Lowering Nitrates

[Mr31415]

Sorry for going slightly off-topic - but I have a very good Deltec AP600 skimmer in my system and if I add a small piece of mechanical floss in the overflow within one day that thing becomes very dark brown from all the stuff in the water column. That is even with good skimming. Surely it is better to remove it than to leave it in the tank, since apparently the skimmer cannot get it all?

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8404616#post8404616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr31415
Sorry for going slightly off-topic - but I have a very good Deltec AP600 skimmer in my system and if I add a small piece of mechanical floss in the overflow within one day that thing becomes very dark brown from all the stuff in the water column. That is even with good skimming. Surely it is better to remove it than to leave it in the tank, since apparently the skimmer cannot get it all?

That floss is keeping the skimmer from getting it.

 

[jeffbrig]

Unless you're going to stand there and continuously change out the floss as it becomes discolored (before anything has a chance to break down), you're better off letting your skimmer pull it out of the water.