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12 Jan 2019

Deltec Launches New Protein Skimmers

Posted By : Guest

Protein Skimmers are a general name within the marine hobby for pieces of equipment that are designed to remove waste materials and proteins from the water column by a process called foam fractionation. In general terms a protein skimmer works by introducing high levels of air bubbles through a body of water containing waste materials. The waste and proteins are attracted to the air water interface and flow upwards with the surface where they can be collected. The larger the volume of air and the smaller the bubbles then the more surface area that is available to attract the proteins and the more efficient the skimmer.

There are two philosophies regarding the control of waste in a marine aquarium. One is to is to have an average performing protein skimmer to take out some of the protein but also have a large amount of biological filtration to deal with the resulting breakdown from the remainder. This type of system will normally lead to a trend for rising nitrate levels and clean-ish rather than truly clean water.

The second way and the preferred Deltec method is to install a highly efficient protein skimmer that removes the majority of waste before it breaks down thus requiring less biological filtration and resulting in a lower level of nitrate that is much easier to cope with by the reducing bacteria in the system.

Deltec is known throughout the world for making protein skimmers in Germany with extreme high performance. They use a unique, highly developed and patented pin wheel system which produces a water air mix unequalled by other brands. As the water and air enter the skimmer pump they pass through the Deltec pinwheel. This is designed to fit within the pump housing so that very little water and air passes by it without being totally smashed up and mixed together.

Many manufacturers try to copy the Deltec pinwheel system but do not really understand the details that make them perform like they do. It has taken 20 years of development to perfect the Deltec range of protein skimmers.

Deltec has launched a new innovative skimmer series which will be available in South Africa in early 2019, known as the Deltec i-Series. With many new features, the new skimmers which include the 400i, 600i, 1000i and a beefy 1500i will still carry that signature deltec white acrylic construction, but now have a much improved outflow design through the base plate.

The Deltec i-series has a great set of improvements compared to its predecessor, the SC series. With this new internal skimmer series your aquarium will enjoy the best skimmer performance possible against the highest efficiency. The Deltec `i` DC pump and `ix` AC pump range of protein skimmers incorporate a new emergency overflow system that prevents the collection cup from overflowing in the event that the sump water level suddenly exceeds the skimmers specified water depth or the air intake becomes blocked.

As the water level rises within the protein skimmer body the air feed to the pump will shut off automatically via the emergency overflow further reducing the chance of foam flooding the cup if the water level in the sump should ever rise due to a return pump failure. The new protein skimmers also include minimum and maximum adjustment level marks on the outlet pipework for easy set up.

The `double base` footplate design allows water to exit the protein skimmer body into a void within the footplate and into the integrated level adjustment tube and the emergency overflow tube. This new design feature means that water will exit the protein skimmer body at the lowest point greatly reducing the chance of micro bubbles escaping the body, increasing air- water contact time and also reducing noise and turbulence within the protein skimmer body.

Due to waste accumulation and calcium carbonate build up protein skimmer pumps generally have to perform in a harsh environment and need to be cleaned periodically to maintain peak performance. With this in mind Deltec have incorporated a quick tool less removal system for the pump allowing for easy disassembly, in tests Deltec have been able to remove a pump for cleaning in less than 20 seconds meaning less time spent maintaining equipment and more time to enjoy your aquarium.

Features:

New footplate design allowing water to return through the footplate to aid degassing and reduce turbulence within the body
Highly efficient cylinder body
New Deltec developed emergency overflow system with water level indicator
Whisper quiet operation
Extremely low power consumption
Quick and easy removal of the pump
Variable adjustable DC pump
Manual self cleaning head

Nevertheless the new Deltec protein skimmers are much improved and even dare I say it, beautiful, and we look forward for their availability in South Africa very soon.