Reef Octopus NS80 Nano Skimmer

Is this a good skimmer? I want to get a skimmer for my 6g nano/pico reef. I was thinking if this is crap then possibly an Azoo Mignon.

 

bump

 

I have seen the NS8O - but never used it

it looks OK to me, and in general Reef Octopus product are well made and perform as expected

I would not get the Mignon - I have also seen this unit, and its a skilter
a HOB filter with a skimmer cup
a dedicated skimmer such as the Octo, would be a more effective option IMO

Steve

 

hmmmm... I also noticed that the AquaEuroUSA Nano Skimmer I has the same pic as the octo on some sites. For a few buck cheaper too, and they have an IDENTICAL design.

 

I don't think there is a point to having a skimmer on a 6g tank. If you change 1.5g a week, that would be a 25% water change per week, which would be much more effective than a skimmer, even on a large tank. And frankly, on a 6g, there isn't enough water volume for ANY skimmer to work anyways.

 

What makes you think that? And i do plan to continue water changes but of course this generally will improve water quality and make a water change schedule more flexible. To bad a 6g is way too hard to dose because i had dreams of vodka dosing.

 

i considered getting the NS80 for my 7 gal a while ago but could only find negative reviews on it.
the only nano skimmer anyone seemed to recommend was the tunze 9002 which is a bit of a step up in price.
also looked at the aquaC remora nano but had mixed reviews so might be a gamble.
i've given up for now anyway and run skimmerles, let us know your results if you do decide to get it tho! maybe the reviews i'd found were unjust

 

You need a good amount of surfactants in the water and flowing through the skimmer and enough contact time with the air water interface, in order to create foam. You really can't do this in a small tank. There just isn't enough water volume and you will not have enough flow through. You may gets short bursts of foam production from time to time, but it will not be particularly effective.

I don't know of a reference that addresses nano skimmers in particular, if you understand the concepts the rational should be apparent.

Try these to start:

Skimming Basics 101: Understanding Your Skimmer by Frank Marini, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

What is Skimming? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

the nano skimmers work pretty well however, water changes in smaller aquariums are generally more effective imo

 

I have ditched the protein skimmer and am close to finishing a mini turf scrubber that it way over powered for this. It is in a mini 1.25g Bucket.