NEW Biocube V2 Impeller Protein Skimmer *UPDATE*

[Cpl_Wiggles]

Hello all,

 

Figured I would give back to the community as I made a recent purchase and I haven't seen any reviews so far. Had water quality issues with 16 gal LED BioCube I purchased in 2017. Resisted buying protein skimmer because I wanted to do things with minimal tech/maintenance but with 16 gallons, to get the growth desired, you have to feed accordingly. So I finally caved and purchased the V2 with a "needle wheel" impeller instead of an air stone. 

 

 

Contrary to what you see in some instructions, you can install into Chamber 1 (assuming you have already removed the false floor and do not put your filter cartridge there. You will not use the big hangar shown in the above picture, just the "little hook" at the very top of the canister. The black plastic cap with the "little hook" freely spins to assist in alignment. Basically it's a very tight fit to get the "power unit" in first and tucked under the rim, usually pointed towards a corner (in my case, the top right corner). From there on, you slowly lower the tube in until you feel resistance and give a gentle push and it should slide down and settle. Then twist the top black plastic cap so the "little hook" lines up to your spillway into chamber 2 and rest it there. This will also get your collection cup lined up. I then found to make my hood close I had to pull it towards the front of chamber 1. I have trimmed my spillway into chamber 2, so your fit might be different. 

 

 

 

 

Read the instructions and set your air intake - it will basically tell you that you want bubbles at the surface of the canister chamber - NOT bubbling up into your collection cup. I initially thought the bubbles were too small but after two days I had the following: 

 

 

From a sound standpoint, I think it is marginally quieter than the air stone equivalents. But I'm not a good judge because I have Steve's LED array in my hood and upgraded cooling fans, so my tank typically sounds like a 747 at takeoff. 

 

I will follow up in a month with reports on water quality and coral growth. 

 

Let me know if I can clarify anything further. 

 

 

[mcarroll]

Cool!

[Cpl_Wiggles]

Update: 

 

Still getting good gunk out of the tank. Still adjusting the air flow to get optimal removal, but I would say all in all the tank seems a bit more clear and a little less algae growth. 

 

 

This was after a heavy feeding and a delayed water change. 

[banasophia]

Very nice! Missed this when you posted before... even more confident swapping my old model out. 

[Xanthine]

I know this is an old thread but I think @Cpl_Wiggles pictures/guidance for using this skimmer in a 16 is the best I've seen in lots of recent searching. 

Mine didn't come with an instruction manual and I spent way too long scouring the net trying to find it ... so posting what I did find here to help out future searchers 🙂

 

[Cpl_Wiggles]

1 hour ago, Xanthine said:

I know this is an old thread but I think @Cpl_Wiggles pictures/guidance for using this skimmer in a 16 is the best I've seen in lots of recent searching. 

Mine didn't come with an instruction manual and I spent way too long scouring the net trying to find it ... so posting what I did find here to help out future searchers 🙂

 

 

Excellent work! Can confirm mine is still removing gunk and grime and I believe it has helped improve my water quality. I can say mine fills up and needs dumped every 2-3 days. 

[Cpl_Wiggles]

Yet another update: Skimmer is still in fine working order. I took it apart last week to clean out vermetid snail buildup and otherwise clean all the gunk in chamber 1. Still a tight fit and pinched hand 2 years later. Still needs dumped every 2-3 days.