ATB nano one review

lancesmith1 · Jan 20, 2017

update: the plates do pop out. they are very tight. i used a piece of pvc pipe slightly less diameter than the sleeve and a rubber mallet to pop them out.

can one of you guys measure the distance of the plates from top and bottom and let me know what they are please? I think i got them back to where they were but not 100% confident. I would suggest marking their original position with a sharpie before removing. no need to ask how i know.

i will get mine in the water this weekend. i love how everything is press fit with no screws. it should be super easy to clean.

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

Hi Wiz

I received mine a week ago. I tore everything down and was going to press out the plates but decided to see how the skimmer performs first. I was assured that they are press fit and since there is a lack of visible glue, i'd expect the info to be correct. Since the skimmer is performing fantastic, my plan is to mark the exact placement and remove the plates on the first deep cleaning. I plan to do a full blown review on this little beast soon. It would be similar to the review I did on the aquamax ConeCO1 but with many more pics (already taken) and air numbers (dwyer) throughout the pump speeds. This is the most silent skimmer I have ever owned, and I've owned a bunch (from remoras when i first started with skimmers, to bubble king). This is one fat, short little performer. It is not small by any means. So far it has exceeded my expectations. The only thing that slightly concerns me is the press fit nature of the BB plate and body into the bottom. I would think that it may loosen over time with reassembly after cleanings. Sucker is well put together though and typical of ATB quality.

hope all is going well and your nano one is still kicking booty.

happy reefing

Wiz · Jan 20, 2017

Haven't had to. Sry

Wiz · Jan 20, 2017

Yup, still running like a champ. Definitely an atb fan.

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

What sump level and pump speed are you running yours at? I'm running mine at 7 inches and at half speed. I'll get some air numbers this weekend and probably start the review sunday. I'm guessing at half it's probably pulling around 4 to 500 lph but we'll see.

my stand pipe is wide open. I see no need to adjust that right now since it is skimming splendidly.

Wiz · Jan 20, 2017

I hate to admit it but I am not real familiar with what each setting does. Turning the pipe, how much air and water, and the depth of the skimmer. I just played with it until it worked. So I have the purple pipe markers about a half an inch apart. The sump pedestal is set to about eight inches of water, and the air is set to 1 below Max.

Wiz · Jan 20, 2017

The skimmer does not pull anything most of the time. But after a feeding it will pull a bit of dark brown liquid. I have to empty the cup now about every three days

Wiz · Jan 20, 2017

Almost time for a cleaning. But there it is. My SPS are suffering a bit because of a broken glass thermometer. Don't judge me please. Lol

buckroe07 · Jan 20, 2017

I love mine too! I had quite a few skimmers and this one has been working to best for me. Before I bought mine last year, I asked him if the plates in the double bubble plate chamber are removable and he told me they were not which was fine for me because I know a vinegar bath would take care of it and that is what he recommended also.

Maybe the new ones come with removable plates.

As far as maintenance, I love this skimmer even more since all I have to do is pull the bottom off and the double bubble chamber off and clean away! I actually like doing maintenance on it since its really easy. No screws!

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

looks good wiz!

I'd say if it is working then leave it set where it's at. The pump speed will increase the air and water through the skimmer body and process more water if increased. I started mine off at half speed since my current tank is new (1 year) and is only about 75 gallons net. I have a medium to heavy fish load and only a few corals. You on the other hand have a decent bioload so you should be fine. you could always play with the sump levels later and maybe run it a little shallower. The pic looks like you're at around 7 to 8"

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

buckroe07 said:
I love mine too! I had quite a few skimmers and this one has been working to best for me. Before I bought mine last year, I asked him if the plates in the double bubble plate chamber are removable and he told me they were not which was fine for me because I know a vinegar bath would take care of it and that is what he recommended also.

Maybe the new ones come with removable plates.

As far as maintenance, I love this skimmer even more since all I have to do is pull the bottom off and the double bubble chamber off and clean away! I actually like doing maintenance on it since its really easy. No screws!

thanks for the info!

i'm really digging the nano one!

When I plugged mine in for the first time i had to go around the front of the tank and look in the sump to see if it was running. Pretty impressive.

I need to get the word out on these ;-)

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

i'll get a pic or two of my skim tonight. leaving work in a bit ;-)

lancesmith1 · Jan 20, 2017

next reefer up to do a cleaning, keep me in mind on the plate distances. i'm pretty sure i got them really close to where they were. just want to make sure. thanks again.

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

Forgot to mention that atb mentioned the pump being a waveline. Mine is a jecod motor block. Last I checked jecod is jaebo. Last waveline I ran crapped out after a year. My jaebo/jecods are still running strong (return&water change).

reeftivo · Jan 20, 2017

Wiz · Feb 15, 2017

Took the entire skimmer apart today. This thing is fabulous. There is no way that I would have been able to get it this clean as it is with any other skimmer. I did not think to take pictures until I was just about done. But I do have one comparison picture. The buildup of soda ash on my equipment is horrible to get off. But easy enough with this skimmer. I should have measured the bubble plates but did not. So I'm in the same boat now. I really have no idea how close together they should be.

Wiz · Feb 16, 2017

Working like a champ after a good cleaning. I will definitely be recommending this skimmer to all future people

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Wiz · Sep 29, 2017

It has been more than a year now and I just thought that it would be a good time to update. I feel as though the skimmer has really come into its own now. It is running very regularly. I empty the cup every 2 to 3 days and it looks like this. I am still extremely happy with the skimmer and also grateful that ATB and reef2reef allowed me to Win It. :)

lancesmith1 · Sep 29, 2017

Great skimmer.... skims as well as any I have used. I had problems with the pump. Mine stopped working after a few months. ATB replaced it but I never trusted it after that. I tried a Sicce PSK1000 on it but it didn't move enough water to fill the skimmer. At any rate, we moved and I sold the tank with the skimmer. I am running a BK Mini 160 now and I would say performance wise the ATB is on par but the pump is a definite weak link. If they ever go with a better quality pump, I would definitely recommend this skimmer. I think these Jecod pumps are hit or miss. You may get a good one and you may not.