Customer Reviews

AquaticLife Internal Mini Skimmer 115 - up to 30 gal. - 3 in x 3.25 in x 10.5 in

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After the breaking in period I have been able to get this skimmer to produce reasonably dry, dark skimmate. I don't have to adjust it much and it is surprisingly tolerant of small changes in the water level. It is working well for me in the refugium of a 30 gallon setup that I did not need aggressive skimming for. I don't notice too much of a microbubble problem but I don't have this in the main tank anyway. I think most people looking for a small skimmer for a nano system would be pleased with this product. The only downside is that the water inlet is not near the surface to help with surface skimming, but most skimmers overlook this.

I would like to add that although the description says "hang on tank or suction" it should more accurately say hang in tank or suction as it is an internal, submersible type skimmer.

This is a great bargain. One of the few times you get more than what you paid for. It took about three days to get some green skimmate. After about a week it really kicked in and started getting real dark green skimmate with brown gunk. I use it on my 30 gal saltwater tank. It does release micro bubbles into the tank but it lessens once the unit breaks in. I have had it for two weeks now and it has really cleaned up my water. I would without hesitation recommend this to a friend. It came fully assembled. When it arrived all I had to do was install the suction cup brackets and the HOT bracket. Had it up and running in less than 5 minutes.

It's an incredible Mini Skimmer; I use it in a 20 gal. aquarium and now I have less algae and healthy fishes.
The collector cup receive yellow to brown water that indicates Skimmer work perfectly.

I have probably written two reviews in 15 years including this one. I just don't usually bother but, this skimmer is so amazing! I have had my 29 Bio Cube for 5 years and after a bad experience with another brand I had just given up on the idea.

Wow, this thing worked right out of the box. I put it in the tank, adjusted it so that the bubbles were coming about half way up the tube and just left it alone. It started working fairly well right away and after a week, I was pulling a ton of nasty stuff! I have had it about a month now and the skim-mate is amazing and my corals have never looked this good.

I would recommend this to anyone. I could not be happier!

works GREAT! only took a couple days to get a good foam going and is working better and better each day! i was able to squeeze it into the back of my 29g biocube in the overflow which is GREAT...especially after reading the bad reviews on the oceanic skimmer!! i had to take out the pre filter but i moved it on top of the bio balls and i also have a bag of chemi-pure charcoal on the top of that which keeps my water crystal clear!! now all thats left to do is watch and wait for my nitrates to start dropping!

I purchased this skimmer for my 24 gallon resun dms 500. It fits well in the third slot. Skimmer took about 2 days of adjusting it, to get it producing foam. It now produces some wet dark green skim. The skimmer does the job very nicely for the price paid, and such a small volume tank. I do not have a problem with bubble since it run through the post filter sponge before being pumped back into tank. The only complaint is the air flow knob it hard to turn.

Great little skimmer for smaller tanks. Takes a few days to really start working well. Very Happy w/purchase. I use it in a 10 gallon sump. The main aquarium is 29 gallon.

The skimmer is easy to use with only one or two possible adjustments. The two different methods for mounting made it easy to mount in my sump tank. Once placing the skimmer at the appropriate depth and adjusting the intake valve, I was removing wet scum from the overflow container within a day or so.

I bought this skimmer for use in a 10 gallon sump for my 29 gallon nano reef. My previous skimmer was just too big and took up valuable real estate in my sump. This tiny skimmer not only frees up more space but imo outperforms my previous setup as well. I saw one reviewer who complained about the adjustment knob being smooth and the only notch in it facing the collection cup. well either they received a defective unit or they have the flow knob turned in a complete 360. the knob is smooth but mine turns with no issues and the notch is pointing outward so you have a spot to grip. My only complaint with the unit is the air intake does make a slurping sound, not incredibly loud but I guess I have an issue with irritating sounds! This is easily fixed for anyone who is also annoyed by this. take a very small piece of filter foam, using tweezers or something else that will fit and insert the foam into the mouth of the intake tube......ding ding, no more slurping and air flow/reaction chamber bubble output is not affected at all. Now the skimmer is nearly silent.

I was very pleased to find this...its perhaps the only skimmer that will work with the marineland filter/light/top combo (that is, without having to spend more money installing a sump). I inserted this into the corner of my 29 gallon tank and found that it didn't take much room at all. It took about 3 days to break it in. At first it spewed millions of micro bubbles into the tank (apparently it takes time for the innards of the machine to get slimy...until then many of the bubbles have nothing to stick to and therefore shoot out into the tank). I kept adjusting it, until I finally just left it alone to do its thing. After 2 days it produced an opaque liquid; on the 3rd day - and ever since then - it has produced thick, brown skimmate.
There are a few irritations that prompt me to give this unit 4 stars and not 5. The adjustment knob lacks grooves and is very difficult to turn in a tight spot. I have to use needle-nose pliers to turn the knob. The collection cup sits very tightly on top of the unit, and can be a bit of a pain to pull off. Moving it to and fro then of course moves the whole unit as well, which pulls the box from its suction cups. Emptying the cup invariably ends with my hands in the tank trying to reattach the box to the suction cups.
That said, this skimmer has worked beyond my expectations. Highly recommended!