Protein skimmer not doing its job?

[shadowlord]

Hy i have 55 gallon tank that has been set up for over 3 years now with snowflake eal and damsel.
i dont do water changes to regularly but still no any problems with tank
the question is why is my Prizm deluxe skimmer not creating any skimate, foam is very minimal and suction cup is empty with very low of clear water on bottom,
if i turn up water/ oxygen level- supply it just over skimms clear water
what should i check next
specific gravity is at 1.022-1023
i have wet dry filter, 204 fluval and hang on millenium, and two power heads one from them is aut-rotating
whats the main thing that is going to effect skimming procces?
thanks

 

[thegrog]

first off, get into the habit of regular water changes....period. That is the only way to remove many waste products that skimming or other filtration cannot.
Second, the problem probably lies in your skimmer. Prizm skimmers are marginal at best and far from the better ones ont he market. Look into swapping it out with an AquaC Remora or a CPR if money is more of an issue.
You've had the tank up for 3+ years and that is an accomplishment so kudos to you on that. Just try and get the water changed regularly.....your inhabitants will love you for it!

 

[escape2thewater]

Originally Posted by TheGrog
the problem probably lies in your skimmer. Prizm skimmers are marginal at best and far from the better ones ont he market.
Ditto, and BTW Welcome to the board!
Escape

 

[shadowlord]

thanks guys so i shouldnt look for anythging specific right?
i should just try to get some other skimmer like you specified above
thanks again...

 

[adamc1303]

Maybe the water just does not need skimming?

 

[shadowlord]

i tought about that to but many people told me that it cant happen it should allways skimm

 

[cougar]

Could it be that the intake on the skimmer needs to be cleaned?

 

[chipmunk]

I had the same skimmer and it did a so so job. I also had the same issue are having where it skimmed but not very well. I would go to a sea clone skimmer. The prizms Suck.

 

[thegrog]

Originally Posted by chipmunk
I had the same skimmer and it did a so so job. I also had the same issue are having where it skimmed but not very well. I would go to a sea clone skimmer. The prizms Suck.
SeaClones are one of the worst skimmers out there. That would be a step back IMO.

 

[chipmunk]

It did a better job then the Prisim skimmer. If there so bad how come every time there is one for sale thaey sell so fast. I never had a problem with a seaclone skimmer.

 

[chipmaker]

Yea, Seaclones and Prisms suck for the most part but Coralife Super Skimmers are more than reasonable in price and skim very good..........I ran a Remora c as well as a CPR and other various other skimmers I had access to, and in the end, the CSS was the most efficient and did the best job.......no micro bubbles in tank, no noise and easy setup and cleaning of collection cup.....I would do water changes everyday before I ever went to a Prism or Seaclone.........Even the Lee's counter current skimmer does a better job than Prisms or Seaclones, and the outlay is much less so you can;t expect too much for what you pay for a Lee...and the Lee also required less fiddling and adjusting than the other two did. Shop around there are some good prices on coralife skimmers if you look.

 

[adhall]

I'm looking to buy a new skimmer for my 72 gallon. Coralife Super Skimmers seem cheap in comparison. Why is that?