- I'm Thomas and this hang-on Skimmer from AquaMaxx
has gotta be one of the best hang-on-the-back skimmers
I've ever personally used.
It did a fantastic job on a 20-gallon SPS-dominated reef
that I had as well as
a budget 40-gallon breeder frag system.
It's well thought out, the design is simple to understand
and easy to use, and it gets the job done well
when you don't have a sump and you don't wanna waste space
inside of your tank with an internal skimmer.
Now when it comes to hang-on skimmers,
reefers just plainly have less options
because, let's face it,
most modern reefers are either using all-in-one systems
or have an overflow and sump.
But reefing on a budget with a standard undrilled tank
shouldn't mean you can't get a protein skimmer
that works well while being easy to use,
reliable and affordable.
The HOB-1.5 from AquaMaxx is an effective hang-on skimmer
that's well rated by the reefers that use them.
They're compact, quiet, easy to use
and do a great job of hauling out waste.
They're also an excellent way to get the other benefits
that skimmers provide like gas exchange
and even a nice pH bump, especially if you
hook-up that air silencer to a CO2 scrubber.
That way, those of us who are reefing without a sump
and don't want a whole internal skimmer
muddying up the display, can still rock
a proper skimmer on our tanks and quite affordably,
I might add.
When you open up the box
you'll find the skimmer body, the skimmer cup,
the intake and output assemblies, the diffuser,
the cover with the built-in air silencer,
a pack with air tubing, O-rings,
and a single long nylon screw,
as well as the Sicce skimmer-pump and the instructions.
This HOB-1.5 actually comes in two different versions:
This standard version that I have here, and also
one that includes the optional bubble-stopper attachment
for the outlet, but fear not.
Even if you have the standard version, you can always
pick-up the bubble stopper separately, if you need it.
These skimmers are rated for up to 40 gallons
of heavy bioload and up to 75 gallons of light bioload.
The skimmer's quite compact for a hang on-model
at just seven and a half inches across,
three and a half inches thick, and 17 inches tall.
And will fit nicely on panels up to
three quarters of an inch thick,
with the intake and output pipes needing
roughly three and a half inches of clearance into the tank.
The skimmer is well built from both acrylic
and PVC components and the assembly instructions
have great diagrams to help you along.
Truthfully, it is a little bit more involved
than some skimmer assemblies
but after you've done it once it's a breeze
and you'll be very familiar
with the simple anatomy of the skimmer.
Which is gonna make maintenance down the line really simple.
Speaking of anatomy, the boxy exterior
of this skimmer is actually hiding a number
of curvaceous components, including the dividing plate
which creates a smooth transition
for those bubbles to travel up the body
similar to the wine bottle shape we see
in many in-sump skimmers.
The diffuser plate's pretty novel
and sports a collection of beer bottle shape nozzles
and the collection cup itself has a tall inner-neck
that's also gently curved to help get those
skimmate-laden bubbles up into the cup before popping.
One more reason I really like this skimmer design
is because the pump is actually inside
of the skimmer body rather than inside of the aquarium.
Yes, it does mean that you need to prime the pump
by filling the body of the skimmer with water
when you start it up.
But my more importantly, it keeps that workhorse Sicce pump
out of the tank where it would be much more of an eyesore.
Instead we get relatively unobtrusive intake
and outflow tubes that will also allow you to direct
where the outflow water is sent using a 90 degree PVC elbow.
As far as noise is concerned,
it does have an air silencer that works well.
And overall is one of the quietest hang-on skimmers
that I've personally used.
But you do have to keep in mind, it is right up at the top
of the tank where it's much easier to hear
compared to skimmers that are tucked under a stand.
So, just temper your expectations accordingly.
The collection cup has an overflow port
right up at the top to make sure that in the event
the cup fills up and wants to overflow, it can do so
back into the skimmer body where it's safe
rather than onto the floor.
It is a super important feature to have
on a hang-on skimmer, you don't want wet floors.
So I'm really glad to see it's there.
I do have one tip though and recommend using a small zip-tie
to lock that tube in place for added safety.
Once the skimmer's primed and running,
you can control whether to collect a wet or dry skimmate
by adjusting the height of the collection cup
within the skimmer body,
which is as simple as moving that red O-ring
around the cup so that it sits
higher on the cup if you wanna raise the water level
or lower on the cup if you need to lower the water level
within the neck.
While there is no valve included,
you could also very easily add an inline air valve
to that Venturi tube if you also wanted to be able
to dial-in the air-to-organics ratio.
But I do find this skimmers rating is pretty accurate.
So many reefers will likely find
that they don't need that extra point of control.
When it comes to maintenance,
removing the cup is really easy, which is excellent
because it is a relatively small collection cup
which means you're going to be dumping it out
fairly regularly, especially if you have it
on the max rated tank size.
And that's max with two X's because it's AquaMaxx, right?
Eh? it's all so fantastic that just about every part
of the skimmer comes apart for cleaning
and, being quality acrylic and PVC,
a simple citric acid bath works extremely well
to get rid of any calcareous algae buildup.
Then a quick wipe down and a rinse
and it'll be ready to go back into action
pulling out that nasty skimmate from your sump-less reef
like a quality skimmer should.
And if that sounds like it matches your reefing mantra
you can pick one up for yourself by clicking right here.
(calm jazz music fades out)