Bubble Magus NAC5e - Best HOB Skimmer i've ever had!

[Funkateer_1]

The HOB skimmer market has always been disappointing to me. Most models i've ever seen/used are useless and no more than glorified air-stones. They seldom work efficiently and require constant tinkering to get them to pull anything out. The industry standard has always been the CPR backpak/aeroforce series, but this company has discontinued all production. The CPR skimmers also rarely work well for tanks larger than 30-40 gallons IMO. I discovered that Bubble Magus makes a HOB skimmer (an excellent skimmer brand that many members use). This model is rated for 60-120 gallons.

I purchased one from a whole-seller mostly out of curiosity to replace a CPR aeroforce 1. The aeroforce worked decently but was inadqueate for my 50 gallon aquarium, as I keep mostly SPS and large NPS gorgonians. The skimmer simply could not keep up with my bioload and keep my DOC's low. After unboxing it, I was blown away at how huge this model was. I hooked it up, and after a few day break-in period started pulling out some serious nastiness. I highly recommend this skimmer to anyone with a sumpless aquarium, especially if they keep delicate corals.

Pros:
-Incredibly powerful foam production
-Excellent air & water control so you can dial it in for your needs
-Comes with silencer so no 'hissing'
- Pump sits behind tank so not visible in aquarium
- Comes with drain outlet
- No microbubbles

Cons:
- Slightly awkward to prime, you have to keep your finger over the venturi for a few minutes as the water fills up.
- Pump was very loud for a couple days but subsided as it worked the bubbles out.
- Large footprint, 11.4" long and 6" wide

All in all, though I had to pull my tank out a few inches from the wall to get it to fit, it was worth the effort and money. My SPS colors are coming back with a full force and diatoms on the sand bed are disappearing quickly. I do alot of vodka/amino dosing and this skimmer can handle it very well. Finally I found a HOB skimmer that works just as well as it's in-sump cousins.



the skimmer just set up on the front of the aquarium for a break-in. The tank is 36x18x18 for size reference.



36 hours of foam production.

The Bubble Magus NAC5e will be available at Aquatic Warehouse in the next few weeks.

[lrivera]

I have been running this skimmer for 3 months and think it is a decent HOB skimmer but in no way an excellent skimmer. It does pull a lot of gunk out but it is also prone to overflow if there is a power outage. Also the pump is loud (even after 3 months of use) and the cover on the collection cup does not form a tight seal (which causes an annoying sound). I bought it online from a SOCAL vendor.

[saltybalz]

I love this skimmer. With mine the pump was noisy at first, but if you block off the venturi for a split second it will eliminate the noise. I believe it may be from air being trapped in the impeler and by blocking the venturi it passes the air quiets up. Im interested in how it overflows in a power outage when the top of the skimmer minus collection cup is at least 3-4" above top of tank, want to make sure i can remedy this before one happens.

[lrivera]

Thanks I will try blocking off the Venturi.


It overflows when the power is restored. if the pump has been turned off the instructions say to open the blue valve (think its the air valve) and then close it. Normally the valve is in the closed position if you are not home after power is restored the valve is closed and water just flows into the collection cup overflowing.

[Funkateer_1]

The 'rattling' from the pump is due to cavitation from air bubbles trapped inside the needlewheel. I hooked a small maxi-jet to the skimmer intake to flush the air out and mine's been silent since. I've noticed the collection cup overflowing quickly because the foam post-filter gets clogged easily. I think that's more an indicator of how dirty my tank can get rather than the design of the skimmer.

It overflows when the power is restored. if the pump has been turned off the instructions say to open the blue valve (think its the air valve) and then close it. Normally the valve is in the closed position if you are not home after power is restored the valve is closed and water just flows into the collection cup overflowing.

You should never have to adjust the valve on the venturi, only the PVC stick on effluent of the skimmer. I keep my venturi a slight half-twist closed but that's because I run a little on the wetter side and have a lower run level on my tank.

[Funkateer_1]

4ish days of foam production...