Review on Coralife Protein Skimmer Marine Filter by Brittany Rodriguez

My aquarium has been running for about 5 weeks now. It was quick because I added live rock and live gravel. If you depend on the media in this filter for a small tank cycle, it won't do the trick. There are a few bits of plastic and a tiny sponge, but together they're negligible in terms of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow. It looks like there's room behind the filter pad to add another sponge to add media, but that might break the flow. I've read some other reviews that the skimmer doesn't work properly and creates excessive microbubbles until it "breaks in" but after a month it's still just making a horrible rattling, endless flow of microbubbles and no foam in the tank, where he belongs. The only things it does well is filter out solids, aerate the water (too much) and provide a decent flow. Update: After a few months of use. I reconfigured the air intake and got it to start skimming, but it still puts a lot of microbubbles in the tank. I don't think it has anything to do with the failure of the skimmer itself, as others have pointed out. I don't see any mechanism for this. I think it has more to do with the fact that you need to build up quite a bit of dissolved organic matter in your tank before it starts working. I think they didn't size the pump to fit the filter mat and skimmer when they designed this thing, which is causing the problems people are talking about. The flow rate is so high that the water flows through the top of the filter pad, carrying a lot of micro-bubbles with it. I tried limiting the flow but that only made the pump louder. This device is really for sanctuary use only. I will look into other options for a 29 gallon self contained tank. I'm also not sure how important or effective the tiny "special phosphate filter" is, but I haven't been able to find a replacement. Update: After 8 months of operation, the skimmer no longer works. No cleaning or adjustment seems to make a difference. Last update: I finally decided to drop this thing and move on. I figured out what the main downside to the erratic skimming and microbubble design was, but given all the other downsides, like the ridiculous noise level this thing makes, I won't waste any more time on it. The water level in the filter compartment needs to be at a certain level for this thing to skim the scum. When you first change the filter pad, the water level is too low and you have to wait several weeks for it to partially clog and form a dam at the right level for the skimmer to start working. You can skim well for a few weeks before the dam becomes more restrictive and the water pours into your aquarium along with a sea of microbubbles overhead. Then replace the filter mat and start "breaking in” again. In general, if you can get a few weeks of skimming in a month of hard work and a lot of time, you're lucky. The AquaClear A615 with separate mini skimmer is a much better option. It's whisper quiet in comparison, offers more directional laminar flow, and has a large enough compartment for a small amount of cheto.