Do you own a Prostar Pro-clear aquarium/stand? Which one and what do you like/dislike? (pics nice but optional)

[BigMikeFlipz]

So like the title says, not seeing a ton of Prostar Pro-clear aquariums on the forums. There's a few but not a ton of info. Was hoping this could be a thread for all those that have one or know something about them. Do you own a Prostar Pro-clear aquarium/stand? Which one and what do you like/dislike? (pics nice but optional) IF you have other tanks to compare them to please give that info too!

 

[bpbonds]

I own the Prostar 200 Peninsula, I have had it running since July 2021, so far its been a fantastic aquarium. My only complaint is the Refugium chamber in the supplied sump is a bit small, other than that I have had no issues.

 

[bpbonds]

 

[bpbonds]

 

[bpbonds]

 

[bpbonds]

 

[BigMikeFlipz]

I own the Prostar 200 Peninsula, I have had it running since July 2021, so far its been a fantastic aquarium. My only complaint is the Refugium chamber in the supplied sump is a bit small, other than that I have had no issues.

Absolutely beautiful setup! My LFS just got a 200 in this week and will be sitting it up. I dont think I want to test my new home floors out with the weight of that size though! Also, usually see issues with the top off but first I have seen on fuge. What light setup do you have on it?

 

[mindme]

I've been running a Prostar 230 since October of 2020. Overall it's been a great tank, especially since I was able to get mine for only $2700 before the big price increase.

What I do not like about it is the sump in general. I would still buy one again, but the entire sump design is just bad IMO.

First, it has 6 socks. That's kind of a pain in the butt. But even more so, I can't find socks that actually fit properly. All the 4 inch socks I buy only are just barely too big, so I have to kind of slide them in kind of sideways and wedge them in the hole. So 1 side of the sock is elevated about 1/2 inch - 1 inch. The socks that came with it didn't last very long either, but they do fit properly.

Next up are the compartments. The first one after the socks is the skimmer section. No real complaints about that area, the way the sump is setup it for the most part maintains a good level. But then the next section, which I guess is the refugium area is kind of narrow. Even worse the water in that section rises and falls with the return sump section, and it flows under the panel. That means you can't really put sand in it, because the sand will just flow into the return pump area. It needs another panel in front of the underflow that will cause the water level in that section to maintain itself and also keep any sand in that area. So needs an over then under, not just an under.

I think the auto top off system that came with it is worthless. I've tried using it. But it only holds 3 gallons when full, and it is a huge pain in the butt to fill up as there is no real room. Also any other top off system isn't going to work well either because the return pump compartment is the one that will get low, but the sump goes all the way to the end of the tank, so the only way to have a top off really is to put something outside the tank stand. I ended up removing the ATO a few months ago, as it had been over a year since I had put any water in it. 3 gallons is only going to last about 2 days anyway, so what I ended up doing is just putting the water into the sump directly, about 3 gallons every 2 days. So I didn't see the point in filling up the ATO every 2 days with that extra pain rather than just putting the water in the sump itself every 2 days.

The only other issue is that it doesn't surface skim well by default. The sliencers for some reason really put a damper on that. I have personally removed the sliencers from my overflow. It's really not loud without them to me, and without them, it skims the surface. Again, I would still buy mine again, but if it was up to me I would redesign the overflow area into a herbie or something that isn't just 2 pipes with silencer caps on them.

Love the stand. It's much taller than most tanks. That was also a big selling point for me. It's more room above the sump, which is in itself extremely important IMO. But if you are over 6 feet tall like me, the amount of bending over to look at the tank is also really reduced. I don't know why that height isn't standard. But if you are a shorter person, you might have trouble reaching the bottom of the tank without a step stool.

And the tank itself is extremely nice. For the 230 it has 3/4 inch glass, and the seems are flawless. No silicone spilling over or anything. MP40's have a hard time with the thickness even though it's in their range. If you use a MP40, make sure you secure the cords above the powerhead. Otherwise, you will wake up with a powerhead in the floor at some point, and you'll be lucky if it doesn't cause it to start making noises from the impact - ask me how I know.

Even at the higher price point it's at now, I still think it's a very good deal.

 

[BigMikeFlipz]

I've been running a Prostar 230 since October of 2020. Overall it's been a great tank, especially since I was able to get mine for only $2700 before the big price increase.

What I do not like about it is the sump in general. I would still buy one again, but the entire sump design is just bad IMO.

First, it has 6 socks. That's kind of a pain in the butt. But even more so, I can't find socks that actually fit properly. All the 4 inch socks I buy only are just barely too big, so I have to kind of slide them in kind of sideways and wedge them in the hole. So 1 side of the sock is elevated about 1/2 inch - 1 inch. The socks that came with it didn't last very long either, but they do fit properly.

Next up are the compartments. The first one after the socks is the skimmer section. No real complaints about that area, the way the sump is setup it for the most part maintains a good level. But then the next section, which I guess is the refugium area is kind of narrow. Even worse the water in that section rises and falls with the return sump section, and it flows under the panel. That means you can't really put sand in it, because the sand will just flow into the return pump area. It needs another panel in front of the underflow that will cause the water level in that section to maintain itself and also keep any sand in that area. So needs an over then under, not just an under.

