To skim or not to skim

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formanbob

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
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Location
Columbus, Ohio
Before I ask my question I must first state that I am on a budget and a limited knowledge of SW.

I don’t think I want a Reef tank, I do like some if the smaller corals and mushrooms. I love inverts that do well in the reef . My main goal WAS to have a nice mix. Some clowns cleaner shrimp reef crabs, but now, because of the live rock that I got has load of mushrooms on it and they are beautifully and I want to get more stuff like that. So that is why I am getting better light. Now that gets me back to the topic of “To skim or not to skim”

Do I need a PS, and if so is there one that works like my EHEIM. You know sits under the tank and has two tubes that run to the tank, or that can go-between the EHEIM and the tank. If not, what can I get that is small, and I mean small. First it is only for a 30g tank, second there is only like 2 – 2.5 inches behind the tank


What do you think..
 
You can get a sump and stick that under the tank. The skimmer would go into the sump, then you would only need two tubes running to the tank and an overflow on the tank.

I was hesitant to get a skimmer because of the cost, then I got one for my 15g tank and I was amazed at the junk it pulled out of the water before I even had fish in the tank. I would definitely say get a skimmer if you can afford it.
 
grimlock3000 said:
You can get a sump and stick that under the tank. The skimmer would go into the sump, then you would only need two tubes running to the tank and an overflow on the tank.

I was hesitant to get a skimmer because of the cost, then I got one for my 15g tank and I was amazed at the junk it pulled out of the water before I even had fish in the tank. I would definitely say get a skimmer if you can afford it.

what would be a good one but not overkill, is that how you have your Remora?
 
The Remora is a HOB skimmer so mine just sits on the tank. AquaC sells a version of the skimmer called the Urchin that is designed to be placed in sumps.

If you want to forego the sump, you *might* have enough space to stick a Remora on the tank. They are only about 3 inches deep, so measure your clearance to see how much you have to work with.
 
I'm sure that I'll get shot down for doing this but I'm going to say it! I have a Eheim filter on my 40g tank. I'm using a Prism skimmer that I had nothing but problems with for the first two weeks but now it's running great. It took a little while to get adjusted but now that I know where to set it I have very vew issues. The skimmer itself is only 2-3 inches thick and hangs on the back of my tank nicely. I know that these skimmers get a bad rap but I have to say that for the price I paid, I'm not dissapointed. It's rated for 100g but I'm well short of that.
 
another skimmer that is nice is the CPR bak pak 2R. Its about 4 inches deep so you will need to move your tank out a bit.
 
Petey said:
I'm sure that I'll get shot down for doing this but I'm going to say it! I have a Eheim filter on my 40g tank. I'm using a Prism skimmer that I had nothing but problems with for the first two weeks but now it's running great. It took a little while to get adjusted but now that I know where to set it I have very vew issues. The skimmer itself is only 2-3 inches thick and hangs on the back of my tank nicely. I know that these skimmers get a bad rap but I have to say that for the price I paid, I'm not dissapointed. It's rated for 100g but I'm well short of that.

I looked at that and the Berlin Air-Lift 60, most of what i have read say they suck, but they look like they should work...

So would you recommend one to someone with a 30g?

What do and don’t you like about yours.


also is there a webpage for Red Sea?
 
Just a thought, But I wouldn't risk getting a prism just cause its a bit thinner. Go ahead and get a buddy and pull your tank away from the wall on a day you are making a water change. that extra inch or so will allow you to put in a skimmer that you KNOW will work just fine.

I would rather not risk my money on a skimmer that has been shown repeatedly to be no good.
 
I'm not sure what to say I like and don't like about mine. It's only been running for about 2 weeks now and I had some problems to start with, mostly because I'd never used one before. I like the fact that it's a HOB and I don't have to worry about a sump. When it comes down to it all protein skimmers are the same, the prizm's largest downfall is the amt of water and air that it's mixing. If it's not adjusted properly then your going to get excess water in your skim. I must agree that the Prizm would be much better if the outlet from the reaction chamber was another inch below the bottom of the collection cup. This would greatly reduce the amount water being skimmed when the adjustment is not 100%. Nothing a little internal modifications wouldn't hurt though!

Those are my thought not yours, maybe one day I'll eat my words
 
Regarding the Prizm...

I would rather not risk my money on a skimmer that has been shown repeatedly to be no good.

I believe Captive Reefs stopped selling these altogether because people called up multiple times after their tank dumped out onto the floor through the Prizm. Might have been another vendor...

Anyway, the Prizms, like many other hardware items, are good when they work, but MAY be more likely to fail. Or, they could work fine for years and people would never have an issue. It is the failure rate of items like a skimmer that really determines why people reccomend one over the other.
 
That looks different than mine, my collection cup is atleast twice that size...This is what mine looks like
 

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