My previous review got lost, so I wanted to write an update for anyone considering this skimmer — keep an eye on the magnet rotor from time to time. I bought this unit here in BRS about a year ago while collecting stuff for my aquarium and finally started using it in March of this year. After turning it off for a short period, the skimmer wouldn’t start again. I tried everything, then decided to clean the pump and discovered that the magnet was completely broken. This was surprising and disappointing given it had less than six months of actual use. I also tried to open a support ticket with Maxspect, but that turned out to be nearly impossible. My advice: if you purchase this skimmer, check the pump every few months to make sure the magnet is still in good condition.

Worked fine when running, but very temperamental compared to a Reef Octopus. After only 5 months, the pump died — controller still on, but pump won’t start. Really disappointing. First and last Maxpect product for me. Loved the concept and was excited about this skimmer, but this experience was a bummer.

I really don’t know why people are saying it’s hard to tune. I have this on my 180 and it has worked flawlessly for the last year. It’s so quiet you don’t even know it’s on. The controller works great and you don’t need to adjust the air whatsoever. Turn it on and go. I wish they made a bigger one to put on my 450.

I guess my exspectation was too much. This skimmer is unreliable. I've had this skimmer over 2 years & still hard to toon in. It leaks above the dial if you close it half way. The inconsistent of bubbles being made.

SO, I was setting up a new tank, a IM 100 EXT. had plans to stock pretty heavy and go with an SPS dominated mixed reef. This skimmer was right at the top of my list. I pulled the trigger and man, I am so glad that i did. This thing is solid as a rock. The build quality and attention to detail are many levels above the typical skimmers. The water and air adjustments are super easy. I had this thing pulling a nice dark skimmate out almost immediately. Its near silent, super easy to clean and stupid simple to adjust. Would definitely recommend

I have this on a medium-heavy bioload 100 gallon system. It's a little overkill, but I wanted lots of room for expansion. It was really easy to setup. It came completely assembled except for the rubber feet. I used the suggested settings in the manual for a 100 gallon light bioload system and it's been constantly pulling out nice dark skimmate for about two months now with no signs of slowing! It's VERY quiet, and the build quality is amazing! Really sturdy heavy duty acrylic construction that looks beautiful and should last a lifetime! Now if the ozone kit will ever come back in stock I can start running ozone through it as well!

Works great and is very quiet using it on waterbox 220

I’ve been trying to figure this out for 2 yrs - it is super quiet - but I never get a full cup and it randomly will stop making bubbles. I’ve lifted it higher / put it on a stand / cleaned it / adjusted the power /dials / etc/ watched videos over and over / not impressed - oh it’s super quiet tho

After 1.5 years of use my collection cup has now cracked in 2 separate locations. I was happy with this protein skimmer until now. Seems the build quality is not quite there.

Never knew id like a skimmer so much!! Best skimmer! Just compare to other skimmers!

It is a pain to dail in for sure. It does what it is suppose to. Quite. Small. But pain in the neck to tune.

The size, design, pumps, noise level and skimming performance are best in class. I'm truly blown away! My Vertex skimmer was noisy and crude in comparison. Trust me, it's worth every penny. So easy to setup, no assembly, amazingly quiet, this skimmer is like nothing else in the industry. Just adjust the DC pump output on the controller and you have perfect skimming. No fiddling with valves, skimmer height or the air intake.

this is a VERY solid VERY good skimmer with some VERY good appointments. It is a little spendy but DANG its good. I've had everything from bubbleking to AquaC and this one is my favorite so far. If you're on the fence pull the trigger.

This is an awesome, quiet skimmer. It features a ton of flexibility and features that are impressive. But you must understand what you're getting with this skimmer. I've owned countless number of skimmers in my time and this one is by far the most impressive. It's the quietest skimmer I've ever owned. It began producing skimmate within a day of installing it into my sump on my 180 mixed reef. But there are a lot of parts to it and maintenance on such a sophisticated skimmer will take a bit longer than an average skimmer. I advise potential buyers to watch the coralvue videos for assembly and operations before buying so you understand what all goes withnthis skimmer. But I would highly recommend this skimmer to anyone.

Replaced my Reef Octopus 202s on my 6ft waterbox with this skimmer and I am beyond impressed! Came in box mostly assembled and was skimming within 10 min of powering it on.. just Wow! Also very easy to dissasemble for cleaning.. hands down the best skimmer I have owned... Almost forgot to mention small footprint and nearly silent also! Highly recommend this skimmer

I use this skimmer on a 240 with High Bio load it out performs all others, including my sro6000.

Had a skimz prior to this and nothing but problems. Maxspect skimmer has been nothing shy of awesome. Very user friendly, easy to use, and very easy to maintenance.

This is the best skimmer I’ve ever used. wow it work fast and a lot of brown stuff

I was so looking forward to this skimmer. It was supposed to be so great. Maybe I got a dud. Dial falls off every time I try turning it. It's leaking water from above the dial when you try and close down the gate. Not a little water, a flood of water. At the exact same settings sometimes there's a lot of bubbles, sometimes barely any bubbles. It's the most difficult skimmer I've ever had trying to dial it in. I should have gone with my old reliable favorite the Reef Octopus Elite line. If I didn't buy this one on Black Friday but not install it until last month I'd just return it. Oh well. Maybe I can get Maxspect to replace it.

I just upgraded from an Eshops to this one. It is like moving from a Model T to a Tesla. I’m using it in a RS Peninsula 650. I wish they made a smaller unit with all the same specs for my Peninsula 500.

This is the best skimmer I’ve ever used. Efficient, silent, programmable, and great build quality. Just like the other review here, I was also surprised as to how great it was. Bravo Maxspect!