Cobalt Aquatics has slowly been adding a few new items to its product catalog and we recently ran across the Cobalt protein skimmer pumps. Just like the Maxi-Jet relaunch from Cobalt, the protein skimmer pumps give you an Italian-made pump but also add on both a venturi and matched needle-wheel impeller to give you an upgrade option for your skimmer.
The pump motor features a self-resetting thermal protector just in case the motor happens to overheat if running dry. On top of that these pumps are pretty good on not eating up a lot of real estate and is available in two sizes. The 4-8 with a 250 GPH flow rate, measures in at 4 3/4 x 2 5/8 x 3 1/4 in. (3/4 in. NPT Connection and 5.6 ft. of head), is rated at 21W of power and retails for around $64.28. The larger 12-16 model with a 590 GPH flowrate, measures just 5 x 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 in. high (1 in. NPT connection and a 9.8 ft. head rating), is rated at 58W and retails for around $128.58.
These do look strikingly like the Maxi Jet Utility Pumps we saw a few years back that didn’t get too much traction as a skimmer pump since they were designed for water movement only. This version does take into consideration the need for a venturi and needle wheel to be a viable option for skimmers.
