Skimmer selection for a 29 gallon nano reef

[BigRedReefer MT]

Hi all. The Mrs. Found a 29 gallon sitting on the street for free and brought it home. (I'm a lucky reef addict, I know) I haven't cleaned and water tested it yet but I'm already thinking down the road. My plan so far is to set up the 29 and use my 20 gallon qt/ht for the sump since my 75 is at stocking capacity. I've been looking at small internal skimmers for nanos. Many offered on brs seem to bat a less than 50% on customer reviews. Ones with better reviews are for larger tanks and higher priced. Just looking for other people's experiences and thoughts on brands like tunze, aqua gadget, innovative marine, etc. All input is appreciated since I get to take my time with this tank and don't have rush into it to preserve the live rock and sand like I did with the 75.

 

[Ranjib]

tunze 9002 , aquamax 1.5 HoB both are good options

 

[Orm Embar]

A small Tunze, IceCap (K2-50), AquaMaxx or Reef Octopus HOB are what comes to mind. I wouldn't skip a refugium/reactor/scrubber, though - skimmers only remove 20-35% of total dissolved organics per Advanced Aquarist (prior article). I run a skimmerless tank with a Chaeto refugium which is both easy and highly effective (and cheap!). Then again, skimmers do add oxygenation of the water and are a great backup or insurance policy at the least, and many people swear by theirs.

 

[bluprntguy]

I have a tunze 9004 dc running in my 32 gallon nano and it’s absolutely fantastic and dead silent. Totally worth the $200.

I also run one of the reef octopus ns80’s ($50) in my frag/quarantine tank. It’s a fine skimmer, but it’s loud. Slightly temperamental, but easily workable if you are in a budget or low bio load.