My 6-Month Journey with the Annex Skimmer Collection Cup Automatic Cleaning Device

1. First Impressions & Initial Setup

When this little silver box arrived in my saltwater aquarium setup, I was honestly skeptical. The packaging looked cheap – like those “as seen on TV” gadgets. But after 180 days of daily use, I’m genuinely shocked at how much it changed my reefkeeping life.

2. How It Actually Works (Spoiler: Magic)

Here’s the thing most reviews don’t tell you – this isn’t just a glorified cup. The auto-clean mechanism uses some kind of vortex thingy that spins the detritus into a collection chamber. I tried pouring coffee grounds in there once (don’t ask) and it still worked. The LED indicator lights are super helpful too – green means “all good,” red means “go check your sump now.”

3. Maintenance Nightmares? Not Anymore

Before this device, cleaning the skimmer cup was like dental surgery. Now I just pop open the top every 3-4 weeks and dump out a tiny puck of gunk. My wife even let me keep the aquarium in the living room after this – previously it was banished to the basement because of the “fish pee smell.”

4. Performance Under Pressure

I tested this during a brutal water change marathon. With 50% of the tank volume cycling through, the auto-clean kept up without missing a beat. The only time it hiccupped was when I accidentally dropped a shrimp into it – poor guy became part of the collection puck. Lesson learned: no seafood snacks near the sump.

5. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Pros:

• Quiet as a librarian’s whisper
• Works with every skimmer brand I own (even the cheap ones)
• Kept my water parameters stable for the first time ever

Cons:

• Needs occasional manual cleaning of the spinning parts
• Not compatible with my 1998-era protein skimmer
• Made me lazy about checking water levels

6. Final Verdict & Where to Buy

After six months of daily use, this device has become the MVP of my reef system. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest thing to a self-cleaning aquarium I’ve found. If you’re serious about reefkeeping and hate maintenance, this is worth every penny.

Ready to upgrade your setup? Click here to get yours before Black Friday – trust me, your future self will thank you.