Protein Skimmers for Aquariums With No Sump and Freshwater Conversions

Welcome to Simple Reefs. This is a brand new website dedicated to taking the complexity out of Marine Aquarium Ownership. Our goal is to show you how you can own your very own slice of the ocean without spending a fortune. As well as giving you tons of easy to digest information on all things marine. Today we are going to be talking about protein skimmers for aquariums with no sump and freshwater conversions.

This is a subject that I have a lot of experience with as I have converted a number of freshwater aquariums into marine aquariums. Meaning I have done the whole “no sump” thing and tried and tested a lot of the more popular options when it comes to protein skimmers for these types of aquariums.

I should clarify, before we begin, that we are not talking about All in One Aquariums, here. All in One aquariums feature a separate section for filtration located, typically, at the back, or side, of the aquarium. We are talking about aquariums with no sump and no hidden filtration compartments.

We have covered protein skimmers for All in One aquariums in a separate article. The needs are fairly similar but there are some key differences that mean we have a different range of protein skimmer options available to us. Check that article out if you have an All in One (AIO) aquarium.

Obviously, when it comes to converting freshwater aquariums into marine aquariums, you can always drill the tank and add a sump. That’s an article for another day, though. We have also talked about protein skimmers for nano aquariums with sumps and protein skimmers for aquariums with sumps so check those articles out if you need help with any of those subjects.

Do You Need a Protein Skimmer with No Sump?

Before we begin, we should answer a simple question. Do we even need a protein skimmer for our aquarium? Well, that’s going to depend, very much, on the size of your tank and your bioload. If you only have a small aquarium with only a few fish. Maybe more frequent water changes would be a more suitable, and more economical, option? Hell, this might even be the case for larger tanks if you have few fish.

Check out our article on whether, or not, you need a protein skimmer before continuing as you could save yourself a ton of money and hassle. You will also experience the added benefit of replenishing vital elements via larger, and more frequent, water changes leading to a healthier tank.

If your tank is on the large side, you have no sump, and you plan to have a mix of coral and fish. Then it is time to read on because a protein skimmer will help immensely. Unfortunately, when it comes to aquariums with no sump. This is the most difficult predicament with regards to purchasing a protein skimmer. Particularly if you need a protein skimmer that can handle a large amount of waste.

You Can Add a Protein Skimmer to an Aquarium with No Sump

If you have a large freshwater aquarium that you are converting to a marine aquarium. Your protein skimmer options are limited but it is totally doable so don’t be put off by people telling you that you need to have a sump to run a healthy marine tank. It simply isn’t true and countless hobbyist’s experience prove that.

There are, however, a couple of things that you will have to accept. The most noteworthy of which is that your aquarium will never have that clean, uninhibited by equipment, look that seems so typical of the marine aquarium aesthetic. You will have to make some compromises. Let’s start by making a few assumptions.

• You don’t want the protein skimmer in your display.
• You have space behind your aquarium.
• You have space on the back of your aquarium.

If you answered no to any of these questions. Some of what I am about to say won’t apply to you but we will jump in with some solutions towards the end of this article. If all of these things are true, or you can move your aquarium to accommodate by creating some room at the back. Then the best option we can possibly have is a hang on back protein skimmer. I have done this myself and it worked fantastically.

In fact, I would say there were some pros to the hang on back skimmer that I don’t have with my current, in sump, skimmer. There were, also, some risks, as well. We are going to go into that in a new article so feel free to click that to take a look. Before we do any of that, we need to consider a few things.

Protein Skimmers and Bioload

Regardless of whether we are looking to add a hang on back protein skimmer or an internal protein skimmer. We need to consider a few important points. Every protein skimmer is rated by the capacity of water that it is able to process and by bioload.

Bioload is, quite simply, the number of creatures you have living in your aquarium. The more fish you have, the more food you will feed and the more poop will be produced. The higher the bioload, the harder the protein skimmer will have to work to remove it. The majority of people are closer to a heavy bioload than a light bioload. It only takes a few fish to really mess the water up.

