HOB Skimmers

WWTPSup · Jan 7, 2021

Who's got experience with HOB skimmers? I had a Prizm skimmer on a 29 gallon years ago and it overflowed constantly. Any new or just plain good HOB's out there that won't cause a flood and that work well. I'll be using whatever I buy on a 125 gallon mixed reef that I can't put a sump under. There will be lots of other filtration on this tank, so size is probably not a huge issue.
Thanks in advance!

Peace River · Jan 7, 2021

I've seen good reviews for the Reef Octopus Classic 100 HOB skimmer. That might be one to consider. Good luck with whatever you choose!

rob taft · Jan 7, 2021

I have no complaints about my Aquamaxx 1.5. Had it for 8 months now and it hasn't failed yet. In the case of an overflow it dumps back in the skimmer. Takes a week or so to settle in but once it does it in my case has done a good job.

ReefTrooper · Jan 7, 2021

I second the Aquamaxx. I don't have any experience with any other HOB's, but my Aquamaxx has been performing great

dnott3 · Jan 7, 2021

I got a used CPR bak pak 2 from a coworker and I haven't had any issues with it. I got the skimmer/bubble trap combo to go with it and it hasn't failed me yet. *knocks on wood* There are a quite a few mods you can make to it as well.

fishguy242 · Jan 7, 2021

hi, vote octopus ,but with 125 gal , bh-2000

flyguy13 · Jan 7, 2021

Used the Octopus on a 55 gallon for years and worked awesome, never had an issue

WWTPSup · Jan 7, 2021

Peace River said:
I've seen good reviews for the Reef Octopus Classic 100 HOB skimmer. That might be one to consider. Good luck with whatever you choose!

I’ll check it out. Thank you

WWTPSup · Jan 7, 2021

rob taft said:
I have no complaints about my Aquamaxx 1.5. Had it for 8 months now and it hasn't failed yet. In the case of an overflow it dumps back in the skimmer. Takes a week or so to settle in but once it does it in my case has done a good job.

How does it dump back into the skimmer? Is the lid sealed?

Rjmul · Jan 7, 2021

Believe it or not I had good luck with the prism skimmer. Still have it, and I wouldn't hesitate to throw it on another small setup. I'm running a BH 1000 on a way overstocked 65 gallon. A little bit of carbon dosing goes a long way.

my advice would be don't try and be cute and throw the BH 1000 sponges in the outflow compartment as seen in some YouTube videos. You're gonna burn your house down with an electrical fire doing that. Don't wash the skimmer cup in hot water (it swells and won't fit right again) and make sure you cut an inch or two off each input and output it runs better with no flooding.