If you’re in the market for a HOB (hang-on-back) protein skimmer, then you’ll want to read this review. The AquaMaxx HOB protein skimmer is a decent skimmer for the price, although it’s not cheap. We have 6 of these in our lab skimming a few nano tanks to 1 full-size bow front reef. Personally, I like the idea of an HOB skimmer, since they’re more compact compared to recirculating or traditional skimmers. Though, the SCA-301 protein skimmer is compact as well for a standard skimmer.
The AquaMaxx has a few details that I outline here in this chart:
| Product Image | Tank Capacity | Pros | Cons | Dimensions | View on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | 30-75 Gallons | Needle-wheel Super silent Lots of bubbles Compact Skims within 1 day Easy setup Reliable workhorse | Instructions can be confusing | L 7.5 x W 3.5 x H 17 Inch | View |
Before you read the review, check out the skimmer on amazon so you can get a clearer picture of what I’m talking about.
AquaMaxx HOB-1 first impression
The skimmer has an very high contrast coloration, with a blue and black design. When we set these up in the lab, they always come carefully packaged with all instructions and parts included in the box. The skimmer is definitely smaller and easily put-together. Assembly and installation took about an hour. You’ll also notice that it comes with a drain fitting in case you want to set up a separate reservoir for skimmate. The collection cup is definitely a little smaller compared to other skimmers, but that’s a given due to this skimmer being a compact HOB.
HOB-1.5 skimmer design
The AquaMaxx HOB is very nicely designed. It comes with a decently-sized reservoir to prevent overflowing on your floor. We’ve only had 2 overflows running these on our 6 tanks in the lab. The skimmer uses your traditional counter-flow needle-wheel design, powered by a silent motor. The motor is masked by the sound of rushing water. Putting this thing together is a breeze, and I highly recommend it for beginners. From our tanks in the lab, I’d say this is the most pleasant HOB to look at out of all of them. The color scheme and design make it superior.
AquaMaxx HOB skimmer setup
Setting up the AquaMaxx is easy. It takes about an hour for a full installation. You should see it produce your skimmate within the first 24 hours. Yes, it’s that fast. Unlike the X, which can take over a week to produce any skimmate, the AquaMaxx HOB-1 is nearly instant. You plug it in and it gets to work. Cleaning is also very convenient due to the breakaway design. The pump is also removable as well as the collection cup. It includes a bubble plate as well. The instructions aren’t exactly clear, but AquaMaxx does provide online videos to help you set it up quickly. You can do it by the instructions if you read them closely and pay attention to the pictures, but for those who have less experience in protein skimmers, I suggest for you to just watch the videos as you can get it done and ready much quicker than trying to piece together parts of a puzzle. Other than the instructions, everything else is easy to setup and you shouldn’t have any difficulty. There is 1 o-ring that you may have trouble with. It goes on the inlet tube of skimmer against the “front” size of it. Just an FYI.
Performance of the AquaMaxx HOB-1.5
This is the only skimmer I’d recommend if you want to see instant results. It’s a workhorse that gets to work right away. It’s good at skimming and that’s all it’ll do. Plug it in at night and it should be produce its first skimmate the next morning. We’ve had only 2 overflows, but 0 failures from the AquaMaxx in our lab. I found this to be the most quiet HOB skimmer I’ve worked with. And the surprising thing is that it’s so quiet, yet so efficient. The build is decent and it produces a ton of microbubbles. This is probably the fastest HOB skimmer I’ve seen.
Does it make noise?
All you’ll hear is the sound of rushing water, provided that you set it up properly. This is a silent skimmer and one of the most quiet at that. Compared to standard skimmers like the SCA-301 and Coralife Super Skimmers, this skimmer is much quieter for the performance output.
What are the dimensions?
The AquaMaxx HOB-1 measures 7.5’’ in length, 3.5’’ in width, and 17’’ in height. We have aquarium heaters mounted in a few of them, but we couldn’t fit anything too big. We do have 1 HOB on a 10 gallon tank and it fits just fine. The inlet is about 10’’ and the outlet is about 3.5’’. It hangs about 5-8’’ above the tank and depends on where you adjust the collection cup. If you place it lower, it pulls a lighter skimmate. If you place it higher, it pulls a darker skimmate. Either way, it works very well for the size. It’s also extremely quiet for a hang-on-back protein skimmer. The other HOB protein skimmers we’ve worked with were either noisy or inefficient.
Maintenance
This skimmer produces a lot of skimmate very rapidly, so regular maintenance is a must. I use a turkey baster to suck out the gunk every other day. You’ll see how much bacteria and waste this will remove whenever you do a cleaning. Water parameters have been perfect in our reef tanks, and the water quality is crystal clear.
Should you buy an AquaMaxx HOB-1.5?
I’d recommend this as a first choice for anyone who needs the convenience of an HOB protein skimmer. The setup is super easy and any beginner should be able to set it up. It also has a very quick skimmate production, so you’ll know if you set it up properly by the next day rather than waiting a week to see no results. This is sort of like an instant-gratification protein skimmer. It’s well-designed and easy to set up. It has excellent bubble production and is super efficient. Quality build with a silent design. And it produces skimmate within hours. There’s absolutely nothing majorly negative I have to say about these. We have 6 in the lab powering different reef tanks, and they’re all built like workhorses.
Check it out on amazon if you want more information. I’d highly recommend it for any reefer. Quality skimmer.