New top fin pro series filter

[Spewing_nonsense_]

Anyone gotten this filter yet and any reviews? I just saw it at petsmart today and it intrigues me especially with the so called protein skimmer on it altho I don’t necessarily see how that’d work with my limited knowledge on protein skimmers. Just curious about it. 

[KBOzzie59]

Not trying to hijack but...  Has anyone ever needed/used a skimmer on a freshwater tank?

[Patrick_G]

I haven’t used a true protein skimmer but I have tried a little HOB with a surface skimmer like the one in the pic. The skimmer worked great. 

[Ben_RF]

On 7/28/2021 at 12:29 PM, KBOzzie59 said:

Not trying to hijack but...  Has anyone ever needed/used a skimmer on a freshwater tank?

Only to mow down some duckweed 🙂

[anewbie]

I like that it comes with a prefilter; not common with hobs. Beyond that no comment obviously never used it nor read any reviews. Btw the skimmer might be nice for improved current on the surface.

[Taco Playz]

Seems like Topfin is finally making good filters that one looks pretty Darn nice.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

That’s not a true “protein skimmer” it’s just a surface skimmer. It looks like it has a good media compartment. MD Fishtanks has been using filters like these and hasn’t had any complaints. If you grab it would be great to hear a product review from a fellow NERM. 

[GardenStateGoldfish]

I haven’t personally tried it, but I noticed top fin has rebranded and way upped its quality on its products, been very impressed with a lot of their new line items and air pumps. Even their pro series food is fantastic, they have two lines of food, a lower quality one not labeled as pro series. Really fantastic stuff 

[trainermichael]

I purchased the PRO30 for my 20 gallon planted tank.  I've been in the hobby for about 10 years and I have to say I really like it.  The skimmer works pretty well for scooping up excess plant leaves and debris. It also has an adjustable flow rate and sponge intake.  If you're into planted or shrimp tanks like I am then it will server you well for the price. 

[regular_guy1]

I just set up a 50 today. Obviously it hasn't been running long..... But this is my new favorite hob as long as it doesn't die immediately.

 

Build quality is relatively high, the media basket is actually great and it comes with a pre filter. I did block off the protein skimmer with a piece of sponge however.

[Reggie444]

I just purchased 2 TopFin Pro Filters. Just put them up. Water clarity looks great! However, not sure how protein skimmers work. My tanks are fresh water. This skimmer just floats at the surface. Doesn’t appear to be doing anything. It’s hooked up to the pre-filter. Just sorta bobs at the surface. Don’t quite understand what that does. Need some help understanding what this thing does.

[Tihshho]

It's a marketing name as technically protein skimmers do something different, and are not exactly functional in freshwater. The protein these are talking about is the oil slick film that can be seen on tanks with low or no surface agitation. At the end of the day this should just be a surface skimmer. 

Being this is a HOB, the need for the 'protein skimmer' isn't necessary unless the outflow from the unit was like a HOB canister where the outlet is submerged and reduces surface movement (as is necessary in high tech planted tanks for CO2 saturation in the water) but being this is a n overflow design, I see it more of a marketing thing, than a functional thing. 

[Reggie444]

Thanks for the reply. That’s pretty much what I thought. Just a marketing perk which really doesn’t do all that much. Does seem like a pretty good filter though. Too early to tell. But, I did agitate the tanks quite a bit. Lots of debris in the water. But, it did clear the water quickly!

[Odd Duck]

They should be calling that a surface skimmer, not a protein skimmer which is a very different thing.  This is only designed to remove debris or the oil film from the surface like @Tihshhomentioned.  Protein skimmers are a saltwater thing.  It’s very difficult to get that proteinaceous foam (that true protein skimmers remove) in freshwater compared to saltwater.

Honestly, if you could get that foam in a freshwater tank, something is very, very wrong!  Do a 100% water change immediately!  😆 😉 

[Reggie444]

Another question. I’m relatively new to fresh water aquariums. My previous filters would clog up with a miserable mucous like growth. It was cloudy and slimy and just grew all over the filter. I would have to break the filter down every week to get rid of this gook! It would come right back! What is this stuff? I couldn’t get rid of it! I thought switching to the TopFin Pro might eliminate the problem. Too early to tell. This slimy stuff is a nightmare!

[Odd Duck]

On 9/14/2021 at 3:20 PM, Reggie444 said:

Another question. I’m relatively new to fresh water aquariums. My previous filters would clog up with a miserable mucous like growth. It was cloudy and slimy and just grew all over the filter. I would have to break the filter down every week to get rid of this gook! It would come right back! What is this stuff? I couldn’t get rid of it! I thought switching to the TopFin Pro might eliminate the problem. Too early to tell. This slimy stuff is a nightmare!

That sounds like a pretty normal stage while your beneficial bacterial cultures are growing.  Just ride it out and don’t bother cleaning it.  Are you using cartridges or foam blocks in the filter?

You might try searching for one of @Cory’s videos or his article about “supercharging your HOB filter” or something to that effect.  He explains it all very well.

[Reggie444]

Thanks Odd Duck. Makes good sense and clears up my question!

Was using cartridges before. The cartridges would gum up with this slime within a week. The tanks have been up for several weeks. I have a 20 and 75 gal. They are in 2 separate locations. They both have the same problem! This stuff just clogs everything up. Before, I was going through new cartridges every other week!

[Odd Duck]

Are you doing “fish in” or “fishless” cycles?

[Reggie444]

Fish in. Did several water changes. Had to break the filters down, completely clean, replace cartridges. Would come right back within a week or so. It would clog the filter outflow, clog up the cartridges. The water did remain clear. No surface scum or debris. But, the filter was a mess! That’s why I switched to the TopFin Pro. These are not newly set up tanks. They’ve been up for some time! Beats me??

After setting up the TooFin Pro in both tanks, the water is crystal clear. I don’t know if this stuff will come back!

Maybe the pre-filter will catch it before it hits the filter. It’s only affecting the filter. The rest of the tank is fine.

[Tihshho]

Yeah the gummy/slimey stage is just a thing with filters. It's a biofilm of sorts. Just change the cartridge periodically and rinse the prefilter and you're good. 

[Reggie444]

Thanks. Will do.

[Odd Duck]

If they’ve been set up “a few weeks” they’re still getting settled.  You can sometimes see slime happening for months after set up.

I removed most of the water from my 14 gallon cube yesterday so I could add some plants and tie some moss on one piece of driftwood.  I had some slime show up for a few hours after I refilled the tank.  The tank is fully cycled but not what I would consider fully settled and ready for fish.

[Reggie444]

Thanks Odd Duck.

Yup! Fish and aquariums take time and patience….and persistence! No doubt about it! Appreciate your response and the responses of others. New to this forum. Joined today. Glad I did! Great bunch!!

[Jeff]

How's the pre-filter? Is it a coarse sponge?

[Streetwise]

I have tried many different skimmers, and I always have the same question for each unit: how does it deal with changing water levels?