New Remora and the Prizm

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "Why is this thing even on here?" and 10 being "OMG! I can't believe how wonderful this product is!" the Prizm was about a 6 and I give the Remora a 9. I still have some issues with basic maintenance (to be expected) and it takes a little tweaking on cup height from time to time, but really no complaints.

As far as noise, the Remora (with a Maxi Jet 1200) just makes a pleasant burble/spray noise. It's in my living room, and it's really unnoticeable unless you're really listening for it. It kind of fades into the background.

That being said, I like the noise, since I recently read (paraphrasing) "There is nothing more frightening to a reefer than total silence." I want to say that was Bob Fenner in Conscientious Marine Aquarist.

 

Thanks for the ratings comparison, Ruminus. I still keep going back and forth on these two system. They're both good looking and seem to work well. I had a Prizm for over 5 years with no complaint. But, cost: The Remora is almost twice as much as the Prizm, if you include the surface skimmer attachment. I could afford the Remora, but is it worth the cost?
What to do, what to do? Suggestions?

 

I bought a surface skimmer that has a telescoping configuration and floats to adjust to water height for about $10 on ebay. I then plumbed that in to the intake on my MaxiJet
using the included flex tube and a small piece of 3/8" line as an adapter. It's not the box that was designed for the Remora, but it was cheap, and works just fine. I actually used that on the Prizm as well, so it's a pretty flexible little piece of gear.

As far as the cost of a Remora over a Prizm being justified, I think it is, and if you use the money saving rig described above, it's pretty darn cheap for the quality you're getting.

 

Just made the same switch myself - prizm to remora. How long did it take yours to break in? Mine's been up a week. At first it pulled a decent foam, and tea coloured skimmate. Now, just loose, watery big bubbles, urine coloured skimmate, and filling up the cup quick (daily).

Mine has a Rio 1100 plus (almost 400 gph), sitting on the tank bottom. Higher rated pump than the mj1200, but I wonder if the extra foot of head pressure is too much?

 

You could be right about the head pressure,also if I remember correctly,I read somewhere that the highest concentration of dissolved solids(which is what your skimmer is supposed to be removing)can be found near the top of the tank not the bottom.You might want to try moving that pump .

 

I went from Remora to CPR Bak Pak lol (odd isn't it?) and I prefer the Bak Pak. It is quieter and pulled more out for me.

 

btw, you can sell your prizm for quite a bit on ebay. Idk why people buy those things but they sell good on ebay

 

Btw, head pressure was not the issue - too much flow. I put a ball valve on the Rio 1100, and dialed it back a bit on advice from AquaC (great customer service response). They recommend the Rio 1000. Lowered the cup about half way, and getting darker skimmate, smaller amount. Quiet, too, other than the water splashing back into the tank (put in a filter floss pad below, to quiet it.