Cove has been making a name for itself as one of the most prominent protein skimmer brands to use the venerable AquaBee needle wheel pumps. The company has a wide ranging catalog of protein skimmer sizes and they’ve recently added their smallest model to the lineup with the Cove I-120.
This small internal protein skimmer is about as small as you can efficiently make an internal, in-sump skimmer while still using a needle wheel pump, and the Cove I-120 is fully loaded with the same features that their larger models benefit from. The entire skimmer can be completely disassembled for maintenance and every part is made from much heavier duty material than required for such a small device.
Skimmer level is controlled by a classic wedge pipe outflow, including a built-in dial so you know which setting the skimmer is adjusted to. The bubble diffuser plate is riddled with many small holes to help the froth rise up smoothly, and the cup has a triple soft gasket for easy removal and cleaning. But one thing that we love on all skimmer is the use of a clear volute so you can easily gauge the injection of air into the needle wheel impeller chamber.
The Cove I-120 uses a smaller version of the AquaBee 2000/1 needle wheel pump to draw somewhere between 250 and 500 liters of air per hour which should be suitable for saltwater aquariums up to from 75 to 100 gallons. This will definitely be Cove’s most affordable protein skimmer model to date with an expected retail price just shy of $200 but we’re still a month or two from seeing the Cove I-120 becoming widely available through their respective distributors. [Cove]
