Protein Skimmers for All In One Aquariums - Recommendations and Advice

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 All in One aquariums.

We have already talked about protein skimmers for both larger aquariums with sumps and nano aquariums with sumps. But what about the middle child of the marine aquarium line up – The All in One aquarium? When we talk about All in One Aquariums we are referring to, among many others, the following..

• Red Sea Max Nano
• Water Box 20
• Fluval SEA Evo 52L
• Fluval Flex
• TMC First Wave
• Maxspect Dice AIO
• Red Sea Max-E
• Cade 450

After all, All in One aquariums are becoming increasingly popular as an easy way to start your very first marine aquarium. The option to purchase some very capable tanks at very low prices makes the All in One a very attractive option when it comes to building a beautiful reef. There are many big name suppliers producing them, as well, including..

Do Your Need a Protein Skimmer in an AIO Aquarium?

Before we begin, we should answer a simple question. Do we even need a protein skimmer for our All in One Aquarium? After all, most AIO tanks are quite small. With only a few fish, maybe more frequent water changes would be a more suitable, and more economical, option?

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.

Naturally, you may find yourself needing a new protein skimmer for your All in One aquarium and wondering where to start. Well, there are options but they are far more limited because there are some very specific issues to consider with All in One aquariums..

We need to keep in mind the space available to us as we as the size or our aquarium, on top of a few other things. Let’s take a look but, first, a quick recap on our protein skimmer journey.

A Quick Recap

If you have missed any of our previous articles on protein skimmers, feel free to click on the links below. We are aiming to get you fully clued up on what protein skimmers are and how they work. As well as telling you whether you need one in your aquarium and what are the pros and cons.

• What is a protein skimmer and what do they do?
• How does a protein skimmer work?
• What are the benefits of a protein skimmer?
• What are the downsides of a protein skimmer?
• Do you need a protein skimmer in your marine aquarium?

If you have decided that a protein skimmer would be a good addition to your All in One marine aquarium ownership journey. You are now left with one simple question. Which protein skimmer will be right for your tank? Well, that depends on a few things.

All In One Aquariums

When we talk about All in One aquariums we are referring to the type of aquariums that have a hidden section at the back, or side, which contains chambers for filtration. People, sometimes, erroneously refer to this part as a sump but that’s not really correct. The water is pulled through a comb like area of the display and pumped out of these chambers using a separate pump.

The Red Sea Max Nano, Waterbox 20, and the Fluval Flex series are good examples of All in One Aquariums. The difficulty, here, is that controlling the height of your protein skimmer, in the water, can be quite tough. As can finding a protein skimmer that fits neatly into the chamber section of your aquarium which, typically, has limited space.

Many of these aquariums will come with their own proprietary protein skimmers but what if they don’t? What if you purchased a used example that was missing the skimmer? That’s what I did with my Red Sea Max Nano. In fact, many people replace the stock Red Sea skimmer, anyway, because they don’t think it is very good.

There Are Options for AIO Aquariums

The good news is, there are options for protein skimmers in your All in One aquarium. They are just a bit more limited as we need the protein skimmer to be a couple of very specific things.

• The protein skimmer needs to be narrow, fairly short, and not too wide.
• The protein skimmer needs a mechanism to attach it to the side, or back, of the aquarium.
• The protein skimmer needs to have a narrow and short collection cup.

The reasons for these requirements are so that the protein skimmer will fit in the back chamber of your aquarium. Won’t interfere with any of the chamber walls or get in the way of equipment, won’t have a cup that protrudes over the top of the display, and can be held near the surface of the water to maintain an adequate water level within the skimmer.

The protein skimmers listed here might fit your all in one aquarium. You will need to carefully check measurements, though. Each AIO aquarium is different so it is impossible for me to come up with universally suitable suggestions. These options should be suitable for many tanks, though.

A Few Notes on AIO Aquariums

As with all aquariums, when it comes to the subject of protein skimmers. A protein skimmer is rated by both the water capacity it is capable of processing and the bioload it is capable of processing. When we talk about bioload, we mean the number of fish you have in your aquarium.

More fish equals more waste which, in turn, means a higher bioload. For example, I have a Bubble Magus Mini Q in my 75 litre Red Sea Max Nano all in one aquarium. This protein skimmer is rated to handle 75 litres of water at a medium bioload.

I don’t have any fish in this aquarium so that is great. If I were to add three or four fish, my bioload would be classed as Heavy. Meaning my protein skimmer would no longer be able to keep up and I would need to upgrade. When looking at protein skimmers, you need to consider bioload.

Your options here, due to the nature of All in One aquariums, and their minimal space for a skimmer, are very limited. But, if you have a higher bioload, try to purchase a protein skimmer that is rated for a higher bioload or for a larger capacity of water.

If you have a 75 litre aquarium with a heavy bioload, you should buy a skimmer rated up to 120 litres to help process that bioload. Try not to go too oversized, however, as bigger is not always better in this situation. Particularly where limited space is concerned.