I think the auto top off system that came with it is worthless. I've tried using it. But it only holds 3 gallons when full, and it is a huge pain in the butt to fill up as there is no real room. Also any other top off system isn't going to work well either because the return pump compartment is the one that will get low, but the sump goes all the way to the end of the tank, so the only way to have a top off really is to put something outside the tank stand. I ended up removing the ATO a few months ago, as it had been over a year since I had put any water in it. 3 gallons is only going to last about 2 days anyway, so what I ended up doing is just putting the water into the sump directly, about 3 gallons every 2 days. So I didn't see the point in filling up the ATO every 2 days with that extra pain rather than just putting the water in the sump itself every 2 days.

The only other issue is that it doesn't surface skim well by default. The sliencers for some reason really put a damper on that. I have personally removed the sliencers from my overflow. It's really not loud without them to me, and without them, it skims the surface. Again, I would still buy mine again, but if it was up to me I would redesign the overflow area into a herbie or something that isn't just 2 pipes with silencer caps on them.

Love the stand. It's much taller than most tanks. That was also a big selling point for me. It's more room above the sump, which is in itself extremely important IMO. But if you are over 6 feet tall like me, the amount of bending over to look at the tank is also really reduced. I don't know why that height isn't standard. But if you are a shorter person, you might have trouble reaching the bottom of the tank without a step stool.

And the tank itself is extremely nice. For the 230 it has 3/4 inch glass, and the seems are flawless. No silicone spilling over or anything. MP40's have a hard time with the thickness even though it's in their range. If you use a MP40, make sure you secure the cords above the powerhead. Otherwise, you will wake up with a powerhead in the floor at some point, and you'll be lucky if it doesn't cause it to start making noises from the impact - ask me how I know.

Even at the higher price point it's at now, I still think it's a very good deal.

Excellent review and great info. Glad to see there are others with this name brand speaking up, was worried there wouldn't be much input. Interesting to me that a lot of the irritants are not necessarily different from those of Red Sea Reefer models (sump, refugium, and ATO).

 

[Geebs19]

I have the V2 90 that’s currently cycling. The aquarium and stand are beautiful and sturdy. My only complaint is the sump, the compartments are so small, I had to go with the slim designed bubble magus protein skimmer as it was the only one that would fit in the skimmer space. Other than that I love the tank

 

[Geebs19]

@mindme are you referring to the little cap on the return line or is it the spiral looking thing? Mine also doesn’t skim well, I feel like I always see a skin in the top of the water.

 

[mindme]

@mindme are you referring to the little cap on the return line or is it the spiral looking thing? Mine also doesn’t skim well, I feel like I always see a skin in the top of the water.

Yes, I took mine off and it skims now.

 

[Brymac1]

I have the prostar 200 and am very happy with the system. My only complaint is the overflow mufflers which quiet the overflow but allow surface scum to build up.

 

[bpbonds]

Absolutely beautiful setup! My LFS just got a 200 in this week and will be sitting it up. I dont think I want to test my new home floors out with the weight of that size though! Also, usually see issues with the top off but first I have seen on fuge. What light setup do you have on it?

Reef Breeders Photon 50-V2 Pro with Nexus Upgrade, it fits the length of the tank perfectly, I not a huge fan of using RMS mounts on a Peninsula tank.

 

[rcrutherford44]

I've been running a Prostar 230 since October of 2020. Overall it's been a great tank, especially since I was able to get mine for only $2700 before the big price increase.

What I do not like about it is the sump in general. I would still buy one again, but the entire sump design is just bad IMO.

First, it has 6 socks. That's kind of a pain in the butt. But even more so, I can't find socks that actually fit properly. All the 4 inch socks I buy only are just barely too big, so I have to kind of slide them in kind of sideways and wedge them in the hole. So 1 side of the sock is elevated about 1/2 inch - 1 inch. The socks that came with it didn't last very long either, but they do fit properly.

Next up are the compartments. The first one after the socks is the skimmer section. No real complaints about that area, the way the sump is setup it for the most part maintains a good level. But then the next section, which I guess is the refugium area is kind of narrow. Even worse the water in that section rises and falls with the return sump section, and it flows under the panel. That means you can't really put sand in it, because the sand will just flow into the return pump area. It needs another panel in front of the underflow that will cause the water level in that section to maintain itself and also keep any sand in that area. So needs an over then under, not just an under.

I think the auto top off system that came with it is worthless. I've tried using it. But it only holds 3 gallons when full, and it is a huge pain in the butt to fill up as there is no real room. Also any other top off system isn't going to work well either because the return pump compartment is the one that will get low, but the sump goes all the way to the end of the tank, so the only way to have a top off really is to put something outside the tank stand. I ended up removing the ATO a few months ago, as it had been over a year since I had put any water in it. 3 gallons is only going to last about 2 days anyway, so what I ended up doing is just putting the water into the sump directly, about 3 gallons every 2 days. So I didn't see the point in filling up the ATO every 2 days with that extra pain rather than just putting the water in the sump itself every 2 days.

