protein skimmer questions

P

petcrazy213

AC Members
Nov 26, 2003
238
0
0
Michigan
saltwaterfishies.freehomepage.com
Let me start by saying that I just bought this skimmer (off ebay) and it was said to be used only for a short time but worked perfectly. (Owner got a bigger tank and thus needed a bigger skimmer) It is a RED SEA PRIZM skimmer. It is a smoke gray color and clear. It seems to be working but I'm unfamiliar with protein skimmers and have some questions.

First off, how much noise should a skimmer make? While it isn't terribly noisey it is louder then the filter I had been using. It's the aeration that is making the noise. If I turn off the aeration the skimmer is almost silent but with the air on it does make some noise. Is this normal?

Next, while the skimmer does seem to be taking out the wastes from my tank (have emptied the cup of gunk several times since placing the skimmer on Friday), it seems to be spitting out more WATER then foam. At first it was sputtering foam very well but now I get very few bubbles to rise through the spout thing unless I set the flow really high at which point I get TONS of tiny bubbles spit into the tank and it looks terrible. Why is all this water in the cup? I thought it was suppose to create foam and slug stuff not just dirty water. At this rate I have to empty the cup everyday of the water as if does fill quite rapidly. Any ideas?

This is my first experience with a protein skimmer so I really don't know what to do to fix things. Any advice is welcome!
 
I just ordered one of these and would like to know the answer as well, (supposed to arrive today) . I did read that you only need to empty it like once a month! Everyday sounds a little extreme, If no one answers, I will let you know how mine works out.
 
I have been adjusting the valve ... I feel like I'm doing it all day long. The higher I set the valve the more the bubbles rise in the chamber spilling more bubbles and water into the cup and filling it faster. Not to mention all the tiny bubbles it sends into the tank set higher. If I set the valve lower the bubbles don't rise as fast and the cup stays emptier longer but it doesn't seem to be getting any stuff out.

This morning after inspecting the skimmer I noticed that the bubbles (while low) are making it to the top but it's bubbles and not a sludge that is there. Aslo, there was about 1/2 and inch of dirty water in the cup and the skimmer ran untouched from yesterday afternoon until this morning. BUT, I thought it was a dirty faom that was suppose to be produced NOT just water?

Another thing I've noticed since I removed my power filter is that now there seems to be a film of debris that covers my LR ... almost like dust. When I sweep a strong water current over the rock all the stuff floats around and settles back again, this didn't seem to happen with the power filter. Is this normal? Why wouldn't the skimmer be cleaning up the water like it should? There's also some debris floating around the surface of the tank, which was never the case with the power filter.
 
I have the same skimmer. I've had it for about 2 weeks. It's starting to break in but I'm having the same problem. I keep adjusting it. But i've heard that they work great once you figure them out. If you do, let me know!
 
I set mine up, had the same problem with too much water coming in. The directions say the water should be just below the O ring. I did this and it seemed too low, but I let it go and about 20-30 minutes later the foam breached the top. Now I am getting a slow but steady foam production which I think is what it's supposed to do. Hope this helps. As for the waterflow, why don't you run your power filter without media or depending on the filter you could put some small chunks of live rock in it and it would help with filtration.
 
I just got mine recently as well. Can't give much advice with respect to scum output, but as far as the noise goes, be sure to fill all the chambers with water (even the one on the far left)... at least the noise won't drive you bonkers while you're fiddling with the knobs.
 
Once piece of advise to anyone with a Prizm. Pay special attention to the O-Ring that seals the collection cup to the main unit. I had several problems with that o-ring rolling down and creating a gap that allowed any water that entered the cup to drain through and down on my floor. It did this several times and usually in areas that were difficult to see. I'm not trying to bad mouth the Prizm, because it did work, just not as well as I though it should.
 
I too had a Prizm and while it did work...somewhat...I got tired of the constant adjustments that were needed to get less water in the collection cup. My Prizm continued to work for about 2 months. It put a tea colored water in the collection cup. After about 2 months it totally quit working. Needless to say I was a little bit ticked off so instead of sending it back to get it repaired I went out and bought a Coralife Super Skimmer. Let me tell you...after using this new skimmer for 1 day it pulled out more dark, coffee looking, thick sludge than my Prizm did in 2 months! I will NEVER go back to using another Prizm even though it did work somewhat. You can find the Coralife Super Skimmer online if you do a search for it and if you order them offline they are pretty cheap and seem to work great. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to badmouth Prizm skimmers either, but I just didn't have the best of luck with them.

Bradd
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom