BEST SKIMMER FOR ICE CAP 20G AIO??

blntsmk

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HI 🪸🐠 PPL

I am aware of som nano skimmer options.

My favourite looks wise is something like the eshopps nano protein skimmer. I like tht it looks like a mini version of a skimmer.
prob gna go with this if I don't get a better rec

th boxy coralife/ innovative marine nano skimmers are ugly

need best quietest well functioning skimmer, but looks are important too.
Interested in opinions frm happy nano skimmer owners or hobbyists tht have ran th gambit and tried them all. Thx!

wish bubble king made little cute ones tbh
 

AydenLincoln

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How about the IceCap Neo or Nano? I have one and I love it!
peepng now it looks good nd like it will fit

wondr if this or the eshopps is quietr/bettr
I have heard good things about the other one. One thing I will say is the pump on it doesn’t last forever and isn’t the most high end. I have had to replace it a few times over the past few years but it’s a good skimmer and fits in WaterBox Cube 20.
 
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blntsmk

blntsmk

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None. All the small nano skimmers suck.

Do your water changes and it will be much more successful
I just cleaned out a TON of gunk from the back of my aio tht wasn't being swept thru despite weekly 10% changes... have a bit of diatoms and I wanna feed heavier tbh.

also correct me if Im wrong but the oxygenation they provide looks rly nice I thnk that's beneficial..?

im feeding light and wan increase so idk seems like a nice option

unless u recommend something better bc the water change alone hasn't done it for me my tank is over a yr old I have live rock
 

rtparty

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I just cleaned out a TON of gunk from the back of my aio tht wasn't being swept thru despite weekly 10% changes... have a bit of diatoms and I wanna feed heavier tbh.

also correct me if Im wrong but the oxygenation they provide looks rly nice I thnk that's beneficial..?

im feeding light and wan increase so idk seems like a nice option

unless u recommend something better bc the water change alone hasn't done it for me my tank is over a yr old I have live rock

I ran a JBJ 24g for 8 years on nothing but water changes and dosing. I built a little contraption that held some filter floss and rinsed it once a week or so with the water change.

Detritus in the back is normal and okay.
 

cgr124

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I wouldn't recommend this one as I have lots of issues with mine.

Im looking into the IM nano skimmer

Curious what issues you are seeing with this one? What size tank? I’m looking to purchase a Lifegard aquatics 24 gallon and was thinking a hit the nano mini q. The rest chambers in the Lifegard tank are very small so I have limited choice and what fits. Although it sounds like a skimmer may me more trouble then it’s worth. I’ve run my nano reef for 3 years without one just fine. But I do get a lot of algae and I think the water would be clearer with a skimmer.
 

Tahoe61

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I wouldn't recommend this one as I have lots of issues with mine.

Im looking into the IM nano skimmer
Horrible skimmer. If my only option was an IM skimmer I wouldn't run a skimmer. I have 2 Bubble Magus, both are silent and produce skim mate.
20250424_111133.jpg
 

Rawsreef

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Curious what issues you are seeing with this one? What size tank? I’m looking to purchase a Lifegard aquatics 24 gallon and was thinking a hit the nano mini q. The rest chambers in the Lifegard tank are very small so I have limited choice and what fits. Although it sounds like a skimmer may me more trouble then it’s worth. I’ve run my nano reef for 3 years without one just fine. But I do get a lot of algae and I think the water would be clearer with a skimmer.
It won't produce foam properly for me, only pumps water. Not water and air. It's as if the air intake is under water. I will pull it out of the water and it starts taking in air. So you'd think maybe raising it would solve this, except it doesn't. When I first got it, worked perfectly fine at the same height, now the only way it will actually skim is if I place it up against one of the baffles where water cascades, and even then it's very unpredictable. I've taken it apart several times to clean it which does nothing.

It's also very hard to clean the inside properly, and makes lots of bubbling noise.

When it was new it was not bad, but somewhere along the time I've had it things just started getting wacky.

I use it on a 10G cube tank.
 

pooootiqe

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Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the mini Q. Haven’t seen that happen on mine so far. Maybe the air intake is clogged from salt creep or carbonate deposition? Try soaking the whole unit in citric acid bath?

Like mine quite a bit actually; cleaning is definitely a big issue though. I use my water flosser to clean it and made sure to wash it really well afterwards ;)
 

cgr124

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It won't produce foam properly for me, only pumps water. Not water and air. It's as if the air intake is under water. I will pull it out of the water and it starts taking in air. So you'd think maybe raising it would solve this, except it doesn't. When I first got it, worked perfectly fine at the same height, now the only way it will actually skim is if I place it up against one of the baffles where water cascades, and even then it's very unpredictable. I've taken it apart several times to clean it which does nothing.

It's also very hard to clean the inside properly, and makes lots of bubbling noise.

When it was new it was not bad, but somewhere along the time I've had it things just started getting wacky.

I use it on a 10G cube tank.
Thanks for sharing. With the way many of the rear chambers are in AIOs I’m concerned about that same problem you are having. Makes me think it might be better running without a skimmer unless there is truly a trouble free one that actually works as advertised for a nano.
 

officialreefbros

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I'd recommend seeing if you really need one. I have a 25g and have tried a few but ultimately keep going back to running none both from issues with them and not much of a need
 

Reef.

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Here is a picture of the Bubble magus mini q in use, I think for those recommending a different skimmer should likewise post a picture to show it in action.

And below that is a picture of the skimmate from a Tunze 9001 ac.

IMG_0385.jpeg
IMG_0373.jpeg
 

Cole_lol

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I am running an AquaMaxx Bullet 2 skimmer. It’s a hang on the back and seems to be working ok. I agree with the chambers collecting lots of junk and I find what when my skimmer is not working correctly it’d due to it getting plugged up from the junk in the chamber. That same stuff will make my return pump slow down also.
 

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