The Patented Surface Skimmer Overflow efficiently skims the surface water of the aquarium, removing dissolved organics and other waste material to the filter where these contaminants and other impurities are broken down.
Specifications
Pre Skimmer
- 7.5" x 6.5" x 6" (requires aprox 3" of clearance on the back of the tank)
- Drain hose 1" (included)
- Capable of handling a flow rate of up to 950gph
- Return hose 0.75" (included)
- Will mount to tank lips up to 1.75" thick
- Return nozzle outlet 0.75" OD
- Flare Nozzle 1"
Manufacturer Info
Tom Aquatics
As one of the premier plastic product manufacturers in the U.S., we have manufacturing operations in our home office, Fenton, Missouri, as well as Sullivan, Missouri and Shawnee, Kansas. They have over six decades of manufacturing expertise put towards the designing and building of products that provide a distinct service for the consumer.
Warranty
30 day warranty
Tom Aquatics Pro Series Surface Skimmer Overflow Box
Reviews
Works well
by
DON DAVIS
Excellent!
Posted: 10/30/2012 from WAUKESHA, WI UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
I like the fact that this overflow comes with everything and it will self restart if the power goes out. It was easy to adjust the flow and setup. One item to note is that the hoses are stretchable so I did not need to purchase any extensions to get them to my refugium.
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Overflow Box
by
ROGER ALCORTA JR
Great
Posted: 2/16/2012 from GREEN BAY, WI UNITED STATES
4.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
This box has made my life so much easier. I was worried about the power going out and coming home to 30 gallons of water in the living room from my 90 gallon tank. I installed it quickly and tested it with my sump and checked to see if I would have to worry about the water overflowing the sump. Well it worked as advertised and it is running much more quietly than the other box I had on there. I would recommend this to anyone who need an overflow box. it primes itself after every shutdown without pumps or air venturis. The only thing I did not like is that it came with no clamps for the hoses.
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A Good Buy
by
LARRY
Great
Posted: 12/19/2010 from BENTON, AR UNITED STATES
4.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
As overflows go this is a pretty nice one.
Cons- The overflow bulk head fittings are molded plastic they are to thin and are easy to crack be careful tightening the hose clamps. As with any overflow if not maintained properly it could cause an overflow.
Pros- No extra pump needed for the siphon and the return is built into the unit. It also comes complete with hoses and clamps less to buy and less electricity to use. It has an adjustable gate for skimming which allows you to easily adjust the tank level. If not installed or adjusted properly poor skimming will result.
I would give 5 stars if not for the bulk head fittings.
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Excellent
by
TYLER
Excellent!
Posted: 8/31/2010 from KING OF PRUSSIA
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Beginner
Comments:
I have this on my 29g tank going down to my refugium, I absolutely love it. Does exactly what it needs to do and keeps you protected if the power goes out.
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Not a good surface skimmer.
by
PAUL HORN
Below Average
Posted: 11/4/2009 from DES MOINES, IA UNITED STATES
2.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
The Tom Aquatics Pro surface skimmer is easy to setup, but could not adjust the unit to skim the top of the water surface. The unit seems to skim 2-3 inches below the surface and leaves an oily film on the water surface. The unit does a good job as an overflow box, no problems with losing suction, but because it does not skim the top of the water surface I would not recommend its use. I have removed the unit and replaced it with a CPR unit.
7 of 10 People found this review helpful, did you?
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OK product
by
Steve
Average
Posted: 10/6/2008 from HOUSTON, TX UNITED STATES
3.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
This thing is easy to set up and pretty quiet. It has a little removable plastic cover that goes over the drain in the back to keep the noise down (part of this stays underwater and gets covered with crud, however. The biggest problem (IMO) is that it doesn't actually skim the top of the water. My tank now has a lot of crap at the surface of the water, which blocks light and evaporation. The slots in the front of the box go so far below the water line that all the water that it pulls is also below the water line. It needs an adjustable baffle that you can slide up and down in front of those slots to adjust water height and make sure its actually skimming the top. Easy mod to do yourself, but still annoying. You can adjust water height with the screws on the mounts but the water level stays well above the bottom of those slots so that it doesn't skim the surface. Not a bad product, but not great either.
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NOT SO GOOD!!!
by
ZACH
Unsatisfactory
Posted: 7/11/2008 from St. Louis, MO
1.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
It is a good idea but poorly executed, first off the siphon tube is clear making it grow algea which can quickly lead to lost sucktion and a flood dispite the "no flood" claim. secondly it is very hard to clean the siphon since it is very narrow and bent at 90 degree angles. the shiphon should be wider and made of black plastic.
consider replacing the siphon with a U-tube fitted with a conection for the lifter pump, then this unit works great and is easy to clean. I would recomend this but only if you intend to modify it to make it work as it should.
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Very good, easy setup
by
M
Excellent!
Posted: 1/18/2008 from WALLA WALLA, WA UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Awesome overflow, took me no time to get this thing running with my Tidepool II. Comes with everything needed right out of the box. Very quiet, very reliable. I recommend it.
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Works Great
by
PETE RUEBERGER
Excellent!
Posted: 1/3/2008 from HERMITAGE, PA UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
I used this overflow box to connect my homemade sump to reef tank. I am very happy, installation was easy and the price is right. I also tested if unit would keep suction and not flood either main tank or sump by turning off power several times it worked perfect.
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Watch out
by
RICHARD (UTAH)
Average
Posted: 12/18/2007 from MAGNA, UT UNITED STATES
3.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
I found a few things lacking in the installation of this product on my aquarium. The tank that I installed it on is a 46G column aquarium with a Mag9.5 return pump. Since the overflow is not rated anywhere for the flow rate it was hard to know if the pump was too much. Also the fittings for the overflow were difficult. The top of the tank to the sump is close to 6 feet, so to extend and add in valves to control the flow was a challenge locating the correct fittings. It also was not quiet due to the drain producing noise. I found that placing a bio-ball over the drain helped reduce the noise. The worse thing that happened is that it flooded after a power outage. The issue is that the suction necessary to start the siphon did not happen fast enough or at all. After the clean up I could not get it to start properly without making modifications to the design. Currently the only suction from the lifter is to the overflow. The return has a disconnected line that is used to pull in air if a power outage occurs to stop the siphoning. Also since the sump I have contains enough room it could handle a large siphon into without any issues.
All in all an okay product that does not meet the expectations stated on the box, but with a little ingenuity it works as good as can be expected.
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