Hydor Slim Skim Nano Internal Protein Skimmer, 23-35 gal

Have you ever bought a product and felt overly driven to write a review on it? This is that product for me - for multiple reasons. I’ve kept several salt tanks but this 36g is the first one I’ve set up in the last few years. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on equipment and was looking for the best possible value I could find, without sacrificing performance. Google directed me to this Hydor Slim Skim Nano which had lots of positive reviews spanning pet product sites as well as saltwater forums. The price was right, even at the MSRP, but the best price was right here on Amazon.Since I don’t have a sump/refugium, I needed something that would work either in my tank or as a HOB (hang on the back) option. While this model is fully contained within the tank, I feel more secure as it has zero chance of leaking or draining the tank from within. Since this tank is on th second floor (on carpet!) that is verrrrrry important. I find that the space it takes up is negligible, and most salt tanks have just as much space occupied by overflows anyway. The size of this skimmer is very reasonable without being overwhelming.Most importantly, this skimmer is QUIET. How quiet, you ask? I have the tank next to my desk in my home office. I work from home doing customer service and it’s so quiet that it doesn’t produce any noise that can be heard in the background of my calls. I love that I can keep a salt tank next to my desk because equipment like this exists. Not only that, but it WORKS. This skimmer produced skimmate almost right away. Years ago I tried several skimmers, including ones that others spoke of positively, but my experience failed to mirror theirs. I am soooooo, soooo happy to finally have a quality skimmer that does what it’s supposed to QUIETLY and at an affordable price.And lastly: Hydor customer service is top notch. The skimmer I received was missing the suction cup magnets. I sent them a quick email via their website and received a prompt response stating that they would mail me some replacements. I received them within just a few days. (They work great, btw. They hold the skimmer firmly without slipping)Overall I give the Hydor Slim Skim Nano 5 stars for value. It works awesome and doesn’t break the bank. I love this thing and will update down the line with how it performs longterm.

I'm using this with my Innovative Marine 30L. I wouldn't recommend it for that tank because there really isn't a good place to for it. It sits a little too high. Also, it is too loud, it's the loudest thing in my system. That could due to improper mounting as it just sits in my tank, not really attached to anything.Functionally I think it works pretty good. The holder fills up about a quarter of the way every few days or so. My nitrates were going out of control. I can't say how well it brought them down because I increased my water changes as well.Edit: I stopped getting skimate and it was really loud so it now sits in the garage. I ended up forgoing the skimmer, got the custom caddy. I made my own bags of charcoal and Purigen for media. It was way more effective than the skimmer ever was.

I did my research before buying this skimmer. I wanted a quiet skimmer that doesn't take away from the experience of viewing my fish tank, and wanted an easy setup. Also I did not want a ugly skimmer hanging off the back with dirty skimmate spewing out.The skimmer comes well packaged and easy to use instructions. The materials used are very sturdy and not cheap. I have used it for several months and still looks new. It is in the rear of the tank, and you barely notice it is there. I was able to set it up fairly quickly (make sure if you have enough space in your tank to place it) In a few days it started skimming, and kept the tank fairly clear. Its easy to clean out the collection cup and adjust for the type of skimmate you want. It produces good skimmate and works just as specified without the noise of other skimmers in the market.Pros:Very QuietVery good quality of materialsKeeps tank cleanEasy to useLooks Good in tank.Cons:None