Nano reef tanks (aquariums up to 30 gallons) are a great option for folks who don’t have a lot of space or want to enjoy a slice of the ocean without having to spend a ton of dough. Not having a lot of time for maintenance might be another consideration so for some it is important to have equipment that is simple and easy to maintain. The Reef Glass Nano Protein Skimmer checks a couple of those boxes as it is a reasonably priced and easy to use product designed specifically for nano tanks.
The kit includes a classic limewood protein skimmer and all the parts needed to start skimming, with the exception of an air pump and waste bottle. An AP-3 air pump from Danner would work for the air pump and an ordinary bottle will do the trick for the waste container. It is best to leave the cap off the bottle but if it is left on then two holes should be drilled into the top, with one hole for the drain line and the other for air to escape.
Ok, what about assembly? It\’s quite simple. The rubber stopper has two holes, a waste drain hole for an elbow connector that attaches to the drain line and an air inlet hole for the rigid acrylic tube that attaches to the limewood air stone. An air flow valve inserted into the air inlet hole allows for adjustments to air flow while an o-ring used to hold the skimmer on the acrylic mount makes it possible to adjust the skimmer’s height in the water. The rest of the installation is just a matter of connecting a couple of hoses.
The skimmer comes with a versatile mounting bracket, which makes it possible to mount the unit on most rimless and rimmed tanks. The mount screw can actually be screwed on the back of the mount for rimless tanks and on the front of the mount for rimmed tanks.
Reef Glass uses high quality Pyrex glass for the skimmer and the simple and practical straight shape makes it easy to remove the air stone without having to unmount the skimmer. Overall, this skimmer produces a ton of foam and is not a headache to maintain, pluses nano tank enthusiasts should consider when looking into other alternatives such as a small needle wheel skimmer. For a closer look you can check out this video.
Additional Resources
If you would like some help with a new tank build, including help designing a custom aquarium, or help re-configuring your current setup then you can visit this page for more information. And if you are looking to add some equipment, I do sell GHL, Pax Bellum, Reef Octopus Calcium and Kalk Reactors and Royal Exclusiv products, including Dreamboxes, which is the equipment I use and recommend. I also sell Reef Brite metal halide and LED fixtures as well as Maxspect & IceCap Gyres.
As for additional insights and information, please explore my many other reef tank and SPS related articles as well as my YouTube channel. For an even deeper dive into reef tank care you can check out my Reef Keeping Master Class. This online course is an immersive and one of a kind educational tool designed to help reef aquarium hobbyists build and maintain a beautiful SPS reef tank. The course is a series of video presentations with some supplemental video from my YouTube channel. There are also quizzes to help students retain and understand the information presented in the course.
Need some frags…..I can help with that as well 🙂 Please visit my SPS Frag store to see what is available.
