water height for skimmer?

quick skimmer question, im setting up my first sw tank and im wondering, my sump is going to have a water height of 7.5 inches, is this tall enough to run the mini skimmers such as Aquaticlife Protein Skimmer 115, Eshopps Nano Protein Skimmer, Hydor Nano Skim Internal Protein Skimmer, etc? none of the descriptions seem to address this.

 

Most of those nano skimmers are designed for use in the back compartment of a nano/bio cube.I know the Hydor needs at least 11 inches of depth.
The Aquatic life is an in tank skimmer and need 7 1/2 inches min.
The Eshopps max water level 12 inches min. 9.

 

Each skimmer has its own quirks, and most of them use different pumps, so I wouldn't say that there's a "magic number".

That being said, IME, many of the smaller skimmers can be cranky when it comes to water level, but start where you are and see. I've built little skimmer stands or added little shelfs in the past that raised the skimmer to the correct height when needed. IME, it's rarely not enuff depth, but too much.

I can advise you to stay away from the ASM Mini-G tho...worst skimmer I ever ran (I finally tossed it).

 

You could also do a hang on the back of an external skimmer- good luck

 

contacted eeshops and they let me know the nano skimmer has a 7" height min., I have 7.5 " in the sump so it sounds good. Other than that you can adjust it to work properly.

 

make sure you have an ato

 

do you know of a good cheap one you would recommend?

 

I would recommend the Tunze 3155. ATO is not something you want to go cheap on. Not saying that the Tunze wont malfunction but it is one of the most reliable out there. If your ATO gets stuck in the on position it will overflow your sump and cause water damage which is obviously something you dont want to encounter. Even a gallon is a lot when your carpet is soaked.

About water height in your skimmer. Even if you have the recommended height by the manufacturer it is only a guideline. Some nano skimmers have cheap pumps to keep price point down. So your results may vary if youre not adjusting it to the individual pumps output.