The Slim Skim is an interesting new internal protein skimmer that is constructed with an extremely accessible design. Unlike most protein skimmers on the market which are made from tubes or cones, the Hydor Slim Skim is made from a box with just two sliding panels to help corridor the air towards the cup and the water towards the base. Not only is this a very simple internal skimmer design, as it sits in the aquarium water it actually pulls from the surface so that it can feed itself with the most protein-laden water possible.
The Slim Skim is powered by a specially designed Aero pump; we hesitate to call this purely a needle wheel pump because something about the Aero allows it to produce extremely fine bubbles even in freshwater. The final touch on Hydor’s Slim Skim is the inclusion of two mounting magnets which should help you keep the skimmer in place at the desired water level without having to call on McGyver. We had a chance to have a long one on one session with Hydor’s new internal skimmer at Interzoo this year and the full tear down can be viewed after the break. The Slim Skims are still a month or two from becoming widely available stateside but we’ll probably learn more at some of the upcoming trade shows this fall.