The only other issue is that it doesn't surface skim well by default. The sliencers for some reason really put a damper on that. I have personally removed the sliencers from my overflow. It's really not loud without them to me, and without them, it skims the surface. Again, I would still buy mine again, but if it was up to me I would redesign the overflow area into a herbie or something that isn't just 2 pipes with silencer caps on them.

Love the stand. It's much taller than most tanks. That was also a big selling point for me. It's more room above the sump, which is in itself extremely important IMO. But if you are over 6 feet tall like me, the amount of bending over to look at the tank is also really reduced. I don't know why that height isn't standard. But if you are a shorter person, you might have trouble reaching the bottom of the tank without a step stool.

And the tank itself is extremely nice. For the 230 it has 3/4 inch glass, and the seems are flawless. No silicone spilling over or anything. MP40's have a hard time with the thickness even though it's in their range. If you use a MP40, make sure you secure the cords above the powerhead. Otherwise, you will wake up with a powerhead in the floor at some point, and you'll be lucky if it doesn't cause it to start making noises from the impact - ask me how I know.

Even at the higher price point it's at now, I still think it's a very good deal.

I've got the same tank. We used I think the Red Sea socks, so I have 2 sets now. They seem to fit pretty close to the ProStar socks.
As far as the sump, we set up the compartment next to the socks as our refugium area & used the narrow section for the skimmer. Not sure if that was how we were supposed to, but has worked great so far.
I agree with the ATO - a little small, but it's nice if I'm busy or out of town. When it's completely topped, I can go a week without having to add water.
Nice tank. Sump could be a little bigger, but overall does the job.

 

[mindme]

I've got the same tank. We used I think the Red Sea socks, so I have 2 sets now. They seem to fit pretty close to the ProStar socks.
As far as the sump, we set up the compartment next to the socks as our refugium area & used the narrow section for the skimmer. Not sure if that was how we were supposed to, but has worked great so far.
I agree with the ATO - a little small, but it's nice if I'm busy or out of town. When it's completely topped, I can go a week without having to add water.
Nice tank. Sump could be a little bigger, but overall does the job.

Thanks, I'll give those a try and see if I like them. I've tried everything on amazon and none of them fit well. I was about to just buy some more of the originals and be extra gentle with them.

About a month ago I removed my skimmer and moved my refugium over like yours. Are you having trouble with water levels affecting your skimmer in that compartment? I would have moved it over in there, but I thought I would have issues due to that. Mine was already hard enough to dial in even when the water level was even. For now I just have rocks and bioblocks for extra bacteria surface area. And a pump to the UV as well.

I guess now that I think about it, even if it didn't skim 100% perfect, it would still provide the extra aeration.

 

[Geebs19]

Thanks, I'll give those a try and see if I like them. I've tried everything on amazon and none of them fit well. I was about to just buy some more of the originals and be extra gentle with them.

About a month ago I removed my skimmer and moved my refugium over like yours. Are you having trouble with water levels affecting your skimmer in that compartment? I would have moved it over in there, but I thought I would have issues due to that. Mine was already hard enough to dial in even when the water level was even. For now I just have rocks and bioblocks for extra bacteria surface area. And a pump to the UV as well.

I guess now that I think about it, even if it didn't skim 100% perfect, it would still provide the extra aeration.

The read sea 4 inch media cups fit perfect.

 

[rcrutherford44]

Thanks, I'll give those a try and see if I like them. I've tried everything on amazon and none of them fit well. I was about to just buy some more of the originals and be extra gentle with them.

About a month ago I removed my skimmer and moved my refugium over like yours. Are you having trouble with water levels affecting your skimmer in that compartment? I would have moved it over in there, but I thought I would have issues due to that. Mine was already hard enough to dial in even when the water level was even. For now I just have rocks and bioblocks for extra bacteria surface area. And a pump to the UV as well.

I guess now that I think about it, even if it didn't skim 100% perfect, it would still provide the extra aeration.

I'll try to get some pictures this afternoon & post on here. Skimmer seems good though. I think we have it on a small stand - I'll try to get that in the picture too.

 

[Bj’s Reef]

Thanks for the review. I’m thinking about getting the pro clear 200 peninsula myself.

 

[JTR]

So like the title says, not seeing a ton of Prostar Pro-clear aquariums on the forums. There's a few but not a ton of info. Was hoping this could be a thread for all those that have one or know something about them. Do you own a Prostar Pro-clear aquarium/stand? Which one and what do you like/dislike? (pics nice but optional) IF you have other tanks to compare them to please give that info too!

I recently upgraded from a 75 gallon to a Prostar 200. My question is for anyone that has one or similar is what is the best placement for WaveMakers. I have the Neptune WM and they are super powerful but I'm just looking for the best way to place them. It's great that I can control the speed with the Apex, but just looking for people's opinions and experience with placement??? TIA