# best nano skimmer?



## alanhk66

what is the best nano skimmer for 15g tank?

tunze 9002 skimmer??

please post any comments for any of your nano skimmer


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## sig

why would you need HOB skimmer for 15G

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## alanhk66

any good HOB skimmer?



sig said:


> why would you need HOB skimmer for 15G


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## tomsfish

PM me I got brand new set with pump for sale. Made in Taiwan.


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## liz

weekly water changes is all that you need for a tank of that size.


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## ameekplec.

The last time I was looking for one, the Tunze 9002 was tried and true, but there are a lot of options nowadays. Now that equipment manufacturers have clued in that nano reefers will pay just as much (if not more....) for their setups as the big reefs do, almost every maker has some "nano" sized skimmer option.

FWIW, I still use a 9002 on my 20g tank. Small footprint makes it easy to fit into a non-drilled non-AIO tank, and the form factor hides it nicely in such a tank.

Also, WCs aren't always the only answer - sometimes the smallest bit helps. On my 30g setup (20 main, 10g sump), I used a skimmer and it did a great deal


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## alanhk66

if you are using 9002 on your 20g tank, is it hard to keep up the water level on a non-drilled, non-AIO tank?



ameekplec. said:


> The last time I was looking for one, the Tunze 9002 was tried and true, but there are a lot of options nowadays. Now that equipment manufacturers have clued in that nano reefers will pay just as much (if not more....) for their setups as the big reefs do, almost every maker has some "nano" sized skimmer option.
> 
> FWIW, I still use a 9002 on my 20g tank. Small footprint makes it easy to fit into a non-drilled non-AIO tank, and the form factor hides it nicely in such a tank.
> 
> Also, WCs aren't always the only answer - sometimes the smallest bit helps. On my 30g setup (20 main, 10g sump), I used a skimmer and it did a great deal


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## alanhk66

one of the members here told me to use the regular filter for my 15g tank

just wondering any comments about this?


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## ameekplec.

For nutrient export or biological filtration? 

Filters are good for catching crap and breaking down stuff in the water, but they do nothing to take it directly out of the water. You have to remove the media and clean it to export those nutrients out of the water.

Skimmers on the other hand actually remove stuff from the water into another waste receptacle, so the offending crud doesn't continue to break down and add to the nitrates and phosphates in the tank.

The water level maintenance isn't bad since the tank is mostly covered - otherwise I'd use an ATO to keep water levels maintained.


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## alanhk66

if this is the case, would you recommend to have weekly water change other than using skimmer?



ameekplec. said:


> For nutrient export or biological filtration?
> 
> Filters are good for catching crap and breaking down stuff in the water, but they do nothing to take it directly out of the water. You have to remove the media and clean it to export those nutrients out of the water.
> 
> Skimmers on the other hand actually remove stuff from the water into another waste receptacle, so the offending crud doesn't continue to break down and add to the nitrates and phosphates in the tank.
> 
> The water level maintenance isn't bad since the tank is mostly covered - otherwise I'd use an ATO to keep water levels maintained.


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## ameekplec.

Weekly water changes are a must in my experience, especially for small tanks, but as I said, the addition of a skimmer gives you a little more help between water changes to keep nutrient levels in check.


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## TankCla

I have a Rio Nano Skimmer on my 10G. It is cheap 40$ and works perfect. With this skimmer I do WC every 2 weeks.

Skimmer is a must for any reef tank. Eventually your tank will crash only with wc. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ameekplec.

TankCla said:


> Skimmer is a must for any reef tank. Eventually your tank will crash only with wc.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well, I wouldn't go that far - I;ve seen enough reef tanks that don't run skimmers and look better than a lot of tech'ed up reefs.

The key is really not relying on a single thing to maintain parameters. However, when you're talking about a tank as small as 15g where a single 5g water change changes 30% of the water volume, secondary and tertiary filtration methods become less important.

That being said, a "well stocked" nano will require much more filtration and maintenance than a sparsely stocked 15g frag tank - to each their own set of requirements.


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## alanhk66

any comment about AquaMaxx HOB-1 VS deltec mce 300 skimmer based on performance??


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## WiseGuyPhil

1+ On weekly water changes, however I would use caution when using a skimmer on such a small tank for 2 reasons.

1. You can remove too much nutrients from the tank. Generally nanos do not have a refugium to provide food for corals so much of the nutrients that help corals thrive will be removed from the tank keep your copepod count relatively low. 

Another example is if you dose phyto. Most of it will be removed by the skimmer before it can be consumed and because there is a lot less water to cycle through, your not getting the full benefits of the plankton (unless you shut of the skimmer for a long period of time.

2. Most of the "dirty water" will be removed in the weekly water changes anyways. You are going to need to weekly water changes anyways to keep trace elements and calcium/mag/dkh levels in check.

My suggestion (again this is just a suggestion) is to use small amount of biopellets. While water changes will add the good stuff back in, the nitrates and phosphates will be absorbed by the biomedia. Additionally, your investing on a small reactor that can be used on another tank or be used for carbon etc...


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## d3rsk

I have the Hydor Nano Skimmer running and its doing well. It is very quiet and well built. 

Very easy to set up as well. 

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## liz

alanhk66 said:


> any comment about AquaMaxx HOB-1 VS deltec mce 300 skimmer based on performance??


I have heard good things on RC about the HOB-1 and I can tell you from experience that the Deltec 300 is overpriced acrylic that is noisey and not a good performer at all.


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## alanhk66

yea you are right, deltec mce 300 skimmer is little overpriced but this skimmer can fit in maxijet 1200. it might not have alternative pump for aquamaxx HOB-1 skimmer.

anyone heard about AquaC Remora skimmer? lowest price compare to those 2?



liz said:


> I have heard good things on RC about the HOB-1 and I can tell you from experience that the Deltec 300 is overpriced acrylic that is noisey and not a good performer at all.


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