Customer Reviews

Aqueon Coralife 05271 Super Skimmer with Pump, 65-Gallon

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been running this skimmer on a 30 gallon tank for over a week now, it really works great. The skimmer only took 24 hours to break-in and now is pulling some dark smelly skimmate from my tank. I can see how easy it is to overflow the unit, which would be a problem for a hang on tank setup. It is easy to add an overflow modification to the collection cup. It was a little tricky to get the water level set right, but it is running great now. I would definitely recommend this skimmer to anyone. I purchased from petsolutions for $91 with shipping.

This skimmer is probably the cheapest skimmer I could find for my 55 gal reef tank. And it works well. I'm sure you get what you pay for in some things, so itsn't as robust as some of the other skimmers. But does the trick. I empty the skimmer about twice a week. It hooks up fine. Only beef I have with it is that you need to unplug the unit before unscrewing the top collection bin to empty it. I always clean it with some paper towels when emptying it cause it gets a little stinky. I'd recommend this product to anyone doing thier first reef tank. Cause it's affordable. And we all know how expensive salt water tanks can be.

I purchased this skimmer to replace a Prizm skimmer. I am so much happier with it. It's been running for 2 years now and is going strong.
My main gripe with it is its adjustable flow-rate. It does have a dial for adjusting flow-rate, but I can't set it low enough. I run it on the lowest setting continuously. Many, many times after cleaning the skimmer and/or tank, the skimmer will fill the collection cup quickly with clean water. After the first filled cup or so, it settles back to the proper flow-rate and starts collecting scum again instead of tank water. Other than that, I'm happy. It fills the collection cup weekly, and the rate of skimmate (sp?) collection increases visibly every time I feed my fish, so it's very responsive.

Before purchasing this product, I read a lot of reviews online about it, and it sounded like a lot of people had problems setting it up, then had problems getting it to run right...but for me it was a breeze to setup, and it has worked like a charm ever since! It took it about 3 or 4 days to break in, but ever since then its worked great for me. For the price, you definately can't go wrong! At first I was worried that I wasted my money, but I haven't regretted it once! I would definately recommend this item to anyone!

Right out the box it took me a while to hook up this skimmer, guess it was easier looking at the photos on the box and assemble this unit. First putting it in the tank, it produced lots of bubbles both in the unit and most of all in the tank wow what a mess!! I have a 55g salt water with corals and fish I needed something to work well with my investments, anyway, I found out that the shorter house that's connected to the pump works best and produced right mixture of air and water, after running this thing for 3 days the fourth day it just magically start working as it should, it did say a break in period, just leave it turn off the light and go do something else. I did not have to cut anything to make it work, just a little patience that I didn't have at all, so leave the bubbles in the tank alone, I only had the inflow valve set on half, then when it start working well I opened it to full, and with the red water level was set to almost between 80-90%, hope this makes sense, but no bubbles in my tank at all, water is crystal clear and clean. I had the Prizm red sea skimmer and thought I had a good skimmer until I go this one, oh my gosh I emptied the cup 5 days after it started working properly, some serious gunk in there real dark green and smelly, it was pulling out stuff like a sewer, to really clean the cup you need to unplug and unscrew the cup then wash it, but there is also a leak valve at the bottom of the cup, there is a small tube for this, and that's what I use when I don't want to unplug and fully clean, this skimmer is so quiet and smoother, only sound you hear is the little bubbles going back into the tank from the bubble diffuser. I have been running it for 2 weeks now and no problem just save all your tubing and connections. Its a bit bulky expecially above my T5 light.

This product's warranty is for one year. My pump lasted one year and a few days. Now I get to buy a replacement pump for $50. YAY

I'd look for one used locally, though. They're all over the place.

There are certainly WAAAAAY better skimmers out there, and I would recommend spending the extra money on one. It makes a big difference in the long run.

I got a larger aquarium and so needed a bigger skimmer. I had been using a Remora that had worked wonderfully and was easy to use. This skimmer is lacking in everything except cost.

Pro
-cheap

Con
-poor design
-cannot use on a tank with a hood. The canister is larger than the base. I had the Remora on a hooded tank
-cannot empty cup without unplugging. I can remove the collector from the Remora without turning off.
-difficult to empty. To empty the collection cup you have to unscrew it from the main unit, which hanging on the back of the tank is EXTREMELY difficult. The Remora I could just lift the collection cup, dump it and replace it-30 seconds max.
-noisy. Sounds like a Yamaha 50 motorcycle. The Remora you only hear the water spray. This one sucks air down a tube to the pump where it is mixed with the water from the tank and directed into the chamber. The Remora sprays water under pressure directly into the chamber just above water level so it creates the foaming there.
-no clamps included. The Remora came with hose clamps so the pump doesn't fall off, since it is under pressure. Come on, clamps would have cost them about 10 cents extra.
-overflows when cup is full. The top of the inlet in the cup is about 1/4" from the lid, so when it is full, foam comes out the holes in the lid and leaks down the side onto the floor. The Remora is about 3/4" from the lid so when it's full it just stays in the chamber.
-not effective. The collection cup in the Remora was always filled with some really nasty protein, but so far this hasn't been cleaning out much at all.

Summary
After spending good money for aquarium and livestock, don't skimp on junk like this. Get a good one. This has been nothing but an eyesore (since I can't put the hood on properly) and a waste of time (to empty the cup) and a waste of money (since it doesn't work as well). I think it's time for me to replace it.