As it stands, most protein skimmers will have an aquarium capacity rating, in litres, that they are capable of processing. This, normally, assumes a light or medium bioload. When your bioload increases, this rating goes down. Sometimes quite dramatically.

For example, a Red Sea RSK300 protein skimmer is rated for aquariums up to 225 gallons (850 litres) but only if you have a light bioload. That figure drops to 75 gallons (280 litres) if you have a high bioload. A quite staggering difference, really.

If you have a lot of fish, it might help to buy a protein skimmer that is rated 25%-50% higher than your actual aquarium’s capacity. So, for example, if you have a 400 litre aquarium with a lot of fish, you will want a protein skimmer that is rated for an aquarium 400-700 litres in size. That should give you plenty of leeway when it comes to waste processing capabilities.

Hang On Back Protein Skimmers

When it comes to converting a freshwater aquarium into a marine aquarium. Hang on Back protein skimmers are your best friend. In fact, they take a hell of a lot of the stress out of the process when it comes to larger aquariums.

They work by feeding water into the protein skimmer’s reaction chamber from your aquarium and then returning it back once it has been processed. This is, typically, accomplished via a pair of pipes that stick into the water, one for intake and one for return. Or through an actual pump sitting in the water itself. This way, the protein skimmer sits out of the water and only minimal parts of the equipment are visible in your display.

Again, there are compromises. You are going to be staring at a collection cup full of waste whenever you look at your aquarium unless you box it into shelving unit, or something. The protein skimmer takes up room, as well, and you need a good few inches at the back of your tank to fit in in and hang it off the back. In theory, however, there is a good chance you have a hang on back filter, too, so space may be available already.

With that being said, there are a decent number of options for all different sizes of aquarium. The only time you may experience issues with volume is when you start looking at much larger aquariums as the size of skimmer needed would be impractical to hang off of the back. Let’s take a look.

Hang on Back Protein Skimmers For Nano Aquariums

These hang on back protein skimmers are on the smaller side of life and will suit converted freshwater aquariums under 120 litres. Unfortunately, your options are a bit limited here.

• The Bubble Magus BM-QQ1
• Skimz SH2 Hang On External Protein Skimmer
• IceCap Nano 50 HOB
• Aqua One NanoSkim 90
• AquaReady Bullet 1-HOB
• AquaReady Bullet 2-HOB
• Reef Octopus Classic 90-HOB
• Reef Octopus Classic 100-HOB

Not a great selection but don’t fret, too much. The Bubble Magus BM-QQ1 is fantastic and has you covered for most situations. It’s very discreet, is barely noticeable in the water, sits low on the back of the tank and is very quiet. The collection cup is tinted, as well, which you may be grateful for when staring at it all day.

The Aqua One NanoSkim 90 looks like a very similar design to the Bubble Magus BM-QQ1 but is, actually, pricier. It also seems a little less discreet which is something you may want to consider with smaller aquariums like nanos.

The IceCap Nano 50 HOB seems to need the pump to sit in the water which is going to look a bit ugly. The collection cup is, also, completely see through.. Yuk! The Skimz SH2 seems pretty discreet in the water itself but is rather large so will need space at the back of the aquarium.

The Reef Octopus Classic 100-HOB is the smaller version of their classic hang on back protein skimmer and looks fantastic. It is quite discreet and can process a ton of water. Between 50-400 litres in fact. It is quite expensive, though.

Hang on Back Protein Skimmers For Larger Aquariums

If you are looking for a hang on back protein skimmer for a larger aquarium. You are in luck. There are far more options than there are for nano aquariums and more companies seem to come up with their own designs. Meaning you have plenty of choices.

• Bubble Magus BM-QQ3
• Bubble Magus E3
• Bubble Magus Q3
• Bubble Magus Q5
• Aqua Medic Evo 1001
• Reef Octopus Classic 1000-HOB
• Reef Octopus Classic 2000-HOB
• Red Dragon Hang on Back (Ali Express)
• Boyu Hang on Back (Ali Express)
• Red Starfish Hang on Back (Ali Express)
• Deltec MCE400 Hang On Skimmer
• Deltec MCE600 Hang On Skimmer
• AquaReady HOB-1.5
• IceCap K3 100 HOB

There are a ton of options here and this is definitely not an exhaustive list. On the lower end of the budget scale we have the Bubble Magus BM-QQ3, the E3 and the Q3. I have used the E3 extensively and it is a fantastic protein skimmer that is very capable on moderate sized aquariums. The E5 is similar but a little larger in size, I believe. The BM-QQ3 shares a lot of the same positive traits as its smaller sibling and is very discreet.

