Fluval Sea Mini Protein Skimmer, 5-20 Gallon, Black, 14324 (6-Piece Set)

I gave this 5 stars, because as nano skimmers go (and I've tried 4) this one is the absolute best, even if it took a while to adjust, and even though I made a few mistakes at first. So I'm grading on a curve :) FIRST: Don't make the same mistake I did! I have a Fluval Evo 13.5, so I read the instructions too quickly and thought I didn't have to install the brackets that hold the skimmer front and back housings together (the front and back of the skimmer split open so you can clean it easily) because it was already sized perfectly for my back chamber. But, NOT installing these pieces made the skimmer really loud because the skimmer pump caused those pieces to vibrate against each other. Once I realized the issue, it was too late; I had already thrown the other extra pieces away. So I ordered another one, just to get those two pieces--they're that important! Once installed, the skimmer quieted way, way down, and in about 2 weeks, it got even quieter when it broke in (it's at about 15db, 4 feet away, measured with an app on my phone). One thing to tweak, though, is to make sure the skimmer is seated as far back against the tank's back glass as possible (away from the tank's display/overflow), so the front inlet has enough space to draw in water from the tank's overflow. I used a piece of air tubing and slid it in between the skimmer and the front of that back chamber, just to push the skimmer away from the tank overflow. That was the trick to get it to start skimming properly. Once I further tweaked water level in the chamber (the largest knob on the top) and opened the air to about 80% open (the smallest knob on the top), it skimmed super efficiently, was quiet, and I've been super happy with it. [Hack: to set the air at the right level, close the small knob all the way counter clockwise, then open it clockwise about 2-3 twists of your fingers.] You'll want the water level/surface turbulation happening right at the bottom of the collection cup. If the tribulation is happening IN the collection cup chamber, it's too high and you'll skim too wet, and it will probably overflow in no time; back it down so the water line/turbulation is exactly level with the bottom of that cup. It won't produce skimmate immediately. Give it a few hours to start producing those large bubbles and skimmate). The hardest part was getting it dialed it. But once that's done, you don't need to touch it again. When you do water changes or pour something in your tank, it will stop skimming for a bit--don't touch the dials! It will start producing skimmate again in couple of hours. Once you've got it dialed in, you'll be impressed. I sure am.

I received one of these brand-new. It stopped working within two months. I contacted the company and they provided instruction for taking apart and cleaning the unit, which I followed to a T. Still completely dead -- nothing happens when plugged in. Since it was a gift (bought from Amazon), I don't have the receipt, etc. to return it and getting it would be kind of awkward. I figured I'd chalk my initial experience up to bad luck and buy a replacement. They're out of stock, but Amazon had one listed as used in "Like New" condition. Per Amazon, "Like New" means "An item in perfect working condition, the packaging may bear some damage. The item fully functions, and all its essential accessories are complete." Sounds okay, right? The unit sent... was not this. It arrived semi-assembled, missing a part, in a worn, filthy ziplock bag. The unit itself was clearly well-used: crusted over in salt, dried algae, and who knows what sort of contaminants. The kicker? Plugged in, it was just as dead as my original product. I'm frustrated as heck that Amazon sent me a rotten "Like New" item that I now have to spend time and resources returning. I'm also *extremely* skeptical of this product -- my new one failed fast, and clearly the replacement failed while with its prior owner. My reef tank is too precious for sub-standard gear. Just annoyance on annoyance, really. Look elsewhere.

I don't know why so many people say this skimmer is poor or hard to adjust, I think this skimmer is fantastic!. I have had it in my Fluval Evo 13.5 for 6 months now without a hint of a problem. Originally it was in chamber 1 as intended, I later "upgraded" to the InTank media basket (waste of money) and moved it to chamber 2. It is the only nano-skimmer I have found that has 2 adjustments: water height and air flow (bubbles). It is simple to adjust, watch a youtube video if you want but all you do is turn the larger knob until the water line is where the bottom edge of the cup meets the skimmer body then adjust the airflow (smaller knob on top) until the bubbles are just below in the inside lip of the cup. That's it. Very simple! Note that ANY skimmer you buy will take about 3 days until you have it "broken in" (slime layer developed, adjusted perfectly for your situation) after that it's kinda auto-pilot. Each water change, I tweak a knob a little but that's it. In my Biocube 32 I have searched out an equal performing skimmer and have bought 3 so far, none have worked as well as the Fluval in my Evo 13.5. The Tunze 9001 goes in chamber 2 if you get the InTank media basket (well worth it on the BioCube) as does the AquaLife 115. Chamber 2's water level flucuates so much that either are almost never skimming. Unless you spend $200 for a good automatic top-off system they are useless IMHO. The Coralife skimmer designed for the Biocube 32 fits in chamber 1 so the water level remains constant but the skimmate is never dark, probably because it does not surface skim. It also adds special limewood airstones to change monthly. Believe me, this Fluval is GREAT and I may breakdown and cut a whole in my Biocube lid to fit one just so my wife stops laughing at me and saying "you bought another skimmer? LOL" PS- anyone want to buy some slightly used nano-skimmers? LOL JK

OK product for the price. It works as expected. Quality is average. size is good. Could do a better job of containing the splash from the bubbles.

I have a Fluval AIO 13.5 gal on my light stand, next to my bed that I set up end of January 2021. I added the protein skimmer about 2 weeks ago. It works great. I don’t have anything else to compare it to but it did add noise (gurgling) and will add lots of micro bubbles depending on what type of filtration system you have. I swapped out the sponge filter that came with my tank for filter floss and that helped a lot with the micro bubbles but as far as sound goes, it’s the only thing in the tank that I can hear the most. Additional tank information: I have a collection of coral, a bta, two clowns and a scooter. I keep my valves on the skimmer wide open and the tank stays super clear. I feed fish daily and spot feed corals and anemone 3x a week so the bio load is fairly light. You can see and hear my tank on IG under salty.bishes. I would recommend this skimmer for nano tanks. Fits perfectly in the Fluval 13.5 gal AIO.

This hang on the tank skimmer works great for my 20 gallon tank. It's finally broken in (takes about a week) the bubbles form very nice inside the collection cup. I recommend this to anyone with a small tank or even in your sump for extra skimming. Great price vs the other big name companies

This is more cool than it is necessary on such a small tank.

Not worth $80 , seal was broken or should I say non existent , top leaks , hard to adjust , leaks , due to the ladder I listed , it's worth is $25 and that's being generous saying the least . Also dumping this is a pain water gets all over the place and far too consistent to dump when water is clear and clean before hand .

Funciona PERFECTAMENTE!!

Put it in a Fluval EVO 13.5, took a few days for it to break in. Now pulling dark skim mate from tank. Easy to set up, open air valve all the way and the adjust the water high with the large knob. This knob does one full rotation, so spinning it around and around is pointless. Adjust a little wait, adjust wait and so on as you move through just the one rotation.

Works perfect, zero noise, easy to install

Stop working after 5 minutes. Supplier helped me straight away very good

Llegó quebrado y tuve que volver a comprarlo