protien skimmers

[timmaakestad]

has anyone used a bak pak or prism pro? which is better. have had a prism for a while ammonia and nitrites read 0, but doesn't have a constant "dry foam" does this mean it isnt working properly. do skimmers always have to have a dry foam to work correctly? is the apperance of foam affected by changes in the water quality in the aquaria and if so what causes skimmers to "stop skimming" any epert advise would be great, and oh which skimmer is the better of the two? thanks to all?

tim :-D

[Sugar Magnolia]

IMO, the Prisms, whther it's the standard or the pro aren't very good skimmers. The one I had never skimmed well at all, and I was constantly fiddling with the settings to try and get it to skim on a consistent basis. You'd be much better off with a CPR BakPak or an AquaC Remora. I was so surpised when I got my Remora after using the Prism for so long. The Remora skims so much more efficiently than the Prism.

Here's an article for you to read. http://www.proteinskimmer.com/skimmerdatabase.htm

[timmaakestad]

thanks sugar what do you think about the refugium. i looked at the ac 110 and its about 70 bucks at my lfs. didnt look online. have you ever dealt with marine depot. leary about shopping online. might go with the smallest cpr hang on. but ive been told that fuges can "leak" phosphates and nitrates back into the system how so? and dont you have to maintain the macroalgea by cutting it or something. dude at the lfs said it can go sexual too have you ever had this happen and what are the effects? any material on the basics of fuge upkeep and pros/cons would be great. you've been a great help. thanks for your replies!

[TranZ]

I know this is toward SM....but i have experience with marine depot. I think they are great company...and there customer support is excellent. i bought a fewthings from them and have no complain.
about the microalgae...some macro will go sexual from time to time like caulerpa...but most people here in the forum including me use CHAETOMORPHA macro algae for the sump. from what i read this won't go sexual. chaeto grow fast and all you have to do is trim it about 2-3 times a month...it depends on how fast they grow...
pros out weigh the cons in terms fuge. fuge give you more water volume, great way to export nutrients, place for pods to hide and multiply. JMHO

[timmaakestad]

thanks transz ive been thinking about placing a 10 gallon under my cabinet. starting with a basic tank and converting it into a fuge. tried looking at different online stuff seems technical. i know there can be sump/ fuge. but i have a hang on skimmer, do you really need the sump. dont know how to plumb or much. i know powerhead drawing water to fuge then submersible pump with some kind of "u" tube anyone w/ diagrams or any help for a 29 gallon simple fuge to lower nitrates would be great.

[TranZ]

Heres a link courtesy of Doctor Reef

http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html

[timmaakestad]

thanks i came across this article in my search but not in that much detail!

[TranZ]

this is just to give you an idea on how to set up a fuge....my fuge and sump are DIY. i have no room under my tank for a smaller glass tank so i made mine from scratch with an acrylic glass. both tank is pretty much the same size...the water that coming from the tank is split between the two tanks. the water from the fuge overflow into the sump and back into the tank..which the water that goes into the sump from the tank goes in the are where my skimmer is and after it get skim it returns to the tank. in my sump i have a HOB Red Sea berlin skimmer, a heater, carbon bag, nitra sorb and other stuff that you don't want to be seen.
this is entirely up to you if you want a sump or fuge or not.