Prizm skimmer

[nguyen27]

Prizm skimmer and an upgrade kit (surface skimmer) will be good for a 15gals tank? I see lots of peole prefer either AquaC Remora or Bakpak but in the case of small aquarium, either AquaC and Bakpak will take some space from the tank compare to the Prizm?
Thx

P.S. Is this Prizm is a classic one?

 

[captivereefs]

The prizm is a fine skimmer for a small tank. I would not run it on anything larger than a 29G. Its only draw back is it is a loud unit. Othr than that it does a fine job. I run one on my sons 26 reef.

 

[jackdp]

I use the prizm on my 20 gallon with very little problems. The noise doesn't really bother me either.
I think the only difference between newer and older models is the number of blades on the impeller. New models have more blades something like 12 I think. You can't really tell that from your pic.

 

[HoopsGuru]

IME, this skimmer pulls very, very little from the water. I would save the money in favor of a simple HOB filter running carbon and doing frequent small water changes which would benefit the tank anyway.

 

[nguyen27]

One question, not related to this one,
Can I use a waterpump mount on the outside of the tank, connect two U tubes, one for intake and other for output for water circulation purpose?
Thanks

 

[captivereefs]

Yes this is called a closed loop. Just make sure the pump you use is recomended for externail use.

 

[loganj]

FWIW, I have a Prizm running on a 20 gal and it does a pretty good job. I think it's probably the best bet for a small budget skimmer. JMHO.

 

[aldo]

skimmer

Hi
The prizm Mfg rates the skimmer for 100g ,I have a 66g tank it seemes to be taking junk daily. ???????? maby it should be taking out more i don't
know ?????? but for my limited exp. for a 66g dose it ???????
would some body who really knows about it help us???????
I like it and i don't hear any noise.
aldo
Happy holidays

 

[biotoxin]

1. calm down on the question marks.
2. That prizm wont effectively clean a 66g tank. Id upgrade to a remora or remora pro.

 

[captivereefs]

The prizm does a fine job on smaller tanks. All manufacturers over rate there product. The key is how it is adjusted. Mine runs the best when the bottom of the foam is right where the bottom of the neck meets the skimmer body. This skimmer actually pulls out alot of garbage from my tank. It does however stop once in awhile! I do think it is a good skimmer for a small tank; no more than 29 gallons.

 

[HoopsGuru]

Just to keep it fair and balanced , I pulled my Prizm out of the garage last month and put it back on my 30g. After days of tweaking and pulling both a wet and dry foam....I was unable to get anything but a watery, very weak cup of tea by the end of each week. I just don't find this to make any difference in the tank, especially not for the $100 price tag back when I bought it. Is anyone pulling out anything thicker and darker, I would like some other opinions....photos would be even better. It's tough to quantify sometimes what is a light/medium/heavy bioload so I wouldn't mind comparing.

 

[captivereefs]

I really hated mine a first also. I did finally figure it out though. It is vry sensitive to adjustments and it seems that if you can see the adjusting knob move that you went to far.

 

[HoopsGuru]

Any chance you can take a pic of the full (partially full) collection cup?

 

[loganj]

The prizm does a fine job on smaller tanks. All manufacturers over rate there product. The key is how it is adjusted. Mine runs the best when the bottom of the foam is right where the bottom of the neck meets the skimmer body. This skimmer actually pulls out alot of garbage from my tank. It does however stop once in awhile! I do think it is a good skimmer for a small tank; no more than 29 gallons.

Exactly! Mine is the same...same adjustment level and it also quits once in a while...not very often and a cleaning always puts it back in operation. I'll try to get a pic of mine tomorrow for you as well.