come emulsionate forming a great number of fine bollicine. The dealt water exits one or two in order "too much full" from tail pipes.
Models of schiumatoi lucks for the inner, external installation exist in commerce and in the sump.
The method Lucks introduces however of the small defects that render it an optimal system but not perfect.





Advantages: Much efficient one

Disadvantages: It needs of powerful pumps much in order to gain the resistance offered from the cone lucks, that of it increases the cost.
The cone Lucks and the tap for regulating the income of the air otturano enough easy, this give to the system of the performances batch processing lines.

Schiumatoi lucks (Shuran AQ 120, Berlin Red Sea). Of the berlin it is exited from little a version "I upset"



Aspirazione or Nedle weel: they are the schiumatoi of the last generation, the water and the air they come inhaled from a pump with the modified brush impeller (photo under), that "it cracks" the air in a great number of perfect microbubbles. The dealt water exits one or two in order "too much full" from tail pipes, in some fortified cases of regulation tap. Models of schiumatoi exist in commerce nedle weel for the inner, external installation and in the sump.





Advantages: Much efficient and silent one.
Having no constriction it does not need of powerful pumps, that of ago to diminish the cost.
Having no constriction the risk of cloggings is not avoided and of constant participations and calibrations, the system remains always perfectly efficient.
Amount of plancton respect would seem to remove one minor schiumatoi the lucks.

Disadvantages: The brush impeller with passing of the years usury and is gone replaced.


Schiumatoi nedle weel (Deltec AP 850, H&S A110 F2000, Aquamedic 5000 shortly)





It is the Deltec, it is the Aquamedic, it is the H&S produce schiumatoi with installed more pumps with the brush impeller


Schiumatoio Deltec AP 1400 with 4 pumps Eheim 1060.



Two types of brush impeller exist, with leggermente different characteristics: the coaxial impellers, with the teeth parallels to the axis the helicoidal impeller, and impellers with perpendicular teeth.
Ognuna has for and against. The coaxial model is more massive, has one rendered more irruente to the beginning but because of the friction that it offers, with the time the yield diminishes and can give ovalizzazione problems above all to the structure (if in teflon), succeeding in also to damage the pump seriously.
The helicoidal model has a more delicate behavior in cracking and to miscelare the air, is less powerful but the yield is constant, would seem moreover that for this behavior it damages little the plancton.


Two brush impellers for Eheim 1250. Before he is coaxial, the second one is helicoidal



Like installing the schiumatoio.
A schiumatoio it can be installed inner to the bathtub, externally of flank or be hung to the glass, or in the bathtub of stoccaggio (Sump) under or to flank of the Aquarius. A useful sagacity is that one of posizionare the pump more close possible to the surface of the water, in how much the organic substances stretches to park up.

Inner: Inner they can be mounts some to you schiumatoi to air (Knop model Mini and Maxi, the Sander, the Miniflotor and the Midiflotor of the Aquamedic, and the Airlift of the Red Sea).



Installation within the bathtub




Also the schiumatoi to lucks of the Tunze they are settled within the Aquarius.



The only model that I know nedle weel is Turboflotor 750 of the Aquamedic.
A data to keep in mind if it agrees to mount a schiumatoio inner, in order to predispose the bathtub in corrected way, is that the glass nearly sure sporgerà from the advanced edge. If the bathtub is sluice with covers it will be necessary to preview an opening.

Turboflotor 750



Externally: All schiumatoi the Lucks can be install to you to flank of the Aquarius (Berlin Red Sea, Shuran and ATK), and the schiumatoi to spread managed from pump (Knop, Sander). The pump in some cases is posizionata within the Aquarius in others outside. The schiumatoi nedle weel for being able to be posizionati externally they must be managed from two pumps (H&S To, Deltec, Aquamedic Turboflotor 5000). A pump with the brush impeller produces the air bubbles, an other has the task of feeding the column of contact with new water captured from the Aquarius.



The only one schiumatoio nedle weel that I know conceived in order to work externally hanging to the glass of the Aquarius and managed from a single pump is the Turboflotor 1000 Fines of the Aquamedic.

The Turboflotor 1000 Fines is one schiumatoio a lot poured them. It can directly be installed external hung the glass of the bathtub or in the sump.



