1. Tunze 9002 ($145) – It’s Tunze, which pretty much speaks for it’s self.  If you do any google searches you’ll quickly find that this a favorite amongst the AIO purists (and other hobbyists that want a quality skimmer at a pretty good price).  The major beef seems to be that the collection cup is a weird size, and thus needs to be changed out or modified in order to work with my specific tank (JBJ 28g HQI).  You can certainly do your own Do It Yourself (DYI) project – or just bounce over to InTank Designs and pick one up a custom made Skinny Tunze Cup
   
2. Sapphire Aquatics NC24/28 (n/a) -There are several above average elements of this skimmer, and there are also some areas it leaves lacking.  Construction is awesome, pump is SUPER quiet, The collection cup fits without any modification to the hood (and is VERY easily removable), price is good for what you get, customer service WAS great (company went out of business).  For those of you that missed out, I wrote a more extensive review of this skimmer last week.  Just follow the link above and you’ll get the full 411

Next week we’ll be looking at a few more protein skimmer options, this time Hang Off the Back (HOB) which opens nano tanks up to a lot more options and power when it comes to picking a scum kickin skimmer.

Sapphire Aquatics NC28 Skimmer

I’m turning over a new leaf this week and starting into a series of reviews on my current equipment. I’ve been toying around with the idea of adding several pieces of gadgetry lately, and the first one is a new skimmer.

I upgraded to Sapphire Aquatics NC28 from the stock skimmer on my JBJ 28g HQI shortly after I bought it. The Sapphire skimmer is a pretty solid skimmer, primarily because of the high end laser cut construction. It is specifically engineered to fit into the center rear chamber of the JBJ 28g HQI tank, keeping the aquarium true to its AIO (All In One) roots. The provided pump is a small sicce pump with a custom mesh modified impeller wheel.

There are several above average elements of this skimmer, and there are also some areas it leaves lacking. First off, let’s start with the good stuff (that’s why you’re reading this right?).

1. Construction is awesome
2. Pump is SUPER quiet
3. The collection cup fits without any modification to the hood (and is VERY easily removable)
4. Price is good for what you get
5. Customer service WAS great (company went out of business)

The cons are a short list, but significant none the less.

1. The unit tends to not pull as much quality skimmate as I would like to see (either that or my cube just doesn’t have any protein buildup [not-likely]). I typically empty a quarter inch or so of light brown/yellow skimmate once a week max.
2. The control is fine tuned by a thumb screw on the side that slides a small gate up and down the side of the skimmer to adjust the flow. The problem with the thumb screw is that you can only open it up so much before the screw hits the collection cup. This leads to a very wet skimmate, and more of it than you would like.
3. Company went out of business, so no more support or easy to get parts

Overall, I’m giving this skimmer a 7/10 rating.  For the price, it’s pretty good.  No modifications, easy to install, and quiet.  But, if you’re in the market for a higher quality skim – you should look to a higher end device.

Next episode I’ll be looking at some possible replacement units, including my personal vote – the Deltec MCE300 HOB (Hang On Back). Until then, here is decent video of how the NC28 fits and works in the back of your nano – enjoy!