Cheap Skimmer...

supercichlid

supercichlid

Member
Howdy folks...
I have a 35g FOWLR containing at small snowflake eel, but will eventually have a dwarf fuzzy lion and a flame hawk.
At the moment, i only have a few lbs of LR in, but will be adding more every week, until i have around 30lb..
My question is, would a skimmer be beneficial to me?
If so, can anyone reccomend a cheap skimmer? Money is not exactly falling off trees here...
Thanks,
James:)
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
Cheap.... hmmm... The only half way decent one I can think of is the Sea CLone. Not real cheap but it will do an ok job.
 
surfnturf

surfnturf

Member
Red Sea Prizm is a good, effective skimmer for a tank that size. They can be found in the $70 range, and even less if you really shop around.
 
glinton

glinton

Member
I have the same question that you do. I am going to set up a 29gal reef tank soon. Just how soon depends on money!!
I have asked on many discussion boards that same question and I have heard that the Prizm works the best for a reasonable price. You can find it at bigalsonline.com for $69. From what I have heard, I would not get a SeaClone. Most of the feedback I have gotten back is not good.
Good luck! If you have any suggestions on how to save money in other areas, let me know!
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
The new sea clone which has a mod from the old is a good skimmer for the price. I would run another if I had a small tank.
I do not, have not, and will never likt the prizim. I have set one up at a LFS and seen it run. I was not impresed. Now, it may have had a problem that I did not know about but, The seaclone worked fine on the same tank.
 
glinton

glinton

Member
wamp-
Really? I have never heard that. I have heard that the SeaClone is not good at all.
What do you mean the new SeaClone has had modifications made to it? How can I make sure I get the new model?
Thanks!
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
*I am not trying to step on any toes with this post*
Some say this skimmer is better than that one. It is all about personal prefrence. I do not like the prizim due to its adjustments and the fact I have never seen one work right. I have used the sea clone and liked it.
I like the Berlins, ESR, CPR, and many more.... I have seen these work.
My point? Opinions on skimmers are as varied as the tanks themselves. You just have to find one that works for you and fits in your budget.
A skimmer is actually a simple device. Air, water are mixed, water becomes foam and then collects in the cup. The foam is where the bond between water and proteins are. There are SOOOO many varibles on what makes one work that it might work awsome in one tank but in yours not quite as good. SO..
IMO, a sea clone is a good skimmer for the price... But rember, there are better:)
 
mightyoxjuice

mightyoxjuice

Member
I have a seaclone skimmer too and it works great on my 30 gallon.
The complaints I have heard about seaclone skimmers is that they don't skim right away, but they won't on a new tank, because there is nothing to skim. Mine did nothing for three days, but after waste starting building up then it works fine.
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
In my opinion -
Any removed skimmate is better than no removed skimmate.
Is your skimmer the best ?
Is your skimmer the most efficient on the market for your tank size ?
Does it pull crap out of the water ?
If so ..... it's doing what it's supposed to, whether it's the mombo state of the art kick butt techno skimmer or a wooden airstone in a piece of plastic pipe.
Some if better than none ...
More is better than some ...
A lot is better than more ...
Get what you can afford now - or wait and get what you really want later.
Same goes with everything else in this hobby.
 
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