Nano Skimmer Comparison

[dstipple]

I currently an running a Hydor Slim Skim Nano in my JBJ 30g rimless cube. At first I was very satisfied with its silence, skimmate, and overall performance. But recently the noise has become louder and it is starting to spit out micro bubbles. I have cleaned it, re-positioned it, and tinkered with it and the problems continue. So I have been considering buying a new skimmer. The AquaticLife 115 mini protein skimmer, IM AquaGadget skimmer, and the Eshopps Nano Skimmer all look interesting and I have read good reviews on all of these. So if anyone has had one of these 4 skimmers and switched to another why did you do it and what were the pro/cons with them?

 

[terrypercula]

First thing I would do is call Hydor. My friend has one in his 29 that he bought off me and it runs like a top. If you have already called what did the say?

 

[TL1000RSquid]

I've got the Aquatic Life 115, for its price I'd say its not bad, skims very wet though no matter what i do. I've also got a Tunze which I think is great but its also 3x the cost of the 115.

 

[Mason321]

I ordered an Aquatic life 115 yesterday, I really hope its worth it. Another skimmer in that price range would be the Reef Octopus NS80, you may want to check it out,

 

[ryeguyy84]

I have the Aquaticlife 115 and I think i'm going to get rid of it for something else. I've had it for about 2 years and it's been great but recently where the airline connects to the pump it clogs monthly. this means that I have to remove the skimmer from my biocube for cleaning. it's a PITA to do. Before I give up I'm going to bore out the hole a little bit and see what happens. time to break out my 1/32" Dremel bit.

 

[cherubfish pair]

Does the Tunze 9002 or 9004 skimmers fit any of the AIOs?

 

[PrFishGirl]

I've been running the aquatic life 115 and I'm not sold on it. I've been running it over 2 weeks and still have micro bubbles and as much as I'm playing with it the skimmate isn't that great. I've been thinking of getting the tunze 9004.

 

[Hudds]

I'm running a Deltec mce300 HOB in my nano and is doing a great skimming job. It's very quite (not 100% silent though) and dead easy to adjust.

 

[summoner12]

I like my AquaMax HOB1. It is very quiet once it brakes in and you connect the airline to the opposite tube of the muffler it instructs you to in the manual. I really like the skimmer because it cleans easily and because of the plumbing I was able to make it fit the tank how I wanted it to. The inlet is 1/2" PVC so I made my own intake pipe that draws the water up from the middle partition of my 12g jbj and the return I made a bit different from stock so that it didn't blow bubbles down into the return pump. Yes I have a skimmer hanging off the back of a small tank, but it keeps the water super clean and is very quiet.

I would not suggest this skimmer if you want a 'clean look' as it is a HOB type.

 

[ryeguyy84]

I have the Aquaticlife 115 and I think i'm going to get rid of it for something else. I've had it for about 2 years and it's been great but recently where the airline connects to the pump it clogs monthly. this means that I have to remove the skimmer from my biocube for cleaning. it's a PITA to do. Before I give up I'm going to bore out the hole a little bit and see what happens. time to break out my 1/32" Dremel bit.

I got my aquatic life 115 back up and running better than ever.

This is the part that gets clogged

It seems to taper down from the intake side to the exhaust. That leads to clogging, so I just demeled the taper out.

It works better than ever.

This is what came out.