Operation
If I had to choose one adjective for this skimmer, I’d say it’s relentless. It starts foaming immediately, producing impressive foam considering the skimmer’s size and its small pump. Sure, the foam isn’t as refined as what you’d get from skimmers that cost five times as much, but it’s more than sufficient for a small aquarium. The fact that it starts foaming right away is incredible. Check out the video to see for yourself.
Keep in mind that skimming performance is heavily dependent on salinity—the higher the salinity, the better the skimmer performs. We kept ours at 35 ppt.
Pay attention to the black pin in the air intake tube. This small pin acts as a restrictor for the incoming air, preventing the skimmer from over-foaming during the first few days of use. Be sure to remove it after a week, or your skimmer won’t perform as it should.
After several weeks of use, we can confidently say we’ve fallen in love with this skimmer. It consistently produces high-quality foam and operates flawlessly. As we mentioned in the video, it’s become our favorite skimmer for aquariums around 100 liters.
Performance and Measurements of the Sicce Shark Skimmer 150
Water Flow
Due to the skimmer’s unique design, we couldn’t measure the exact water flow, which Sicce doesn’t specify. However, we estimate it to be around 150-200 L/h.
Air Flow
To measure the air intake, we used our small Sander flowmeter, following the procedure shown in the video.
The photo isn’t the easiest to interpret, I’ll admit. But it shows a reading between 100 and 200 L/h. We estimate around 120 L/h, but you need to add 10% to account for losses, bringing the total to approximately 132 L/h. This is very close to the declared 150 L/h. The slight discrepancy could be due to differences in salinity, calibration, or the tools used. Regardless, it’s a respectable value.
Noise level
The skimmer is extremely quiet—so quiet, in fact, that you can’t hear it at all. We didn’t even bother measuring the noise because the only way to confirm it’s running is to check for foam or feel the slight vibrations. Great job by Sicce! That said, it does make a bit of noise during the first few days, but this completely disappears after 2-3 weeks.
It’s also worth noting that noise can come from the cup vibrating against the pump body, so make sure it’s properly seated. In my case, as you can hear (or not hear) in the video, there’s no noise at all.
Operating Costs
The Sicce Shark Skimmer 150 has a declared maximum power consumption of 4 W. As usual, we measured the pump’s consumption while in operation.
Our measurement was practically identical to the declared value: 4.22 W, which is negligible. This translates to an annual operating cost of about €10, based on an estimated rate of €0.27/kWh. Alternatively, you can calculate it yourself, considering the skimmer consumes around 37 kWh per year, multiplied by your local kWh rate.
Price
The Sicce Shark Skimmer 150 costs €90, while its bigger sibling, the Shark Skimmer 300, costs €130. These are objectively low prices for skimmers that perform this well, and we think most people can afford them, especially the smaller 150.
Conclusion
It’s hard to draw conclusions when you’re dealing with a tool this small, this quiet, and this effective. Our 80-liter mixed reef tank was easily managed, and the skimmer performed consistently. While it can also be used in a sump, it loses some efficiency there—not because of the skimmer itself, but because the water loses some of its surface tension as it mixes. Operating costs are low, and the air intake value is excellent.
Finally, during use, it proved to be very reliable and efficient.
PRO
Excellent air intake (130 L/h) for its size Extremely quiet Easy maintenance Low power consumption and affordable price Italian plug included Drip-free cup design
CONTRO
Hard to find any flaws in this little powerhouse
Disclaimer: We thank Sicce for providing the skimmer for review purposes
