Best Skimmer for a 20g QT

Discussion in 'Protein Skimmers' started by familiar1985, Jan 25, 2010.

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  1. familiar1985

    familiar1985 Bristle Worm

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    Help me pick out a skimmer for my qt. I will be using it for quarantining fish and corals. Looking for something thats really nice for the price though i don't mind spending more on quality.

    I like this Bubble Magus skimmer, lemme know what you think.

    Bubble-Magus BMQQ Skimmer w/ Maxijet 1200 - Nuocean

    I like this one as it looks like its easy to setup and remove. Its cheap and uses easily replaceable pump. As for performance, i'm not sure. It looks like you can't take the top off to empty skimmate which is a huge negative.

    The skimmer must be inside tank hanging or sitting due to space limitations unless its less then 3" wide.

    I would appreciate some suggestions :)
     
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  3. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    i have never run a skimmer in a qt.....no need bc theres not a constant bio load
     
  4. familiar1985

    familiar1985 Bristle Worm

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    When there is no bio load a cycle starts when you add fish. Skimmer would help minimize the nitrate spike i believe.

    I dont plan to have qt running permanently. I will set it up only when i need to qt something and take it down after.

    I'v never set one up on qt either however i think it would have helped if i did. The water changes get annoying. I think skimmer would reduce the amount of water you would have to change due to nitrate buildup.

    Also it is very helpful to run skimmer when using copper to treat fish or using other medications especially when they require you to remove carbon. I think its a must.

    Im also planning to Qt 10 lyretail anthias in a while. Probably use a 40g. I think it would help keep nitrate down. That way i wont have to make as many water changes.

    I think a mini skimmer is worth it for me.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2010
  5. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    a skimmer in an uncycled tank wont make a difference on the cycle
     
  6. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    just saying ive always ran a qt with out one wiht no problems at all
     
  7. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    but if i had to suggest one id say the aqua c mini
     
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  9. familiar1985

    familiar1985 Bristle Worm

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    i really like the bubble magus. Their designs are good and the prices are sweet. I cant decide between a couple of them right now.

    I like the nac3a as it has all the basic features and is relatively compact at 10" by 4".
    Bubble-Magus BM-NAC3A, NAC3A

    I also like the nac6a and nac7 but they are larger.

    Bubble-Magus BM-NAC6
    Bubble Magus NAC7 NAC-7 Cone Protein Skimmer

    I def want one of these. Is the nac3a enough to skim well? Would nac6a or nac7 be overkill setup on small tanks. I don't have any experience with small skimmers so im scared the nac3a might just be to small and weak to do much to any tank.

    Please help me pick