Hydor Slim Skim Prototype falls into the right hands

The Hydor Slim Skim internal protein skimmer is a highly anticipated reef aquarium filter product which we can’t wait to see become available. The Slim Skim was first showed off in the U.S. at the MAX show back in April and although it is already available in Europe, it is still not yet available in the US. On a recent speaking engagement in the UK we saw Slim Skims offered for sale at a variety of reef aquarium shops but more importantly, you should have seen our eyeballs light up when we were tipped off to the existence of one of the first handmade, clear Slim Skim prototypes which had made it’s way to a certain Eastleigh aquarium shop. It just so happens that Tropical Paradise in Eastleigh was right around the corner from the home of our host Simon Garratt, where we spent an inordinate amount of time talking fish and drinking tea in this particular aquarium store.

Once we got word that this unique historical treasure was hiding in the shop the easter egg hunt was on to rummage through this shop’s endless coffers of aquarium goods to find the clear acrylic prototype Slim Skim. As compared to the production Slim Skim, the prototype Slim Skim was a very well made first draft of this protein skimmer which had yet to acquire certain features, most notable of which is the integrated surface skimming feature. The prototype also featured a slightly bulkier base to accommodate the internal Areo air mixing water pump which is now more simply slid into place with a specially made acrylic bracket. Huge thanks to Chelsea and Rich for helping us scour the store to find most of this one-of-a-kind snapshot of the creative process on what is sure to be a very important protein skimmer product in the near future. The Slim Skim and Slim Skim Nano internal protein skimmers are still undergoing slight design tweaks to help reduce the noise made by the air water-mixing and we hope that only a few more months remain between us and the simple elegance and build of the Slim Skim. More pics after the break.

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Jake Adams

Jake Adams has been an avid marine aquarist since the mid 90s and has worked in the retail side of the marine aquarium trade for more than ten years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and has been the managing editor of ReefBuilders.com since 2008. Jake is interested in every facet of the marine aquarium hobby from the concepts to the technology, rare fish to exotic corals, and his interests are well documented through a very prolific career of speaking to reef clubs and marine aquarium events, and writing articles for aquarium publications across the globe. His primary interest is in corals which Jake pursues in the aquarium hobby as well as diving the coral reefs of the world.