MarineandReef Jaron
Well-Known Member
Hello Reef2Reef!
I have been a sponsor here for a while, but I mainly use it to respond to threads about products with links to our website. I have decided to do some threads highlighting some of my favorite reefing gear. If you have tried the gear yourself, please let me know how it worked for you. After over a decade of personal reefkeeping and experience at the LFS and online sales support, I hope I can help people find some good gear that can serve them well for the long haul.
I wanted to write my experience with the Tunze Comline skimmers. These are one of my favorite skimmers and they are often overlooked. When working at the LFS I saw many people with AIO Nanos looking for a skimmer. 10 years ago, pretty much all of the AIO skimmers were horrble except for the Tunze 9001. I found this to be the only nano skimmer for AIO tanks worth getting. It skimmed so much better than other models, and it actually made it worth getting a skimmer for these small tanks. The hang on models worked but most people with AIOs wanted the clean look and with many tanks, the lid would not allow the installation of a hang-on.
After several years working at the LFS I started to hate hang-on skimmers. We would get many new Reefers who would start with a non-drilled tank and want a skimmer. I saw how hang-on skimmers are a huge cause of leaks. Modern hang-on skimmers with the external pumps have so many leak points. Many have at least 7 different seals that need to be done properly to stop the unit from leaking and if any of these unions or Oring seals isn't done properly then you spill water on the floor. Even if you install the skimmer properly, if your skimmer ever overflows, it makes a mess all over your floor. Beginners are especially discouraged by the leaks and they aren't familiar with tuning a skimmer so they have lots of problems. After troubleshooting dozens of customers, I decided there needed to be a better option.
The Tunze Comline Skimmers are internal skimmers so they can't leak and if they overflow, they spill back into the aquarium and don't flood your floor. Tunze rates the largest size the 9012 for up to 317 gallons. I would personally only use it only for a 150-180, but it does work on a tank that size. I find that these skimmers perform as well as a hang on and don't have the leak problems.
The number one concern that people have with these skimmers is that they will look bad in the tank. I find that they often don't look as bad as people imagine and in many cases, they might look better than a hang-on skimmer if you have a black background. See the pic below of my office tank with the 9004 and the comline filter. It is also nice that you can push the tank tighter up against the wall for a cleaner look.
Some notes about these skimmers from personal use. If you use these skimmers, you need a stable water level. Water level affects all skimmers but especially these guys. Make sure you have a good ATO or you put the skimmer in a AIO compartment where the water level is constant.
Many people ask if they should get the AC or DC version of these skimmers. Having used both I will say that I notice no noise or performance difference between the two of them. These AC pumps are so small that they make barely any noise and the performance seems unaffected. The big benefit to the DC model is that it seems to produce less bubbles in the display. I believe this is because the AC models are adjusted by restricting the air but the water flow through the skimmer remains constant, while the DC models adjust the overall pump speed, so the water flow goes down as the air flow goes down. This ultimately means that there is less water flow pushing the air bubbles out of the skimmer with the DC models and fewer bubbles in the display. If this is important to you then go with the DC version. If the skimmer is in a AIO compartment with a bubble trap sponge then I would save some money and use the AC version.
Tunze recently changed these skimmers and added the air silencer to the back magnet. This really upset people, as many were attaching the magnet mount to an AIO baffle and you can't do this with the silencer attached to the magnet because it will submerge the air intake. Luckily, you can remove the magnet from the outside magnet and let the silencer dangle behind the tank so you can still install the skimmer attached to a baffle.
Lastly, Tunze has offset mounts that let the skimmer mount inside tanks with normal rims. These do not only work with rimless tanks. However if your tank is eurobraced then you will be out of luck.
I have been a sponsor here for a while, but I mainly use it to respond to threads about products with links to our website. I have decided to do some threads highlighting some of my favorite reefing gear. If you have tried the gear yourself, please let me know how it worked for you. After over a decade of personal reefkeeping and experience at the LFS and online sales support, I hope I can help people find some good gear that can serve them well for the long haul.
I wanted to write my experience with the Tunze Comline skimmers. These are one of my favorite skimmers and they are often overlooked. When working at the LFS I saw many people with AIO Nanos looking for a skimmer. 10 years ago, pretty much all of the AIO skimmers were horrble except for the Tunze 9001. I found this to be the only nano skimmer for AIO tanks worth getting. It skimmed so much better than other models, and it actually made it worth getting a skimmer for these small tanks. The hang on models worked but most people with AIOs wanted the clean look and with many tanks, the lid would not allow the installation of a hang-on.
After several years working at the LFS I started to hate hang-on skimmers. We would get many new Reefers who would start with a non-drilled tank and want a skimmer. I saw how hang-on skimmers are a huge cause of leaks. Modern hang-on skimmers with the external pumps have so many leak points. Many have at least 7 different seals that need to be done properly to stop the unit from leaking and if any of these unions or Oring seals isn't done properly then you spill water on the floor. Even if you install the skimmer properly, if your skimmer ever overflows, it makes a mess all over your floor. Beginners are especially discouraged by the leaks and they aren't familiar with tuning a skimmer so they have lots of problems. After troubleshooting dozens of customers, I decided there needed to be a better option.
The Tunze Comline Skimmers are internal skimmers so they can't leak and if they overflow, they spill back into the aquarium and don't flood your floor. Tunze rates the largest size the 9012 for up to 317 gallons. I would personally only use it only for a 150-180, but it does work on a tank that size. I find that these skimmers perform as well as a hang on and don't have the leak problems.
The number one concern that people have with these skimmers is that they will look bad in the tank. I find that they often don't look as bad as people imagine and in many cases, they might look better than a hang-on skimmer if you have a black background. See the pic below of my office tank with the 9004 and the comline filter. It is also nice that you can push the tank tighter up against the wall for a cleaner look.
Some notes about these skimmers from personal use. If you use these skimmers, you need a stable water level. Water level affects all skimmers but especially these guys. Make sure you have a good ATO or you put the skimmer in a AIO compartment where the water level is constant.
Many people ask if they should get the AC or DC version of these skimmers. Having used both I will say that I notice no noise or performance difference between the two of them. These AC pumps are so small that they make barely any noise and the performance seems unaffected. The big benefit to the DC model is that it seems to produce less bubbles in the display. I believe this is because the AC models are adjusted by restricting the air but the water flow through the skimmer remains constant, while the DC models adjust the overall pump speed, so the water flow goes down as the air flow goes down. This ultimately means that there is less water flow pushing the air bubbles out of the skimmer with the DC models and fewer bubbles in the display. If this is important to you then go with the DC version. If the skimmer is in a AIO compartment with a bubble trap sponge then I would save some money and use the AC version.
Tunze recently changed these skimmers and added the air silencer to the back magnet. This really upset people, as many were attaching the magnet mount to an AIO baffle and you can't do this with the silencer attached to the magnet because it will submerge the air intake. Luckily, you can remove the magnet from the outside magnet and let the silencer dangle behind the tank so you can still install the skimmer attached to a baffle.
Lastly, Tunze has offset mounts that let the skimmer mount inside tanks with normal rims. These do not only work with rimless tanks. However if your tank is eurobraced then you will be out of luck.
