prism question

[jjspati]

i have had my prism skimmer up for about 2 months. i am having the worst time getting it set right. i set it right and either it eventually overflows or it will reduce its self and it will skim nothing all day.
was there a step i didnt do when setting this up? how long does it take for a prism to fill up with waste. 1 day, 2,3 days? i have a 45gal.
all info appreciated. more input the better
thanks

 

[fishfreek]

On my 45g tank i too run a prism skimmer. My collection cup takes on the avrage of 1-2 weeks to fully fill. This with the foam a dry consistantcy. The stuff i empty is very foul and green/black in color . It will take some adjusting but you'll know when you get it adjusted. Be patient. HTH

 

[mr . salty]

You should set the flow rate(water) as slow as it will go to start off. I have talked to a LFS that says that is the only way his will work...

 

[beth]

Steve is right. Start off with the value in the off position [water will still flow thru]. Every 24 hrs just tweek the value position open just every so slightly until you get the desired skimmate.
Many prizm owners love this skimmer, but I have not found it very effective. I had the skimmer on a FO using an ugf, so that may have something to do with the lack of production in my case. It will be interesting to see how it does on the reef system that I am working on. In reading member experiences, it seems this skimmer does a much better job on reef systems that are not heavily filtered, as opposed to other types of setups that have various other filtration mechanisms going [which makes sense].

 

[jjspati]

thanks. appreciate the help guys. another thing. when turning off the power to the skimmer to empty the bin, every time i turn the power back on the foam rate is different from when it was on last (which would be like 30 seconds later). did anyone elses prism do this

 

[beth]

Definately, one of the drawbacks of the prizm is having to turn it off to empty the cup. But, what can you expect for a cheapo skimmer??