Fish Health - Foam Protein Skimmers and Fluid Beds

Health main page

F.A.Q.
Checklist

Aeration
Aeromonas Hydrophila
Ammonia Test Errors
Anaesthetics
Anchor Worm
Bacterial Additives
Blanket Weed
Carp Pox
Cat Damage
Costia (killer)
Columnaris
Common Myths
Cryptobia
Dermocystidium
Dropsy
Dystocia
(Egg Compaction)

Fat Fish
Fish Louse
Foam
Food/Feeding
Furunculosis
Gill Bleeding
Gill Disease
Gill Maggots
Goldfish Ulcers
Hexamita
Leeches
Lymphocystis
Mechanical Fish
Mechanical Injury
Microscope page
Milky Skin
Mouth Cancer
Myxozoa
My Fish Jumped
Neon Tetra Disease
Ozone
pH Crash
Popeye
Post Mortems
Quarantine
Salt
Sepsis
Skin Cancer
Spawning
Sturgeon
SupaVerm
Surgery
Swim Bladder
Tapeworm
Tonic Salt
Tuberculosis
Tumours
Ulcers
Vitamin C
Water Filters
Water Fungus
White Spot


foam on pond
foam on pond

Protein Skimmer
Skimmer

foam bucket
foam bucket
This occurs where water is disturbed or agitated by a venturi or waterfall and the resultant bubbles will drift around the surface until they burst. These bubbles retain their shape because of the stabilising properties of complex dissolved compounds within the water. Largely organic compounds build up in the water to levels which encourage stable bubbles to form. Dissolved organic compounds are a by-product of the metabolism of Koi and other aquatic organisms, and are deposited into solution.

Protein levels within the water can also rise through the inappropriate use of higher protein diets, which can leach other soluble compounds into the water, also leading to the formation of foam on the waters surface

My skimmer only works with the provided media. When I washed out the media after 2 weeks, it contained very brown smelly water, so when the skimmer is turned off don't allow the water to DRAIN back into your pond.

I found it very easy to clean - empty the media into large 5 gallon bucket, fill with pond water, swirl around and then remove the media with a plastic salad strainer and put back into cylinder, and then re-start.

When dismantling I found it easier with outlet pipe not being glued in place, so I could remove the outlet pipe and up and over pipe (as seen in demo pond), release the 3 holding clips and take the base and media away. No problem at all - took me 5 mins then restarted.