What skimmer should I get?
- Thread starter Crush
- Start date
as I have one for sale too.
You should include brand names so people know which skimmers you are talking about, and post in a more appropriate forum. This forum is for selling stuff...
The ViaAqua Multi-Skimmer and the Fission Nano skimmer are generally considered a waste of money. If you like to constantly fiddle with poorly made skimmer parts to get them to produce, then these two budget skimmers are for you. You would be better off just doing aggressive 25%/week water changes instead so you do not fool yourself into thinking that your skimmer is helping.
A skimmer should be considered the "heart" of your filtration system. An efficient skimmer is going to remove most of the excess nutrients in your system so they do not build up so readily over time. Combined with aggressive water changes and strong flow to keep detritus suspended, a skimmer can really help prevent climbing nitrate levels that new hobbyists often experience after 1-2 years of having their tank up.
For this reason, and to prevent having to spend more money in the long run by upgrading, I would suggest investing good money in a well-built, efficient skimmer now. When buying a nano skimmer, the old mantra " You get what you pay for" certainly applies.
The $140 Remora Nano HOB skimmer is well built and appropriately sized for a 20g, but considered by many to be noisy and not a fantastic producer. However, there are ways of quieting the skimmer a bit, and if you make sure the skimmer is level (using a bubble level) when you install the skimmer, you will have better results.
The $150 Tunze 9002 skimmer is probably a better choice, but hangs on the inside of the tank. It is considerably less bulky than the remora, quiet, and a decent performer. For $200 you can get the Tunze Reefpack 200 which includes a filtration unit (for carbon) with the 9002 with a strong magnet holder. Not a necessary purchase, but you would have your tank filtration solved with one compact assembly.
The $200 Warner Marine H1 skimmer is a great choice. Albeit more expensive, the H1 is probably more of a producer than the Tunze 9002. You also do not have the pump hanging in the tank like the Remora, which is nice. Not sure if it is noisy or not. I think there is a hands on review thread of this skimmer on nano-reef or reef-central. I would definitely consider this skimmer if you are really serious about getting the gunk out of your 20g tank.
The $300 Warner Marine H2, the $300 Deltec MCE300, the $300 Bermuda Rogue, the $350 C&C 125H, and the $550 Deltec MCE600 are all top shelf HOB skimmers, but not correctly sized for a 20g.
The ViaAqua Multi-Skimmer and the Fission Nano skimmer are generally considered a waste of money. If you like to constantly fiddle with poorly made skimmer parts to get them to produce, then these two budget skimmers are for you. You would be better off just doing aggressive 25%/week water changes instead so you do not fool yourself into thinking that your skimmer is helping.
A skimmer should be considered the "heart" of your filtration system. An efficient skimmer is going to remove most of the excess nutrients in your system so they do not build up so readily over time. Combined with aggressive water changes and strong flow to keep detritus suspended, a skimmer can really help prevent climbing nitrate levels that new hobbyists often experience after 1-2 years of having their tank up.
For this reason, and to prevent having to spend more money in the long run by upgrading, I would suggest investing good money in a well-built, efficient skimmer now. When buying a nano skimmer, the old mantra " You get what you pay for" certainly applies.
The $140 Remora Nano HOB skimmer is well built and appropriately sized for a 20g, but considered by many to be noisy and not a fantastic producer. However, there are ways of quieting the skimmer a bit, and if you make sure the skimmer is level (using a bubble level) when you install the skimmer, you will have better results.
The $150 Tunze 9002 skimmer is probably a better choice, but hangs on the inside of the tank. It is considerably less bulky than the remora, quiet, and a decent performer. For $200 you can get the Tunze Reefpack 200 which includes a filtration unit (for carbon) with the 9002 with a strong magnet holder. Not a necessary purchase, but you would have your tank filtration solved with one compact assembly.
The $200 Warner Marine H1 skimmer is a great choice. Albeit more expensive, the H1 is probably more of a producer than the Tunze 9002. You also do not have the pump hanging in the tank like the Remora, which is nice. Not sure if it is noisy or not. I think there is a hands on review thread of this skimmer on nano-reef or reef-central. I would definitely consider this skimmer if you are really serious about getting the gunk out of your 20g tank.
The $300 Warner Marine H2, the $300 Deltec MCE300, the $300 Bermuda Rogue, the $350 C&C 125H, and the $550 Deltec MCE600 are all top shelf HOB skimmers, but not correctly sized for a 20g.
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