RavenMind Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Hi. I'm hesitant to start another "which skimmer should I get" thread, but the ones I've read through haven't lead me to a conclusion. I'm setting up a new 20 gallon tank (no sump) and am on a very tight budget. Can anybody reccomend a skimmer that's under $50? These are the ones I've been looking at: AquaMedic Air Driven Skimmer AquaEuro needle wheel skimmer Rio Nano Counter Current Fission Nano VisiJet Berlin Air Lift Jebo 180 II Does anybody have any experiences with these, or others, that could provide some insight? Thanks!! Link to comment
basser1 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I'm not familiar with some of the ones you have listed, but you can scratch off the Nano Fission, it's completely worthless! If you're on a tight budget, I would just do regualr water changes, Save your money for a decent skimmer, IMO a good skimmer is a valuable piece of equipment. And as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for! One other suggestion is to look in the hardware classifieds for good used one, they do show up on occassion! OH BY THE WAY!!!!!!!! WELCOME!! Link to comment
iFISTmoose Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i have the taam rio, its only $29. the best $29 i have ever spent.!!!!!!!! Link to comment
flojophoto Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I got a sapphire aquatics skimmer for $75 new from ebay. Just jump on a good deal when you see one. if you go with a cheap skimmer you will end up paying more in the end. bc you will just throw it away then buy a good one. If you need to remove some nutrients I would suggest a phosphate and silicate remover called rowaphos. Link to comment
RavenMind Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Thanks basser1!!! Okay. I'll check out E-Bay and see what I can find and save up for a good one in the mean time. Thanks everyone!! Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 honestly, i would just pay more for a better skimmer. if you buy one for $30-40, chances are it isn't going to work very well and you will end up buying a new skimmer anyway. do it right the first time and spend at least $100. you can get the Tunze 9002 for a bit more than that right now with the group buy. Link to comment
Phixion Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 FYI, the Rio is $15 on Premium Aquatics right now. Clearance FTW!! The Fission works better in the trash, so mark that one off right quick! The Aqua-Euro is supposed to be pretty decent however, at least the one I saw on display at a local aquarium expo several months ago. Link to comment
JonathanS Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 FYI, the Rio is $15 on Premium Aquatics right now. Clearance FTW!! The Fission works better in the trash, so mark that one off right quick! The Aqua-Euro is supposed to be pretty decent however, at least the one I saw on display at a local aquarium expo several months ago. the fission is trash, i agree. Link to comment
helifaxnz Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I have a TAAM RIO. Had issues with it not keeping its suction, but found the problem recently and it is running like a dream. One of the best skimmers I've used. I would say almost as good as the big ones. Only drawback is that it doesn't have a surface skimmer. Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I have a TAAM RIO. Had issues with it not keeping its suction, but found the problem recently and it is running like a dream. One of the best skimmers I've used. I would say almost as good as the big ones. Only drawback is that it doesn't have a surface skimmer. and it is loud Link to comment
flojophoto Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 and it is loud A loud skimmer is like nails on a chalk board. Link to comment
redfishsc Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Another ditto on the trashy Nano-Fission. But the little pump it comes with is pretty decent. I modified the one I bought this past weekend and right now it's kinda halfway working. If I decide I want a higher power skimmer I'll just put together another PVC skimmer. They are ugly and can be a tricky thing to dial in. Or if I get lazy I may just order a BakPak and be done with it. Link to comment
jmigchelbrink Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 If your good with tools, just make one. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=58540&st=0 I made the recirculating model with a mj600 and it worked out alright. My cuts were pretty crappy so it looked like junk but it made took out some decent junk. Ended up going with the tunze group buy though Link to comment