The IceCap K3 100 HOB comes with a DC pump with controller so should be easy to tune and very efficient but is fairly pricey. The Aqua Medic Evo 1001 seems decent but the pump has to sit in the water itself which may be a bit aesthetically unpleasing.

The Reef Octopus Classic 1000-HOB is a very slender option if you have limited space behind your aquarium. Likewise for the larger 2000-HOB. I am very impressed by the clever design and I trust Reef Octopus a lot. The Deltec MCE400 and MCE600 are very premium options but it is Deltec so expect high quality and for it to be able to process a lot of waste. The AquaReady is similar with regards to its premium status but I don’t trust the brand as much as Deltec.

The Red Starfish Hang on Back, Red Dragon Hang on Back, and Boyu Hang on Back are Ali Express options with good reviews but I have no clue if they work well. The build quality seems fine but it is tough to trust reviews on these types of market places. Either way, you have options here for all budgets.

I Have No Space Behind My Aquarium

If you answered no to any of the questions I asked, earlier. Then your only options are to place a protein skimmer in your aquarium display. I would highly suggest you try to avoid this because you may end up hating it but it will work.

Make no mistake, it is going to look a bit ugly. It will probably grow algae on both the outside and inside, if you have decent lights. And it may just drive you mad but it can be done. I would take a look at..

• Bubble Magus Mini Q
• Bubble Magus BM-QQ2
• Sicce Shark 150Protein Skimmer
• Hydor Slim Skim
• Bubble Magus Nano Series
• An ultra basic, cedar wood air stone, option.
• Tunze 9001
• Tunze 9004
• TMC Reef Skim 100 Nano
• Aqua Excel Nano 40D

I have picked these protein skimmers, specifically, because they are fairly low profile and may not be a complete eyesore in your aquarium. Many of them are black so should blend into a black background pretty effectively. They, also, are able to be hung off the side, or back, of the aquarium which is very important to getting the water level correct and not ending up with an aquarium full of skimmate.

One of the big plus points with this list of protein skimmers is that most are from well known brands that are proven to be effective. The vast majority of them should work very well. The only problem is that they don’t have a tremendous capacity for water. Meaning they are more suited to small to moderate sized tanks.

My pick of these, for nano aquariums, would be the Bubble Magus Mini Q. It is incredibly small and discreet and it works really well for my 75 litre Red Sea Max Nano. The BM-QQ2 which is, again, dark coloured and fairly discreet, should be another decent option.

The Sicce Shark 150 is well reviewed. I am a big fan of Sicce thanks to their build quality and, frankly, ridiculous 5 year warranty. The Shark 150 should be able to blend in, fairly well, to a black background, as well. The Sicce Shark 300 is another option for larger aquariums.

The Tunze 9001 and Tunze 9004 are, both, decent protein skimmers and can be purchased in either AC or DC format if you would like a little more flexibility when it comes to dialling the skimmer in. They are black and fairly sleek so really won’t look all that out of place with some careful positioning.

All of these suggestions should be more than capable and I have experience with them, as well. A budget option would be something like the Aqua Excel Nano 40D on Ali Express. You may even find a very cheap, very basic, option like the one shown in the image on the right acceptable. They are dark enough to blend in fairly well and cost less than £10.

In Short

If you are converting a freshwater aquarium into a marine aquarium. Your protein skimmer options are fairly limited. If you can make space behind your aquarium, a hang on back protein skimmer will be all you ever need to get the job done. There is an extensive range for all kinds of budgets. If, however, you can’t accommodate a hang on back skimmer, you are left in a bit of a pickle with an internal protein skimmer inside of your display. Thanks for reading and spending your time at Simple Reefs.