hang on or in sump?

[zachary]

Right now I'm trying to decide which skimmer to buy. I've searched a lot of past posts and certainly learned a few to stay away from. Currently, I don't have a sump. Do the in sump skimmers work any better than hang on skimmers? My other concern is that with the new lighting I built, I only have about 1.5 inches of permanent access on top running along the back of the tank. Will the prizm fit? Will any other red sea fit? Thanks for the help.

 

[johnnysalt]

I read from Red Sea's website that the prizm is 2.4" deep....Your only option might be an in-sump one....unless you want the skimmer on the side of the tank. Building a sump is very easy.....and will be hidden below in the stand. Check below for my diagram....I have my skimmer in the sump too....everything works great! Email me with any other ?'s if you want to.

 

[dburr]

FYI The prizm can also be used in the sump.

 

[zachary]

Yes, I read on the website that the prizm is 2.4 inches deep, but that is not really my concern. I have plenty of space behind the tank. It's just that I only have 1.5in of space on top of the aquarium. The canopy that I built fits almost the entire top access to the tank. There is only that gap running across the back. I am looking for the amount of space the skimmer uses -in tank-(where the skimmer enters the tank only). Inside the tank it doesn't matter. Just the amount of room needed from the back of tank working forward. Thanks

 

[flatfish]

Zach,
I was going to use my Prizm on my 20G sump. Problem was the head space. I had to hang it on the back for clearance, but it was way too much of a pain in the butt. The Prizm needs a lot of tweaking on setup and after cleaning. It *requires* easy access. It also is a very tall unit when hung on. Not doing an accurate measurement I'd say it'll stand a good 4" above the tank. I tried it in-sump. A bit too bouyant(SP) to rig on an active system.
I went with a different HOT skimmer on my sump. Not my favorite, but it was hanging around. It sits out the back and to the side (see my tank pics). I will be using the Prizm on a 30 I'm setting up with at 10G sump. The stand will better accomodate the maintenance the Prizm requires. I'm looking at building my own downdraft to hang in the tank at the same spot.
Good Luck!