All In One Aquarium Protein Skimmer Options

Again, there are a couple of options here but only a few of those meet all of the requirements that we need for an all in one aquarium. I have quite a lot of experience with this subject. As I mentioned earlier. I purchased a Red Sea Max Nano off someone fairly close to my location for an absolute steal. The only problem was it was missing the protein skimmer.

No problem, I thought. I grabbed a tape measure and began a journey of discovery. I had 7cms of real estate to work with so this skimmer needed to be very narrow. I had limited horizontal space, as well, thanks to the middle chamber’s walls. I needed a clip to hold the skimmer on the back of the aquarium, too.

Trying out different protein skimmers, seeing which ones fit well, deciding which I liked and which I didn’t like. I ended up settling on the option at the top of the list. It ticked all the boxes for me but I am not sure it would do the job if I had a higher bioload.

Compact Protein Skimmers

All of these options assume that you want to house the protein skimmer in the filtration section of your all in one aquarium. Let’s take a look.

• The Bubble Magus Mini Q
• The Bubble Magus BM-QQ2
• The Bubble Magus Z5
• Wavereef Protein Skimmer Nano Box
• The Hydor Slim Skim
• The Tunze Comline DOC 9001 or 9004.
• TMC Reef Skim Nano 50
• Sicce Shark 150

The Bubble Magus Mini Q is very efficient, very quiet, and comes with a clip to hang it onto the back of your aquarium. It is quite flexible, as well, allowing a lot of depth adjustment. I absolutely love it and it blows the much more well regarded Tunze 9001 out of the water, in my opinion.

The BBM-QQ2 seems similar but a little bigger so may be better for larger water volumes. We also have the Bubble Magus Z5 which is incredibly narrow. I am not sure whether this offers the option to hang it on the back, in the water, or whether you would need to fashion a shelf using some egg crate to act as a stand for the skimmer. I have done this before and it can work surprisingly well. Just cut to size and wedge it in the chamber.

Speaking of which, the TMC Reef Skim Nano 50 is another one that will probably need a shelf fashioning to place it on but I have heard pretty good things about it. Likewise, I have actually seen the Sicce Shark 150 being used in a person’s AIO aquarium but I am not sure of the size. I trust Sicce, however, and they have a class leading warranty. The Wavereef Protein Skimmer Nano Box is designed specifically for All in One aquariums and features a clip to hold it on the side.

The Hydor is quite narrow with a very short cup but is extremely long. It also features a magnet to attach it to your tank. You may find this one a bit difficult to actually fit in comfortably thanks to the length. The Tunze skimmers are a bit on the large side and come with a magnet but older examples didn’t allow you to move this magnet. The 9001 is smaller and easier to accommodate. I used one with no issues in my Red Sea Max Nano AIO aquarium.

Hang on Back Protein Skimmers

If you need more skimming power and have space behind your aquarium. You can opt for a hang on back protein skimmer. This may not be an option for a lot of people but you may want to give some consideration to making changes to accommodate it.

Let’s be real, most people will probably have their aquarium flush to the wall. If you don’t, however, you can opt for a whole range of larger hang on back skimmers that can process much more waste. Some of the options are.

• Bubble Magus BM-QQ1
• Bubble Magus BM-QQ3
• Aqua One NanoSkim 90
• IceCap Nano 50 HOB
• Bubble Magus E3 and Q3 series
• Aqua Medic Evo 1001
• AquaReady Bullet 1-HOB
• AquaReady Bullet 2-HOB
• The Skimz SH2
• Reef Octopus Classic NS80-Nano
• Reef Octopus Classic 90 HOB
• Reef Octopus Classic 1000 HOB
• Red Dragon Hang on Back (Ali Express)
• Boyu Hang on Back (Ali Express)
• Red Starfish Hang on Back (Ali Express)

All of these are good, mid-range, price options. The Bubble Magus BM-QQ1 is particularly great and very silent The Bubble Magus QQ3 is, basically, a bigger version of that capable of processing more water. The Aqua One NanoSkim 90 seems to share a similar design to the Bubble Magus BM-QQ1.

The IceCap Nano 50 HOB seems decent but it does require the actual water pump to sit inside of the water which may cause a space issue. I am sure both of the Bubble Magus E3 and Q3 series are excellent but they are both quite large. I used the E3 for a long time and it skimmed like crazy. It has a very big footprint, though.

Red Dragon, Boyu, and Red Starfish, hang on back series, being Ali Express, more affordable, alternatives. You will need some space behind your aquarium for these. You are going to want to make sure they will fit horizontally, as well, as a lot of hang on back skimmers are quite wide and need space for a intake and outtake pipe.

If you are really pressed for space, the Reef Octopus Classic 1000 might be a better choice. It is quite economical when it comes to size but, also, fairly expensive. You also have the Reef Octopus Classic NS-80 for smaller tanks with less space. Check out our upcoming article on Hang on Back Protein Skimmers for more information.

In Short

We do have available options when it comes to protein skimmers for All in One aquariums. We just have a more limited selection. We have to be conscious about the space available as well as our bioload. Small, compact, nano specific aquarium skimmers can work well. Hang on back protein skimmers are also an option depending on space. Thanks for reading and spending your time with Simple Reefs.