An other schiumatoio that it is settled externally but is not true and just nedle weel (a air is inhaled but the brush impeller is not present) is the Cyclon produced from the Acquarium Systems (photo under). E' schiumatoio a much economic adapted for small Aquarius (100-150 liters) that it introduces of the interesting characteristics: the column is to triple room, circolatorio movement, the glass is planned with cure and all the structure is realized with stamps that of it confer good finishes. Unfortunately it is the much difficult calibration of the flow and that of it compromises the operation and the yield.
E' possible to carry out some modifications to the Cyclon in order to improve of the performances: enough to carry out a deep hole sul dello schiumatoio and to insert one porosa in wood nel inner tube more strait and to increase with a tube of little centimeters the distance between the glass and the column of contact. The result is a hybrid between one schiumatoio to aspiration and one to air diffuser, sufficiently efficient in order to manage small Aquarius with little fish. (Famous: The acquarium system is exited with the new Cyclon version, modified and more efficient regarding the previous model)

Cyclon of the Aquarium systems.



Also the Prizm of the Red Sea is one schiumatoio external hybrid. Compact and efficient it is adapted for small Aquarius medium.

Prizm of the Red Sea.



Sump: All the schiumatoi conceived for being do not use you inner, of height not too much excessive from not being able to be inserted in the piece of furniture, and that they do not only mount pumps for for external use only, they can be installs to you in the sump.

Installation in the sump.



They can be therefore installs some models to you of the Sander, Shuran, Red Sea, Deltec, H&S, Aquamedic.
Also schiumatoi the Tunze, also plans to you for for internal use only, being many bottoms can work also in the little water of the sump. Two single ones schiumatoi have the characteristic of being able to be only use you in the sump and not externally, the Turboflotor the 1000 with postpercolatore and 110 H&S F2000 and 115 F2001 (photo under).

Turboflotor 1000 and H&S F2000



Calibration of the schiumatoio
Some schiumatoi are fortified of taps for the regulation of the water and air flow.
Acting on the tap of the air the air amount is increased or diminished that immette in the contact column. Acting on the tap of the water the height of the level of the water to the inside of the column is increased or diminished. A perfect schiumazione (dark and dense) is obtained taking part on these two parameters.

Maintenance
Fundamental operation is the emptying of the glass and its taken care of one pulizia that it goes frequently carried out a lot (wanting also every day) with warm water and one brush (those in order to clean up the bottles). The pulizia it goes carried out also to the inside of the neck of the glass in how much, in this zone accumulates a layer of fat substances that inhibit the gone back one of the foam. The same patina goes removed also to the inside of the contact column, above all in the zone of the edge up. Irregularly it is well to take apart all the schiumatoio and to clean up all accurately the column, the tubes with one scovolo flexible and the impeller of the pumps.
Other operations to complete are pulizia of the cone the lucks and the tap of the air in schiumatoi the lucks, the substitution of the porose in wood of the schiumatoi to spread, and the control of integrity of the brush impeller in the schiumatoi nedle weel.

Which schiumatoio to choose
In order to determine the choice of the schiumatoio fundamental it is to consider the litraggio of the Aquarius and to define where it is possible to install it (inner, external, in the sump). I would avoid one chosen based on the cost, to acquire a schiumatoio is like making an investment, first or then it will make us sure to recover the moneies expenses.
Intentionally I have not considered the tipologia of animals that agree to raise, in how much I consider the Aquarius of only barrier marine the ethically conceivable one.
For Aquarius with a litraggio of approximately 100/150 liters the Sander or the Midiflotor of the Acquamedic, smallest of the range to lucks Tunze, or the Cyclon to aspiration can be chosen between some schiumatoi to spread like opportunely modified.
In the Aquarius with advanced litraggio, excluding the insufficient ones schiumatoi to spread, there are little efficient inner models of schiumatoi (Turboflotor 750 to nedle weel and Tunze to lucks), while for the schiumatoi external or those to insert in the sump there is the embarrassment of the choice. A light preference would have however to go towards the schiumatoi nedle weel.
Often it is felt to ask: "E' better one schiumatoio Aquamedic or one schiumatoio H&S, a H&S or a Deltec"
In truth this question does not have much sense, to fine a schiumatoio nedle weel it is not constituted from other that a pump with the brush impeller that is nearly always the usual (Eheim a 1250 or 1060 or Aqua Bee), from a transparent tube of pvc (the column of contact) and a glass. These simple characteristics do not make other that to confer the same performances.
In truth it is important to choose schiumatoio in connection with the performances supplied from the company the manufacturer, that they must be adapted to the own bathtub, and to the limit based on the price and some constructive shadings like as an example the shape of the glass. In kind the realization of the schiumatoi constructed industrially with stamps to warmth allows to a greater possibility of structural and aesthetic improvements in the realization of some details (glass, neck of the glass, cover of the glass, drainage of the water, etc), regarding those of the schiumatoi realizes to you with simple connections in pvc handicraft glue to you.

[The man]

Ps if you need a web page translated try altavista babelfish.
It will translate whole web pages.
As you can see its not perfect.