All categories/Fishing & Aquariums/Protein Skimmers/Bubble Magus/Bubble Magus Curve 5
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Bubble Magus Curve 5

Based on 24 comments across 4 communities
TL;DR
Owners consistently call the Curve 5 a strong value that punches above its price, running quietly and pulling plenty of thick, dark skimmate once it's dialed in, often even on lightly stocked tanks. Expect a long break-in of a few weeks plus some fiddling with height and flow to keep it from overflowing. A handful of owners hit pump failures or units that quit skimming within months, but most are genuinely happy with it.

75% of 24 verified owners recommend the Bubble Magus Curve 5.

What 24 owners say
138 comments reviewed · scored on the 24 clearest verdicts
75%
Recommend
18 owners
8%
Neutral
2 owners
17%
Don't recommend
4 owners
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
80%
20
Other forumsReefcentral, Bay Area Reefers
50%
4
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
100%
1

Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 75%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, and blogs with no affiliate links. YouTube and affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Pulls thick, dark skimmate effectively · 9 · 38%
  • Great value for the price · 8 · 33%
  • Quiet running in the sump · 5 · 21%
  • Works well even on lightly stocked tanks · 4 · 17%
  • Compact, fits small sumps · 3 · 13%
What owners flag
  • Long break-in before it settles · 5 · 21%
  • Finicky to dial in, prone to overflow · 4 · 17%
  • Occasional pump failure or stops skimming · 4 · 17%

Top quotes, sourced

138 reviewed · 25 shown
Sentiment
Community
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Reddit▼ don’t recommend

my Bubble magus curve 5 protein skimmer has stopped working for some reason...

Reddit— neutral

I'm running the bubble magus curve 5 elite, it's not as nice as the octo line but I have it figured out pretty well lol

Reddit▲ recommend

I’m super happy with my Bubble Magus Curve 5. It’s about $200 if you want another option.

Reddit▲ recommend

I got a Bubble Magus Curve 5 for my ~200L tank, very low stocking too and probably massive overkill but it does a great job and I can't hear it through the cabinet.

Bay Area Reefers (BAR)— neutral

When I got my protein skimmer new, it still had to be broken in. It took about a month for things to settle.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

BM stopped bubbling or pulling any skim after less than 6 months, despite regular cleaning and adjustment. Total waste of money imo, should've spent a little more and got the Reef octopus to begin with

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I recently bought this exact same skimmer and it was making an extremely loud sucking sound regardless of where I put it in terms of water level. I could not get it to pull any skimmate either. The pump ended up being faulty, which is apparently somewhat common with these.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a bubble magus curve 5. It works great for my tank. Like an absolute champ. My tank is 2 40 gallons, lightly stocked. Still manages to pull all kinds of crap from the water.

Bay Area Reefers (BAR)▼ don’t recommend

It seems to over flow instantly no matter how I adjust the flow.

Reddit▲ recommend

Bubble Magus Curve 5. I absolutely love mine. I had it on my 65G, and now my upgraded 82G tank. It is pulling that brown nasty in the new tank as well.

Reddit▲ recommend

I'd go with the curve 5. Great skimmers with a great price!

Reddit▲ recommend

I've got a bubble magus curve 5 elite on my 525xl. I think lots of folks overskim. A curve 5 should be just fine here. You may need to elevate it a bit in the sump to get it dialed in like I did.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have similar construction skimmer for smaller tanks, economy Bubble Magus Curve 5, it is really good comparing to old style cylindrical models.

Reddit▲ recommend

Bubble magus curve 5 and a Nyos Quantum 120. The nyos was 400 and the BM curve was 200. BM curve out performed the Nyos.

Reddit▲ recommend

I also used to have a Tunze 9004 which was barely adequate for export, so decided to upgrade to the larger skimmer.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a 40 gallon breeder with 20 gallon sump and I’m running a bubble-magus curve 5 elite protein skimmer. Works great with my bio load and pulls thick dark skimmate (run it more dry than wet). Fits great into my 20 gallon long sump/refugium.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a Bubble Magus "Curve 5 Elite" now, which works quite well, so I know they can make a skimmer.

Reddit▲ recommend

I'm using the Bubble Magus Curve 5. Took some time breaking in but it's working great now.

Reddit⚠ product link▲ recommend

low end Bubble Magus Curve 5 is quiet and nice, but you can fins even better

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a bubble magus curve 5 as well and it's a great, inexpensive skimmer.

Reddit▲ recommend

I have a Curve 5 on a 75 and it's worked great for me. I have 2 wrasses, a cave goby and 3 clown fish and it pulls out some nasty shit. I highly recommend it.

Reef Central Online Community▲ recommend

I'd give this a solid 4 out of 5 star rating. And, if you adjust for the price, it'd probably get a 5.

Reef Central Online Community▲ recommend

I have a curve 5 and it works great, albeit compared to the coralife 65 I used to run before.

SkimmerGeek (affiliate)▲ recommend

Compared to other skimmers in the lab, the Bubble Magus Curve 5 is silent.

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