MrGone Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I bought the Taam Rio Nano Skimmer a couple days ago from Premium Aquatics and have been happy with it. My expectations weren't too high with it but it's been decent. It is loud at times, above the sound of air/bubbles (makes a vibrating noise). It started producing skimmate a couple hours after I put it on the tank. It resembles the consistency of a light tea but does have chunks of crap in it too. It does produce microbubbles but they have been slowly decreasing. Also it was losing suction quite often at first but it doesn't seem to be a problem anymore (I think the microbubbles in the tank would be sucked up and accumulate in the intake tube). All in all I think it works well for $30. IMHO it's probably the best solution if you aren't up for spending $150+ and don't have the means to DIY. Link to comment
PBUEHH Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I got my skimmer for free, i suggest looking for something as similar as possible because nothing beats a deal. there are always clearances, sales, and people tearing down tanks. check the hardware classifieds because you might find a better deal then you expect. Link to comment
sidviciousw Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 I have a Taam Rio nano skimmer, Not really impressed at all, it did work fine, Adjustments are not too hard, to control the suction loss you do have to have the water level high enough, and adding air hose with a valve on the tube does help fine tune the venturi and keep suction. Fair warning the unit does fall apart quite easily, I have been keeping FW and SW for about 20 years and it is about the flimsiest thing I have ever had. The ceramic impeller shaft on mine broke in a week, replaced it with a metal one from a eclipse hex impeller, Have gotten a couple of Odyssea Bak Pak knock offs quite cheap off of ebay and am thoroughly pleased with them (Powerheads that come with them are fine too). Save money on the skilters and rio nano skimmers and get one you will be happier with in long run. Buy once and save! Link to comment
The Propagator Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Hi. I'm hesitant to start another "which skimmer should I get" thread, but the ones I've read through haven't lead me to a conclusion. I'm setting up a new 20 gallon tank (no sump) and am on a very tight budget. Can anybody reccomend a skimmer that's under $50? These are the ones I've been looking at: AquaMedic Air Driven Skimmer AquaEuro needle wheel skimmer Rio Nano Counter Current Fission Nano VisiJet Berlin Air Lift Jebo 180 II Does anybody have any experiences with these, or others, that could provide some insight? Thanks!! AquaMedic Air Driven Skimmer : May be decent because its air driven. AquaEuro needle wheel skimmer : Fission nano skimmer knock off. A little larger but basically the same crap design that never worked. Rio Nano : Skilter rip off. Hot garbage. Counter Current : May work decent because its air driven. Fission Nanohttp://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11297/product.web : HOT GARBAGE. VisiJet : HOT GARBAGE. Berlin Air Lift : May work decent because its air driven. Jebo 180 II : Seaclone knock off. Better than the Rio nano, Aqua Euro, and Fission nano though. Your best best of the listed choices would be one of the air driven skimmers modded or the Jebo modded. Don't expect a wow factor with any of them though. Even with mods. Link to comment
Slim Reefer Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 AquaMedic Air Driven Skimmer : May be decent because its air driven.AquaEuro needle wheel skimmer : Fission nano skimmer knock off. A little larger but basically the same crap design that never worked. Rio Nano : Skilter rip off. Hot garbage. Counter Current : May work decent because its air driven. Fission Nanohttp://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11297/product.web : HOT GARBAGE. VisiJet : HOT GARBAGE. Berlin Air Lift : May work decent because its air driven. Jebo 180 II : Seaclone knock off. Better than the Rio nano, Aqua Euro, and Fission nano though. Your best best of the listed choices would be one of the air driven skimmers modded or the Jebo modded. Don't expect a wow factor with any of them though. Even with mods. The Aqua Euro needle wheel nano skimmer works well. My LFS has one set up. It's sweet. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 ohhhh...another thread for my to show off my awesome $4.50 skimmer its exactly the same shown in this ebay link http://cgi.ebay.com/Nano-Air-Wood-Protein-...id=p3286.c0.m14 this is what it pulls Link to comment
gordon2726 Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 disastor999 impressive. How many days of skimmate is that and how many fish do you have? Link to comment
disaster999 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 that was around 3-4 days worth with 2 poop machine. since that picture, i have taken out the fish due to ick problem and the skimmer is continuing to produce skim of that color. the tank has been running for 4 months and the skimmer was added beginning of this month so there might be lots of junk desolved in the tank that its pulling out right now. Link to comment
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