New MONSTER AquaMaxx ConeS CO-3 Protein Skimmer

So, I have been pretty happy with my Bubble Magus Curve 7 Skimmer: it was easy to set up, quiet, skimmed well and I liked the wine-glass body design a lot. However, I have horrible feeding habits and my nitrates are consistently high. My high bio-load and my over-feeding was just too much for the Curve 7 to handle. I figured that it was time to go big or go home.

After looking over all the skimmers on the market, I decided to go with the AquaMaxx ConeS CO-3. What sold me was the huge 8" diameter body, the nice Italian Sicce pump, the great reviews and the cool "conical diffusers" that look like little rocketships.

I thought (and still think) the Bubble Magus is a nice skimmer, but this new AquaMaxx is definitely on another level. The nice cast acrylic, all the heavy-duty CNC machined parts and the sweet Sicce pump. Having the two skimmers side-by-side, you can definitely tell the difference between a "nice" and an "AWESOME" skimmer. The Curve 7 is like a Honda Accord, while the CO-3 is like a fully-loaded Mercedes S-Class with laser cruise-control and messaging chairs.

The skimmer is breaking in and is doing a great job. The little diffusers do seem to reduce the amount the turbulence in the reaction chamber: which is suppose to improve skimming. Thus far, I'm definitely glad that I went ahead with the upgrade!