saltwater8
Member
I was so hyped about the Coralife Super Skimmer after reading all of the good comments on here...
But I ran across this review on the net...
PRODUCT REVIEW - Coralife Protein Skimmer 125gal.
[hr]
Coralife Protein Skimmer 125gal.
Introduction
The skimmer is said to allow setting it as a hang on back or in sump unit. It’s rated to handle up to 125gal. It uses a needle-wheel impeller in a submersible pump to fractionate water + a venturi as an air supply. The unit is made of polycarbonate plastic.
Product Review
First, the instruction manual is well written and easy to follow. It has also a lot of graphics that support the written text and make the assembly a breeze… at least, in theory.
I was going for the hang on back installation. The unit is fixed to the back of the tank by 2 plastic screws. The pump has to be set between 3 to 4 inches below the water line. In order to do that, you have to cut a piece of flexible tubing and connect it to the intake of the unit and the outlet of the pump. First, the tube is very hard to insert in both the unit and the pump. Secondly, prepare yourself for a lot of “hands in the water” time, fiddling with the tube in order to achieve the desired height on the pump. Furthermore, the pump doesn’t have ANY means of securing it to the tank wall. No suction cups, nothing. It just hangs in the tank by the tube. Also, the pump is bulky and since it is placed so close to the outlet of the unit, it’s very hard to conceal.
The outlet of the unit is sent to a “filter” box that is “fixed” to the tank wall by a plastic insert with only one tiny plastic screw. Since only one screw is provided, the box is rather unstable and shifts left and right. The box is fitted with a white pad that goes at the bottom of the box and a fairly large black sponge that is supposed to retain the micro-bubbles exhausted from the unit. The sponge has a hole in it to receive the outlet tube. Unfortunately, the hole is way too large and the tube fits very loosely in the sponge. Furthermore, the box has to be set a quarter ( ¼ ) inch above the water line. Needless to say that such a precise adjustment is hard to achieve with only a single screw to hold the whole thing in place. As if that was not enough, the tube has to be 1” above the white pad. Since the box is not transparent, you kind of have to feel your measures and cut small pieces of tube at a time in order to achieve a very “approximate” fit.
After turning the unit on, be prepared for a festival of micro-bubbles in the tank. The return box is completely ineffective and is a worthless piece of plastic. Not knowing that beforehand, you can not return the unit since you have cut the return tube which is way to long to start with unless you have like your water line 3” below the top of your tank.
Conclusion
The unit is not really built for a HOB application. My skimmer is now in pieces and waiting for the sump to be in place before I can use it. For falsely advertising their product as being a HOB unit, for their cheap and not working return box, I give this unit a poor 4 out of 10.
But I ran across this review on the net...
PRODUCT REVIEW - Coralife Protein Skimmer 125gal.
[hr]
Coralife Protein Skimmer 125gal.
Introduction
The skimmer is said to allow setting it as a hang on back or in sump unit. It’s rated to handle up to 125gal. It uses a needle-wheel impeller in a submersible pump to fractionate water + a venturi as an air supply. The unit is made of polycarbonate plastic.
Product Review
First, the instruction manual is well written and easy to follow. It has also a lot of graphics that support the written text and make the assembly a breeze… at least, in theory.
I was going for the hang on back installation. The unit is fixed to the back of the tank by 2 plastic screws. The pump has to be set between 3 to 4 inches below the water line. In order to do that, you have to cut a piece of flexible tubing and connect it to the intake of the unit and the outlet of the pump. First, the tube is very hard to insert in both the unit and the pump. Secondly, prepare yourself for a lot of “hands in the water” time, fiddling with the tube in order to achieve the desired height on the pump. Furthermore, the pump doesn’t have ANY means of securing it to the tank wall. No suction cups, nothing. It just hangs in the tank by the tube. Also, the pump is bulky and since it is placed so close to the outlet of the unit, it’s very hard to conceal.
The outlet of the unit is sent to a “filter” box that is “fixed” to the tank wall by a plastic insert with only one tiny plastic screw. Since only one screw is provided, the box is rather unstable and shifts left and right. The box is fitted with a white pad that goes at the bottom of the box and a fairly large black sponge that is supposed to retain the micro-bubbles exhausted from the unit. The sponge has a hole in it to receive the outlet tube. Unfortunately, the hole is way too large and the tube fits very loosely in the sponge. Furthermore, the box has to be set a quarter ( ¼ ) inch above the water line. Needless to say that such a precise adjustment is hard to achieve with only a single screw to hold the whole thing in place. As if that was not enough, the tube has to be 1” above the white pad. Since the box is not transparent, you kind of have to feel your measures and cut small pieces of tube at a time in order to achieve a very “approximate” fit.
After turning the unit on, be prepared for a festival of micro-bubbles in the tank. The return box is completely ineffective and is a worthless piece of plastic. Not knowing that beforehand, you can not return the unit since you have cut the return tube which is way to long to start with unless you have like your water line 3” below the top of your tank.
Conclusion
The unit is not really built for a HOB application. My skimmer is now in pieces and waiting for the sump to be in place before I can use it. For falsely advertising their product as being a HOB unit, for their cheap and not working return box, I give this unit a poor 4 out of 10.
