So whats the best protein skimmer out in the market? Whats the best money can buy?…Well, in all honesty, 90% of protein skimmers out there are almost exactly the same.  From our maintenance background, we have serviced and maintained dozens of different brands and styles of skimmers and as far as performance, size to power ratio, material composition, and price, just about every skimmer on the market today has a comparable counterpart being made by a dozen other companies. In fact, some of these supposedly unique skimmers have their components built in factories that make components for half a dozen other skimmer brands. So as far as “quality” is concerned, most skimmers are on the same exact level. For example, compare the standard Reef Octopus, Bubble Magus, and Aqua Euro skimmer lines. As far as size and power of the pumps, size of the protein skimmer itself (collection cup size, main skimmer body size, air-intake lines, etc), and how effectively they actually work, these skimmer lines are almost identical.

That being said, there are some guidelines we use when we recommend a protein skimmer. These are generally along the lines of the style of protein skimmer you should get, ie; in-sump, external, down-draft, HOB, etc etc. In this respect, there are some clear winners and losers when it comes to protein skimmers. The losers, in our opinion, are hang on back skimmers. Yes, we find them annoyingly cumbersome, prone to leaks and spills, and generally unable to filter the sizes of aquariums they are “rated” for. They do have their place in the hobby; as back-up choices for systems that were not properly designed from the start (meaning no sumps or overflow boxes). And thats basically the only styles of aquariums they’re good for.

 

Now when it comes to protein skimmers that are designed to work in someway with a sump style filtration system, there are some factors to consider when picking out your protein skimmer. Main one is the amount of space you can dedicate to the protein skimmer. Our recommendation is almost always to incorporate the largest model you can. An over-sized protein skimmer is worth its weight in gold. If you can fit something thats designed for a 200g aquarium into you 20g sump for your 50g aquarium….then DO IT. You will not regret it. The next thing to consider is your budget. If you can afford a HOB skimmer but not a decent in-sump model…save your money up for the proper protein skimmer. Don’t waste money on undersized models just because you can. As far as differences between different brands….there really aren’t any at this point in the game. Most in-sump/ down-draft/external protein skimmers will do a greatjob filtering out organic waste. The problems people generally run into with any particular skimmer is that they got a flimsy hob model or something like an in-tank air driven model which do close to nothing for their system. So avoid those headaches and get yourself a oversized in-sump/down-draft/external protein skimmer.