The Aquarist Refuge

This is a pretty popular protein skimmer, the AquaC Remora. It’s easy to find. It’s reliable and it’s priced well. Those are the obvious reasons why it’s so popular. I’ve had one running on my aquarium for at least 3 years now, what’s my opinion?

First impressions… after a long time

My first reaction is that it very reliable. This thing has been hanging on the back of my aquarium for at least 3 years straight, and has been operating for at least 3 years straight.

I just clean it out on a regular basis, and it just works. I like this particular trade-off between human and machine. I maintain this skimmer consistently, yet lightly – and it just keep working and doing it’s thing.

I’ve never had to replace any parts yet on this Remora skimmer. I just clean it out from time to time as needed and it keeps working as well as the day I bought it.

In addition to the reliability I really didn’t have to pay much to get this skimmer. I bought a used on on ebay (it was pretty much like new) and a pump for under $200. That’s not too bad. I can’t remember the exact price I paid now that I think about it, but it had to have been around $150-$200. These skimmer are all over ebay right now for the same price range.

It uses a spray injection system, so it doesn’t need much tweaking. I’ve had some venture skimmers that needed a lot of tweaking to keep them running efficiently, this skimmer is different. I just pretty much plugged it in and started it up and it’s been running great ever since.

Powerhead?

I am using the Taam Rio+ 1400 Powerhead, it’s pretty slick. This might even be bigger than what I need, as it pushes 420 gph based on the specs, but it works well and gets all kinds of junk outta the water working along with the Remora.

This is the pump that was delivered to me along with the Remora skimmer. It’s been in operation as long as the skimmer has, so I guess I have no complaints about this particular powerhead either, now that I reflect on it.

What don’t I like?

The one thing I do not like about it sometimes in the noise. It can be a noisy skimmer. The reason it is so noise, I believe, is because of how it works. Rather than venturis or other similar methods, it uses a spray injection system. For this reason, there is relatively little tweaking needed to get it to work right. It is that spray system though that creates the noise.

It’s not a bad noise, and I don’t notice it much. It is louder than other venturi skimmers that I have used though.

If I had a sump system under the tank cabinet, and put the skimmer there, I probably would not hear it. It can be hidden.

Would I ever replace it? I’m not sure. I like it enough that if I did try a different skimmer than the AquaC Remora, I might want to hang on the the Remora just in case I needed to revert back to it. I don’t think I could part with it.

Related posts:

1. Aquarium Maintenance – Too Much For One Day!
2. Aquarium Algae Control: How I Got Rid Of Nuisance Algae In My Aquarium