Nano aquariums have been growing in popularity and new equipment and technology are finally making it easier to have a slice of the ocean on your desk. During Interzoo, Tunze released multiple nano gadgets that turned heads and the Tunze 9001 DOC skimmer was one of them. With a small footprint, super efficient and extremely quiet, we knew we had to put one to the test.
The 9001 runs at a mere at 2.5 watts, measures in at 4 x 2.5 x 8 inches and drawing 100 liters of air per hour. Tunze rates the skimmer for up to a 37 gallon capacity and only needs six inches of water depth to operate. The mounting hardware is exactly the same as the pump line using two extremely strong magnets that are rated to 3/8” glass.
Set up was extremely painless. Simply mount the skimmer using provided magnets. Next place skimmer on the wavy line that is located on the front of skimmer. This is the required water level and we found it was spot on. Last, plug the little guy in!
First impressions were great. The 9001 is dead silent, started foaming within minutes and the assembly is easily hidden. The foam produced by the Tunze 9001 DOC skimmer was incredible for only being plugged in for minutes. One night later the milky white foam and fine bubbles were getting better and started to collect gunk. We recommend a ATO or steady top off however once the water level started fall, the skimmers foam was inconsistent but nothing out of the norm.
Two of our favorite aspects of the 9001 are how easily it is to hide and the silent operation. The skimmer is so small it will easily fit in many AIO chambers along with AIO’s with hoods. You could run this in your bedroom or office without ever hearing it! While the 9001 works so well it does have a few quirks. First, the magnet that mounts to the skimmer itself uses four small plastic “clips”.
At first they worked great however now we have found ourselves holding the base while doing maintenance cleaning. The collection cup top can be extremely hard to pull off for cleaning. We simply sanded a few corners to make the fix. Last, the skimmer has on and off exiting micro bubbles. This can be adjusted with the air intake. When the unit is turned on/off it will create an army of bubbles for an hour or two. When placed in an AIO tank, this is hidden due to baffles. Overall no game changers but would like to see some of these changed later down the road.
We have been using the skimmer on a fully stocked 20 gallon tank for four weeks. It has been doing work and pulling out all types of nasty gunk. We think this is one of and if not the best nano skimmers on the market. While it has a few quirks, it is an amazing piece of equipment. We can recommend the Tunze 9001 to any nano aquarist that is looking for a nano protein skimmer.
This is a guest contribution from Dave Fason, owner/operator of NanoBox Reef.
