Red Sea Prizm skimmer

[dakotahoku]

Any opinions on the Red Sea Prizm Skimmer? Thinking of getting one.

[Bearfan]

They're expensive. That's my first opinion.

[biotoxin]

hard to say ive heard good and bad about them. I like their surface skimmer add-on and the design is unique, but performance is what i care about. Personally (as ive stated numerous times) i wouldnt pay what they ask instead just DIY it. But id look at all the skimmers if i were you, and probably lean towards the aquac remora

[MantisFreak]

I think a lot depends on how big of a tank you have. If you have a 29g nano then you might not like the remora because the pump for the skimmer is located in the tank.

They are notoriously difficult to adjust. If you can see the control piece move, you have probably moved it too far. The advantage of a prizm on a nano is that very little of it is in the tank. I took my Prizm off of my 75g and put it on a AGA 7g minibow nano and it works awesome for that. When I then put my remora pro on the 75g, I was shocked at how much more skimmate I was getting.

[biotoxin]

ya its all about the application. Ive seen ppl use a piccolo or lee's little skimmer and get the same result. What size is your tank anyway?

[MantisFreak]

75 g AGA Reef Ready with 29g sump/fuge. I have a 200g tank that will be replacing the 29g. It will be partially a sump, partially a fuge, and partially a frag growout tank. My tank is built in to my wall so that's why I'm not replacing the 75g with the 200g. Plus the 200g was free due to millions of scratches.

7.5 g nano species tank (Peacock mantis)

18g nano cycling for my Mantis (acrylic) for obvious reasons.

[hoveboy]

I run a Red Sea Prism in my 55g tank and have no complaints at all.
I agree that they are expensive but IMO worth every penny

[jackdp]

I run a prizm in my 20 gallon and it works fine. It skims...what more can you ask for? Search around for the deluxe model. The deluxe comes with the surface skimmer attachment and the filter basket. I run mine with activated carbon 24/7. It may not skim as much as the higher price models but then I don't want to overskim.

[biotoxin]

i think overskimming is a myth.

[e-cat]

im happy with my prizim deluxe

[captivereefs]

I run one on my sons 26g bow. I tell anyone I sell one to to not put it on anything over a 29G. Also it needs about a week or two to break in. If you adjust it leave it for about 2 hours than recheck it. After it is set it stays pretty well on adjustment. Drawbacks are it is noisy. I put an extra long piece of airline tubing on it and ran it into the stand. That fixed it. The collection cup also has to be cleaned at least every 2 days or it has a hard time pushing foam past the build up of gunk. It is small and discrete and that is why i chose it and why i like it.


Darin


www.captivereefs.com

[jackdp]

I don't think overskimming is a myth at all. A skimmer will remove organic compounds that adhere to the bubbles in the reaction chamber. These compounds are not just "bad". IMO In small tanks especially an especially efficient skimmer will remove phytoplankton, small zooplankton, bacteria and many minor and major trace elements. This may not matter if one is only keeping fish. Corals however have been shown to feed on planktons and bacteria.
I think that skimming is a double edged sword. On one hand it removes organic waste and helps maintain proper water chemistry. Skimmers may also help maintain proper pH by removing carbon dioxide from the water as it is passed through. The down side to skimming as mentioned above is the removal of organics and inorganics that corals and inverts thrive on.
Many tanks run skimmerless with only live rock, a sand bed and good water flow as filtration. I have run my tank with the skimmer and without and currently use the skimmer as a means of carbon filtration and to blow off excess CO2 which has decreased my nightly pH swing. IMO..the decision to use a skimmer should be based on the aquarists taste and the need to control organics, not just because everybody says "You have to have a skimmer"

[captivereefs]

It is almost impossible to overskim.Especially with the small hang on skimmers that are so popular today. And with all the new plankton additives plankton shortages should not be a problem.

[biotoxin]

i would use a skimmer regardless. When you see all the crap it takes out of your tank how could you not justify having one?

[jackdp]

Just remember...there are many organisms that eat crap.

[biotoxin]

ya i call them republicans