Overflow question. Please help

[cvrle1]

Hey all

I wanted to buy an overflow box for my skimmer so that I can get rid of all the scum on top of the water. I used paper and went over it, and it works in collecting it, but the problem is it just comes back after couple of days.

I went to J&L aquatics today but they don't carry them for my skimmer and they say that it does not exist for it. Skimmer I'm using is red sea prism. If it does not really exist for sale, I want to make one, but again no clue where to start from.

Please help me out.

Thanks

PS: if someone wants to make me one, I'll gladly pay for it as well, as losng as it's nothing tooooo expensive.

[Troy F]

The tough part is building the right size box for the pump. The box has to be big enough that the pump doesn't drain it faster than it can refill and small enough that it doesn't just remain full. I'd suggest searching the boards for a DIY on that particular skimmer.

Depending on the pump, I think Grant at Big Al's may be able to advise you on the size of box. Building it would be the easy part.

[cvrle1]

anyone else have any ideas??

Thanks

[ldzielak]

I had a similar problem with my Remora, since the Rio 600 is under the surface. I purchased a surface skimmer for a fluval filter from King Ed. I figured I could set it up on the inlet of a powerhead and use it. Never did get around to it but maybe you can think something up.

[Dale D]

I think that the new surface skimmers Hagen has out for the Aquaclear hang on back powerfilters would work with a Red Sea Prism.

The Prism works like a HOB filter by pulling water into it throught an uplift tube the way an Aquaclear does, so it should be fairly easy to adapt the surface skimmer to it.

The hagen surface skimmers take in water from the surface and from below so you would not have to worry about the flow of water into the surface skimmer being too slow or too fast.

I use one on an Eheim canister I have on my Discus tank and it works great. They only cost about $17. I used to use the Eheim designed surface skimmer years ago and it didn't work nearly as good and also cost $50-$60.

Dale

[ 22 January 2002: Message edited by: Dale D ]</p>

[canadawest]

Dale, I WANT one of those for my Prizm skimmer!

I was looking at the Ehiem device at Big Al's, but that is a lot of $$ for some plastic tubing! Let me know if you have them in stock, it might be worth the trip out to Chilliwack to make my skimmer more efficient, and help clear some of that never ending surface scum! [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Dale D]

Hi Andrew

We have a bunch of them in stock.

Save your money and don't get the Eheim one.
It's got about 3 times as many parts, is not made as good as, and is way more expensive than the Hagen one.

I'll have to try hooking one up tomorrow at work. The only thing I could see being a problem is if the Prism inlet tube and the tube from the surface skimmer are alot different in size. It shouldn't be too hard to come up with a way of connecting them together.

Dale

[cvrle1]

Hey thanks for the help.

I will get one of those and try to put hem on. Hopefully it works

[Dale D]

I tried putting the two together at work the other day. The inlet pipe for the Prism is just a little bit bigger than the outlet pipe from the Hagen surface skimmer,so, it shouldn't be too hard to keep the two joined together.

The Hagen Rep was in the store at the time and saw what I was doing. He seemed pretty interested in the idea and took a few notes.

Dale

[Troy F]

>The Hagen Rep was in the store at the time and saw what I was doing. He seemed pretty interested in the idea and took a few notes.<

Thus, the price of the Hagen Surface Skimmer just increased 500% [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] . Just kidding but I couldn't get the idea of the Hagen brain trust trying to figure out how to make more money off of this.