A skimmer is a device that removes disolved nutrients from the water.
How this works is by the skimmer creating a large amount of micro bubbles into a chamber that has water passing through it. The properties of salt warer means that these dissolved nutrients are attracted to air. So basically with all the saturated micro bubbles in the chamber, the nutrients will attach themsleves to the surface of the bubbles. These bubbles will then rise in the chanber and up into a collection cup where it forms a nasty looking borwn foam/liquid
The water that passes through the chamber is removed of nutrients and passes back into the tank much cleaner than before.
Skimmers only work in salt water hence why you never see Skimmers in Freshwater tanks.
This is basically how they work. I hope this helps a little, if you have any specific questions i will try and answer them (though skimmers is not my expertise )
That is so true... he is so cute sometimes I think he is jus the sweetest little boy... and then he goes and kills some small innocent creature living in his tank... or attacks the glass... or leads Bandit on "let's kill the magnetic algae cleaner" rampages...
I love that fishy Also! Whats the trigger called in your avatar? Petco has one of those for 119.99. Every time we go there she says Awwww look at the pretty blue fish, then i remind her their damsels lol.
Filtration will remove nutrients from the nitrogen cycle. So standard filters will convert Amoonia to Nitrite and then Nitrite to Nitrate.
Live rock will go 1 step further and convert Nitrate to Nitrogen.
Skimmers however will actually remove nutrients before it actually enters the ammonia cycle.
A good quality skimmer will remove nutrients and thus help lighten the load on filtration.
As for needing one.....
Well thats a huge debate!
I dont use one but that doesnt mean they are not good for marine tanks. I use a totally natural system which also uses Natural Sea water, this water carries trace eliments and living planktonic life that artificial salts dont carry. A skimmer can sometimes be a little too efficient and remove these trace eliments that i am lucky to carry in the water i use. So i decided not to use a skimer so that the corals and other lifeforms in the water will benefit .
P.S. Sorry for hogging the thread, i know this is not really connected with the Picassos )