I had problems with my old skimmer, so I decided I needed a new, appropriately sized protein skimmer for my tank. I hadn’t heard much of it, but what I had heard about the Hydor Slim Skim was that it was quiet, and compact, which is always nice for any tank, really, but specifically nano tanks. I already have three Koralia nano 425 powerheas in my 29 gallon and I am pleased with them, so I figured I’d give Hydor another shot, this time with their skimmer.
The Slim Skim comes in two sizes – the nano (rated for up to 35 gallons) and the "regular" (for 40-65 gallons). The Slim Skim has a footprint of 4†X 4.5†and is 17-5/8†tall. The optimal water depth for this protein skimmer is 16â€.
Here is my package from Marine Depot.
I also ordered a Taam Rio+ 200 for a diy reactor. You'll hear more about that later.
If the peanuts weren't enough, the skimmer was very well packaged too.
Miscellaneous parts for the skimmer (magnets, airline tubing, clips, pump).
The pump says "hydor nano", but pushes about 30 gallons per hour and looks somewhat similar to Hydor's Pico pumps.
The first thing I noticed when I received this skimmer is its small size. With just a 3†square footprint, it should fit in just about any aquarium. With an optimal water depth of 11â€, suggested by Hydor, I figured I would have had a bit of trouble getting it to work in my 10g sump, but actually it should work just fine in as low as 9.5" depth. I am running the skimmer in my display for now, until I can get the hole saw form my dad's work so I can run my return line thru the cabinet.
Assembly - I was surprised at how easy this skimmer is to take apart and clean. Assembly is relativity easy, with a bit of help from the manual provided by Hydor.
There were a few things I was disappointed with in the construction of the skimmer, but I do not think each of them are a big deal on their own. I'll explain a bit more below.
The front of the two removable acrylic panels fit a bit lose in its slot, but I think it should be fine.
The magnets are supposed to fit in these clips. Well, the magnets are too large for the clip and if I take the rubber cover off then the magnet is too small and wants to fall out.
The hole in the top of the skimmer cup, meant to hold the end of the airline knob, is larger than the airline tube. So it sets pretty loose in the hole.
A nice feature that caught my eye was the use of Hydor’s magnets; they are the same ones they use for their powerheads. These magnets are removable, which allows for an even slimmer footprint in your tank. Unfortunately, they do not work for me unless I remove the clips that hold the power cord and airline tubing in place.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the skimmer had been modified somewhat since Mark Callahan (of MrSaltwaterTankTV) did his review of the Slim Skim Nano. Here is how the new cup looks.
All-in-all, I am pleased with this skimmer. Thank you, Hydor for another good product. I just wish they would have checked out the little mistakes, which most seemed to involve incorrect measurements.
I hope to be getting two clownfish soon, so hopefully they will be a good test for this new skimmer.
Review of the Slim Skim, by Mark Callahan:
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