Introduction

Look into a freshwater aquarium and you will almost always see air bubbles coursing through the water from the bottom of the tank to the top. To the non-specialist these might appear to perform merely an oxygenation role, which, of course, is essential for piscine life. However, there is often, but not always, another function that helps to clear the water of detritus originating from fish and aquatic plants. Such units are known as “protein skimmers.”