Skimmer vs Sponge Filter

[SeattleReefer]

I have a ReefOctopus Classic 200 internal skimmer that cost me $300. It seems to do a good job and I have no complaints about it. I can easily adjust the bubble height to give me a nice dark skimmate. I have to empty the collection cup about once every 4-5 days and I usually clean it at the same time.

I also have a $1 foam filter attached to a $12 powerhead in my tank. It does a great job of concentrating the large floating particles in the tank. The foam filter is especially useful to clear cloudy water whenever I'm doing anything near the sandbed of the tank.

So which is more effective? Seems to me that if I clean the foam every 4-5 days and clean the skimmer every 4-5 days that I actually get MORE gunk from the foam filter than I do from the skimmer. And the foam filter traps larger particles which have not yet broken down. Sure, foam filters are unsightly in the tank but in terms of performance per dollar spent they greatly outperform a skimmer for nutrient export.




Thoughts?

 

[morpheas]

The skimmer is a superset of the sponge. Yes it traps particles too but the major contribution of it is trapping organics in the water/air interface of the bubbles and skimming them to the top. It will also not be as effective with larger particles because they simply won't make it on the overhead of the bubbles and into the cup. So apples and oranges pretty much...

 

[coxreefer]

I noticed when I use filter sponges my protein skimmer wont produce foam. Is it really working that good to not cause the skimmer to foam.