Is there a nano skimmer that doesn't suck?

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I waffled back and forth on this o

I muddled about with a couple before I settled on the Magtool DCSQ-70SLIM For my 32 gallon AIO

a couple of things:

1. I had to mount sideways to get it to fit.
2. It’s a bit finicky about water level. I got it before I installed an ATO and it was a bit of a pain to get it consistently skimming.

now: works well.

i waffled back and forth between this and the mini q on my 14

For my 14 I went back and forth between the mag tool and the bubble magus. Put simply I figure the magtool was Chinese trash and left it be.

But now I am getting ready to replace the icecap K1 nano heap I have in my 25 with a algea scrubber.

Gonna have to waffle back and forth between the undersized miniq and this magtool, I suspect. Slightly undersized plus an algea scrubber isn't a bad way to go. But the mag tool looks nice and I like that some hobby reefers I respect are starting to recommend it.

 

[Atalien2005]

I also have two of the Magtool skimmers. One is being used on my IM50 and the other on my IM10. Hands down, the Magtool is the best nano skimmer I’ve seen. I had to modify the screw to get the DCSQ-70 to fit in the IM50 and I completely removed the hanging bracket on the DCSQ-70slim to fit in the IM10.

 

[rennjidk]

I ended up getting the mini q due to its small size and being cheaper than the magtool.

 

[dmsc2fs]

 

[vetteguy53081]

Unfortunately the tunze 9001 is out because it won't fit in my sump. Every other nano I look at, and I've seen a lot, seems to have a 3 star rating or worse.

As I often do, I highly recommend the Ice Cap K1-50 - looks and works like a full size skimmer

 

[rennjidk]

Couple of questions for you Mini Q owners, why I'm a getting a large number micro bubbles, and will the skim eventually dry out? I realize there is a break in period, but it's been a week and this thing fills the cup every 3 days with just lightly tinted water. I have the knob turned all the way down and the skimmer is in a chamber where the water level doesn't move. It's set right at the indicator line on the side of the skimmer. It's also throwing so many micro bubbles it looks like a co2 diffused planted tank. Any tips? Thanks.

 

[areohen]

Couple of questions for you Mini Q owners, why I'm a getting a large number micro bubbles, and will the skim eventually dry out? I realize there is a break in period, but it's been a week and this thing fills the cup every 3 days with just lightly tinted water. I have the knob turned all the way down and the skimmer is in a chamber where the water level doesn't move. It's set right at the indicator line on the side of the skimmer. It's also throwing so many micro bubbles it looks like a co2 diffused planted tank. Any tips? Thanks.

It took mine 3 weeks to get it fully dialed in. I would suggest taking out the drain plug and turn the dial all the way up to the highest setting and let that run for 1 week. That will help break in the skimmer. You're going to get micro bubbles until the unit is fully broken in. Bubbles are good for you tank anyways. After the week, put the plug back in and change the setting down to the lowest and adjust as needed. If the cup still fills up on the lowest setting, raise the skimmer higher.

 

[paragrouper]

It took mine 3 weeks to get it fully dialed in. I would suggest taking out the drain plug and turn the dial all the way up to the highest setting and let that run for 1 week. That will help break in the skimmer. You're going to get micro bubbles until the unit is fully broken in. Bubbles are good for you tank anyways. After the week, put the plug back in and change the setting down to the lowest and adjust as needed. If the cup still fills up on the lowest setting, raise the skimmer higher.

This is essentially what I had to do to get my Magtool running. Once I got it at a good level, I adjusted my ATO to keep the water level there as well.

 

[rennjidk]

It took mine 3 weeks to get it fully dialed in. I would suggest taking out the drain plug and turn the dial all the way up to the highest setting and let that run for 1 week. That will help break in the skimmer. You're going to get micro bubbles until the unit is fully broken in. Bubbles are good for you tank anyways. After the week, put the plug back in and change the setting down to the lowest and adjust as needed. If the cup still fills up on the lowest setting, raise the skimmer higher.

Forgive me, but do you mean let it flow back into the tank until its broken in, or set up a collection bottle with the drain hose?

 

[Reef.]

No there isn't. A nano skimmer doesn't even make a lot of sense because there is not enough space to get dry foam. A skimmer needs a minimum size to be efficient.
There are better options of removing nutrients in nano tanks.

I’m being to believe this, looked at a few reviews on YT, the skim on all I’ve seen are light in colour, I guess if you buy them for their other benefits apart from removing nutrients, they could be useful.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

For what it is worth, I am a fan of the Eshopps, I guess you can call it gen 2 nano. The one with the white Sicce pump. I have a couple of those and have been really happy. The configuration is a little big though because you need 4.5 inches the long way. For me it pulls just like a big skimmer although you have to empty the cup every other day.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I still have a mame glass one in a box. They aren't too shabby.

 

[areohen]

Forgive me, but do you mean let it flow back into the tank until its broken in, or set up a collection bottle with the drain hose?

Yes, let it just flow right back into the chamber.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Use the drain hose. But just let it run right back into the tank.

 

[blaxsun]

Most nano skimmers suck; the IM nano skimmer really sucks; the IceCap, Bubble Magus and Tunze are among the best.

 

[Rocktron1]

My aqua excell nano works well in waterbox 25
One correct height is set it works a treat

 

[Reef.]

Look up the Magtool MT-SQ50 on Amazon, it will be a real tight fit, but I think you might be able to fit it in the secondary chamber. I have one on my 50 IM and it has far surpassed my expectations. I previously had the Icecap K1 Nano that was absolute garbage.

The dimensions for the MT-SQ50 is L2.78" x W3.7", H 13.8".

I had to elevate it little bit higher using some foam and frag tiles, which allowed me to run the pump at about 50% max power. Because of that, I consistently get a real nice, dark skimmate in the 2 months I've had it.

That is some dark skim, how long did it take to fill?

 

[LuizW13]

That is some dark skim, how long did it take to fill?

I'd say about 4 days.

But I get that dark skim by raising it higher than can be done with the hang-on bracket. I'm not sure if you can easily see, but in the picture where it's installed, I placed a half inch-ish foam, and 3 frag tiles on top of the light fixture mount, then placed the skimmer mount on top of that. That let me increase the power of the pump about 20% to 50% max power.

I'm going to have to figure a different way of elevating the skimmer, maybe I'll just create a an egg crate stand- I bought a T5 hybrid fixture, and won't have the current light fixture mount to place those frag tiles on anymore.