Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board - BM NAC 3.5 Cone review

When Aqua Digital asked for reviewers a few weeks ago for various Bubble Magus skimmers, I jumped on the chance to review the BM NAC 3.5 cone skimmer. I had been considering it for a while to replace an underperforming Tunze 9002, and this presented a great chance to test the NAC 3.5 out.

System specs:
20 gallon display, 10g sump (~25g total volume)
GAC and GFO reactors
Vodka dosing (via Profilux SA doser) - 1ml/day
heavy bioload (2" Potter's angelfish, 2.5" sixline wrasse, 2x pearly jawfish)
SPS dominated mixed reef

So without further ado, here's the full review:
From the Bubble Magus website:
needlewheel protein skimmer
BM-NAC3.5 CONE SKIMMER
Capability : 100L-300L(25G-80G)
pump:atman ph1100 (made in china)
Pump power: 8W, 220V 50Hz /110V 60Hz
air intake : 200L/H
Dimensions:115*170*435mm ( 4.5" * 6.6" * 17.1 ")
cylinder: 4"
Water Level :8"-10"

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2775.jpg

Out of the box:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2784.jpg

And taken apart:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2776.jpg

All the parts seem well constructed and well put together. I like that it can be mostly disassembled, which will make for easier cleaning. The only part that will be difficult to clean later on will be the bubble plate and the skimmer body, as the cone cannot be detached from the base. The skimmer body isn't a single molded piece (it's a sheet of acrylic glued end-to-end), which was a bit disappointing, bt doesn't detract from the actual performance of the skimmer at all. For this price point, it's definitely well constructed.

Bubble plate:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2781.jpg

There were multiple burrs left from drilling out the holes - hopefully in future QC makes sure these aren't there as I can see them being detritus traps catching particulate matter.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2780.jpg

The Atman pump seems to be fine. Not flimsy, but more like a maxijet or other pump, but certainly no Red Dragon :) We'll see how it stands up performance wise over time.

I do like this feature:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2783.jpg

Makes dialling it in easier as it's easier to remember where you adjusted it to or from.

All in all, out of the box, it seems like a much better skimmer than my current Tunze 9002 - it's a thin box with a tiny pump in there.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2785.jpg
Here it is in a vinegar bath - to get rid of any oils and other residues from the manufacturing process. There's already some gunk it pulled out of the water :)

After that, into the sump it went! As soon as it was plugged in - bubbles galore!! Now we're skimming!

There were a LOT of microbubbles at first, but with every passing hour, there seemed to be less of them. My baffles took care of them, so they were a non-issue for me.

You can see the results of the first night's skimming:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2787.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...k/CIMG2789.jpg

After that, I've cleaned the cup twice, and it's skimming like a beast compared to my old Tunze 9002. Also, while not 100% silent, it sure is a lot quieter than the Tunze. So much so that the Tunze has been taken offline.

Two improvements I would make:
1. Add a silencer on the air intake: it's not that loud, but my tank is in a small condo, so any noise reduction helps.
2. Add silicone feet: also to that effect, I'll be adding a silicone pad under the skimmer to reduce vibration, although the noise from pump vibration is very minimal to begin with.

It's been almost a week since I've put it into service, and while it hasn't solved all my macroalgae issues overnight, it's certainly pulling more gunk than my old skimmer was. All in all, this skimmer performs very well, and for a system my size and bioload, is a great choice. A definite recommended buy for the smaller-tank folks :)