Any One Use A Surface Cleaner To Keep A Clean Water Surface?

[RSababady]

I bought this surface cleaner a month ago for my 125g tank.
It is manufactured by a German company called JBL Top Clean II
It is a brilliant piece of equipment - no power, no bubbles, no nothing. All you do is stick it onto the intake to your canister filter and it does the following:

1. pulls some water from the surface of the tank. This collects any slime or stuff that accumulates on the water surface that limits gas exchange and or light access to plants.
2. adjusts the level it sucks the water (range of about three inches) thus adjusting itself to water evaporation i.e. water level in the tank
3. allows you to adjust the amount of water you take off the surface and how much you suck from the bottom of the tank

It is brilliant! I strongly recommend it.

 

[Zigi Zig]

It looks interesting I would try it but is not available in USA

 

[AllieSten]

I just got a cheapo little surface skimmer made by Azoo. I have it on my 55g and it works very well. I wish it was black in color instead of white. But it makes a HUGE difference. Totally impressed with it.

AZOO AZ13123 Nano Surface Aquarium Skimmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016M86JGC?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

 

[stella1979]

I bought this surface cleaner a month ago for my 125g tank.
It is manufactured by a German company called JBL Top Clean II
It is a brilliant piece of equipment - no power, no bubbles, no nothing. All you do is stick it onto the intake to your canister filter and it does the following:

1. pulls some water from the surface of the tank. This collects any slime or stuff that accumulates on the water surface that limits gas exchange and or light access to plants.
2. adjusts the level it sucks the water (range of about three inches) thus adjusting itself to water evaporation i.e. water level in the tank
3. allows you to adjust the amount of water you take off the surface and how much you suck from the bottom of the tank

It is brilliant! I strongly recommend it.

Thanks for sharing! I love seeing product reviews from fishy friends here.

It looks interesting I would try it but is not available in USA

Found it on ebay with expedited shipping to the US if you're interested. Of course with the exchange rate and shipping, it becomes a little pricey at about $50, so maybe try Allie's Azoo.

 

[Culprit]

I got this and love it Fluval Surface Skimmer . Only problem is kind of sticks out a bit but eventually I'll get a glass surface skimmer.

 

[stella1979]

I got this and love it Fluval Surface Skimmer . Only problem is kind of sticks out a bit but eventually I'll get a glass surface skimmer.

You use this on the high tech?

 

[Culprit]

Yup. Keeps my water crystal clear and good for extra gaseous exchange. Not the best pic but you can sort of see it. Basically it has a grill in the bottom where water comes in, it has this screw going in there with a flat piece and you can move it up or down limiting the amount of water that goes into the grill. On the top there's a piece of plastic that slides into the top, it floats on the water and you do it so it pulls in enough water that its not gurgling but about 50/50 in the bottom and in the top.

 

[RSababady]

But it makes a HUGE difference.

They do make a huge difference - I am absolutely amazed at the efficiency. Very good!

 

[RSababady]

It looks interesting I would try it but is not available in USA

Really? I sometimes order from the German Amazon site ( you can use your same login) Don't have a problem - cannot tell you what the duties and taxes are though

 

[RSababady]

Thought I would give an update to my original post on the JBL Top Clean II (water surface skimmer) I installed at the beginning of the year. Here are some of things that I have learnt after six months:

1. I have to switch the filter off when feeding otherwise half the food gets sucked down the filter. Remembering to switch the filter back on requires a lot of discipline on my side (timer, reminder etc)
2. The amount of water skimmed of the surface needs to be adjusted optimally - In my case that meant a very low flow of the surface and a higher suction from the bottom (yes this can be adjusted). The reason is that if the syphon on the top intake gets blocked with say leaves, then the pump starts sucking in air...... no good!

Having said all of that, I am still extremely pleased with the outcome. The surface of the water is clear and there is a gentle flow visible from one end of the tank to the other on the water surface which is good for aeration of the water.