New Skimmer: Aquamaxx HOB1 (means old one for sale)

[chrisfont23]

I took the plunge. Purchased an Aquamaxx HOB1 skimmer for my tank. After 9PM, I have nothing to do with my life that is marginally interesting or enthralling, especially since baseball season is a foregone (October) conclusion here in NY, so I will be documenting it's install, setup and break in period step by step for those that are interested. I heard good things about the skimmer and after getting some extra scratch for August, decided to spend it on the wife and the fish. Funny.

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted. If anyone is interested in a Nano skimmer, I have an Aquatic Life Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115 for sale. Best offer. Let me just point out...until Dory arrived, this skimmer was more than adequate for a 29g tank. Until then, the uphill battle w/ nutrients is a little more than I want to risk in my tank. So unless you are slightly overstocked and if you are looking for a kick-ass nano skimmer, PM me.

[chrisfont23]

I installed the skimmer this morning. The first word that came to mind was "hulky" - it's a big skimmer. The output device for the skimmer could be better designed in my opinion. Also...the cup is cool, but I can see the rubber o-ring becoming a problem over time. The overall make though is solid. The parts aren't skimpy crap - everything is solid in design and sound in architecture. The pump is whisper quiet. In fact, w/ the air silencer on, I hear the bubbles in the chamber more than the air. If you wash everything like the directions say, micro bubbles are limited. So from a design perspective, I do like it.

As for performance, it's only been running for a few hrs now but I can see some foam starting to build. Here are some screen shots of this beast:

[chrisfont23]

About a week into it. This skimmer is worth every penny (all 21,000 or so). I leave the cup a little higher and I get some really good skimmate. It is way more dark and dreary than my previous skimmer and smells so bad, my 3 yr old is asking questions. Definitely would recommend.

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Thanks for the update Chris. I may get one of these for a coral QT or frag tank in the future.