Update on Nano Skimmer

[FrankB1]

First I want to apologize to Roger Vitko for being short in my recent post in this forum. The day had not been good with getting items for my reef. The first package I opened that day was an auto top off unit which was entirely the wrong one which was then followed by the skimmer with a small piece broken. I easily repaired the piece and set up the skimmer in my sump. My water level in the sump is not quite high enough to properly run the skimmer so I rasied it temporarly to eval the skimmer. The skimmer is working great!

I plan on attaching one of the Sure Grip Magnet powerhead holders to the skimmer and doing away with the bracket so I can run my sump at a lower water level.

Anyway, the skimmer is skimming its hiney off!

 

[easye123]

which skimmer?

any pics?

 

[Newreeflady]

Frank,

-What size tank is this on?

-What is the noise level of the skimmer with compare to others you've used?

How high, exactly, does the water level need to be to use it with the included equipment?

Can you compare the performance to other skimmers you've used?

I have a 36g bow (probably about 44g total water volume) that i'm running a CPR Bakpak on in my sump. It is noisy, microbubbles are insane, and i've yet to see skimmate (to be fair, it's only been a week, but darn, seems there should be something by now.)

I was looking at the Tunze products but the $$ was too high, but the Nano is in my range so i'm interested to hear if this might be a good investment for this size tank (Although stock is subjective, I do not like to overstock so my bioload shouldn't be insane or anything.)

Thanks!
Angela

 

[smatter]

I run a 9002 in my 37 gallon and it is a much better skimmer than the Bak Pak. It is quiet, and I have never seen a microbubble come out of it. It does not require constant adjustment either, just set it up and it skims. It requires about 8 inches of water to work effectively.
I have used several of the CPR products in the past, including the Bak Pak and the SR2 in-sump model. I have also used the Aqua C Urchin and Remora. The 9002 is clearly the winner for performance, ease of use, and cleaning.

 

[FrankB1]

NewReefLady,


The skimmer is on a 20 gal that is my living room. The noise level is quite low. I have not had other skimmers so I can not compare, all I know that its not even noticable when I watch TV etc. I think the operating depth is somewhere between 7 and 8.5 inches. Sorry that I do not have pictures. I would like to get a digital camera so I could post pics.

 

[Quatro]

Well,

I just picked up one for my nano too, and maybe it's new, but mine is pretty noisy. I would compare it to prizm, but not quite as loud as a remora. It's more of an air sound, not a pump sound. Hopefully it breaks and and quiets down, but so far it has been a battle trying to find the right height. It keeps overflowing and there's definately microbubbles. Also, I find the housing kind of cheap, it's just a flimsy plastic. I've got the reefpack 200, btw.

Sorry to thread jack, but thought my initial responses might be helpful to some....

I'll post some pictures soon, so everyone can see what I'm talking about....

 

[Quatro]

Well, there it overflows again, arg.

Hey Roger (?) Any ideas?

 

[Quatro]

ok,

I took it all apart and it seemed like the airline tube got pinched, that was making it overflow and become extra noisy.

It's still kinda noisy though, and there are mircrobubbles, but I think those might go away. I'll post some pictures anyways, and update in a few days...

 

[Quatro]

Microbubbles

Skimmer in tank

 

[Newreeflady]

Sounds great,

but just found out that I can't use it because my sump water level is too high.

Thanks for the help, though.

Angela

 

[Quatro]

Angela,

The skimmer is adjustable, so if you have a high water level in the sump, ie. 8 inches or more, you can adjust the height of the skimmer to about 8in.

Everyone else,

Sorry about the fuss, my air tube got tangled and caused all sorts of problems, but I think the issue is resolved, much quieter and breaking in properly now.

 

[smatter]

You'll like it, just give it time for the oils from the manufacturing process to break down. then you should be able to turn up the air. When you are used to acrylic equipment, the plastic does seem a little flimsy, I can assure you that it is quite durable.

 

[Quatro]

Hey smatter,

Yeah I think I will too. I forgot that skimmers need a break in period. I've used a Euro-reef CS5-2, remora, prizm, and CPR bacpak, different tanks, this Tunze is for a 12 gallon custom.

Are there lots of bigger bubbles in the riser? I seem to have lots of large 1/4-1/2 inch bubbles mixed in with small <1mm bubbles? Probably just breaking in still....

The size is just perfect! Even in smaller tanks, it won't take up too much room, and you won't have anything haning off the sides!

 

[smatter]

The bubbles get larger as they rise, it is normal.