prizm skimmer

I am looking for a low cost skimmer for my fish only 20g tank. I have a remora for my 55g but I will not be upgrading the 20g and I need to keep the costs low, would a prizm be good enough for a small tank...or any other suggestions.

 

I don't know much about equipment but I do know that Prizms are junk. Had two, both were garbage.

 

Any of the nano skimmers are kinda junky. If you can do a little DIY modding the Rio Nano-Skimmer.

Birchell had the prizm if i recall correctly...hopefully he'll chime in. BTW, arent they like $60-80? For an extra 20 you can get the nano version of a remora or an urchin

You could also make your own All you need is a waterbottle (search waterbottle skimmer) or some PVC and a venturi pump (Rio600 or greater - id probably do an 800 in a 20g)

Sry if that ^ mess is unclear...i have too much running through my mind at any point so I use alot of () and - side notes.

 

I own one... i dont use it... nuff said. LOL

Seriously, they really are junk. I would try to find another model.

Marc.

 

Thanks so much...will continue the search.

 

Maybe I'm a little late but I have one for a 55g that can't keep up with the bioload. I'm looking for a different one when I get the money.

 

The coralife skimmers are great value for money, I also had a prizm and now its in the bin!

 

CPR Bak Pak skimmers arent bad for a small tank. Aquatraders has a CPR clone called the propack for $40. One of the LFS here in MN had a ProPak for sale. It's an exact copy of the Bak Pak from what I could tell.

 

I used 3 different protein skimmers, Sea Clone 100, Bak Pak2 and Prizm Deluxe. The Sea Clone sucks unless you make the modification by cutting the inner tube shorter. The Prizm skims great on my 10 gallon and 20 gallon. It is smaller in size BUT you have to cut a bigger opening in the back of the canopy to make clearance for the intake tube and the outflow which will render your canopy useless unless you reverse it like i did on my 10 gallon and 20 gallon. I would only recommend it if space was a concern or if you have an open canopy or if you don't have any gobies or jumpers. Hence my favorite is the Bak Pak2. I only have to make 2 small openings in the back of the canopy which is great especially if you have jumpers, easy to clean and you can keep it on when you take the waste collection cup off to clean it unlike the Prizm and it gives you almost another gallon of water volume and it has a biological filtration. The Prizm also has that option but you have to spend about $23 bucks for the deluxe kit. I use the Bak Pak2 on my 55 gallon and my 30 gallon and i plan to get another one when i get my 150 gallon. I will see if it can handle a bigger load. It has a pre-filter now also which makes it more efficient and will protect the powerhead and 2 airline tubes from Puffers. The Sea Clone i now just use on my live rock curing tank. The Bak Pak2 is not bad for $120 and it's easy to put together. Plus i like that it's a hang on model so it doesn't take any extra space inside the tank. It does require 5" of space between the wall and the back of your tank though which is not bad. The other good thing about it is if you have a small tank like a 20 gallon and you upgrade to a 55 or a 100 gallon tank, you don't have to buy a new skimmer.

 

You should check out the Coralife skimmers. They make 3 models and the smallest one would be excellent for your 20gal. This is what I am using on my 20gal and works great. Pretty affordable as well.

Good luck.