my DIY skimmer

[GaryL]

Ok so i saw these easy as pie skimmer posts on the RC boards and thought i could do it myself. and i did and i think it is fabulous. it produces way more foam than my expesive one. i put it together in a few ours after i finally got all the parts together and i changed what the directions read in the RC posts.

 

1. 1 gal rubbermaid storage container

2. 1 2quart rubbermaid storage container

both available at wall mart

3. 2 3/4" 45 degree elbs

4. 2 1/2" 45 degree elbs

5. 1 stick 3/4 pipe pvc

6. 1 stick 1/2 pipe pvc

7. 2 4"-2" reducers

8. 1 mpt -slip 3/4 pvc adapter

9. 1 fpt-slip 3/4 pvc adapter

10. 1 mpt-slip 1/2 pvc adapter

11. 1 fpt-slip 1/2 pvc adapter

12. 1 stick of 2" pipe

all frome Lowe's

13. 1 700gph pump the choice for gph is yours

14. 1 tee the can fit on the pump intake and a reducer enough for the airline for the venturi

15. 1 2" true union slip

16. 3/4" gate valve availble at fischer's hardware

 

 

first i marked and dremeled out the holes for the intake and exhaust. (sory lack of a better term from a mechanic)

 

 

then you add the 1/2" and 3/4" fpt and mpt adapters and i used orings to seal it up

 

 

then connected the 45 dgree elbos like so, so the 1/2" intake goes down and curves toward the side so it can start a swirling motion.

the 3/4 straight down with a gate valve to contol the outflow. you can use a ball valve but the adjustment for the outflow is very hard to acheive.

 

 

the 4"-2" reducers can be glued onto the lids or the body if you choose. i glued my to the lids so i could take it apart for cleaning. the bottom lid was cut out to just the thread ring so the foam can go up the 2" pip to the collection cup

 

 

i cut the 2" pipe just enough to connect the the bottom portion to the true union and so-on for the collection cupso it looks like so

 

 

hook the intake to a pump of your choice. i used a 700gph sen and used a air line tube in the tee of the intake to create a venturi . i cut a diagonal cut in the air line and faced it towards the impeller to create a vacuum at the opening of the line, alowing it so suck in air. adjust the gate valve for you desired level of foam coming into the collection cup i also had to drill a hole into the cup to release pressur builtup in the cup.

 

the pump and venturi need to be placed near the surface if the water to be able to suck more air into it.

 

im so tickled that i myself built this and the results i am getting from it.

 

 

if you all have any questions ill try to asnswer them the best i can.

HTH Gary

[flowerseller]

What is in the slender can with the red top in picture #5?

It's the can that appears to be facing back and in the "loop" of hose from a pump to the right.

 

HaHa JK

 

 

That's awesome dude!!!

[GaryL]

What is in the slender can with the red top in picture #5?

It's the can that appears to be facing back and in the "loop" of hose from a pump to the right.

 

HaHa  JK

That's awesome dude!!!

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Hallucinogenics, i mean Pam cooking spray!!

[Folta]

Thats really cool! Gary, how much would did the total for parts come out to? My skimmer seems to be better at adding microbubbles to the tank then skimming out stuff... I'm considering this option now

[flowerseller]

Flotila,

What skimmer are you using? Your sump should settle the bubbles out if it has baffles placed correctly. I assume you've been through the pinhole leak in your return line drill already?

[dchild]

Nice man. After talking to you at the meeting i went through a couple of the RC threads, I had a couple questions: is the intake just loose in your sump ie the water coming out the "exhaust" approaches 700 gph? Do you find the need to restrict the venturi at all, or is the gate valve your only adjustment? You said this is in-sump right? How tall is it? Where did you get the 4x2 reducers and the union? did you glue any of the PVC? and in what section of wal mart did you find the containers? I was in Target yesterday lookin around and couldn't find them.

 

I guess I am having a little trouble conceptualizing how this skimmer works. I'm using a Turboflotor now with a powerhead pushing water into it, but the main pump for the skimmer is used to recirculate water inside the skimmer. I have to throttle back the powerhead pushing water into it and also the venturi to prevent the collection cup from filling with clear water in a few minutes.

 

Thanks

[Ne0eN]

How easy is it to clean this unit? Do you have a drain tube for the collection cup? Thanks!

[Folta]

Floursailor,

I'm using a no-name branded skimmer... I got it for free along with everything else. It looks vaguely like a seaclone, but its definitely not. I haven't found any markings other then a sticker that reads 'water line' and has a red line right underneath it on the tube.

 

Pinhole leak in the return line drill? I'm not sure what that is. The way the return is, the flow comes up the skimmer, to the right side (when facing the tank) and then angled straight down. There is a return 'box' that clips on, and is in the tank. The bottom of this box is split down the center, and it has a sponge in it. The sponge impeeds the flow a little bit. The collection cup doesn't pull much out. Afte about a week, I'll have maybe 1/2" to 3/4" of skimmate in the cup. This obviously isn't good enough! I haven't bought a replacement yet because I know I will be upgrading to a 125 or 180 in a couple months when I move, and wanted to buy an ASM g-3 at that point (why buy a skimmer now and then again in a few months?) If this diy skimmer is cheap and effective (and can fit in my sump - by the looks of it I can put it next to my sump and have the pump and return going into the sump, it seems like a good option. Also, the skimmer I have now is an hob, so the return line is feeding the bubbles directly into the display tank. I would like an in-sump one not only for that reason, but that it'd also give me more room to add a few higher light corals, like some more monti digitata if the orange one does well. :D

 

 

 

Flotila,

What skimmer are you using? Your sump should settle the bubbles out if it has baffles placed correctly. I assume you've been through the pinhole leak in your return line drill already?

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[GaryL]

Thats really cool!  Gary, how much would did the total for parts come out to?  My skimmer seems to be better at adding microbubbles to the tank then skimming out stuff... I'm considering this option now

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the total parts price came to 30 dollars + the pump. as far as the micro bubbles i have a large sump with large baffles that get rid of the bubbles as they come out. so yes it does oxygenate the water alot

 

Nice man.  After talking to you at the meeting i went through a couple of the RC threads, I had a couple questions:  is the intake just loose in your sump ie the water coming out the "exhaust" approaches 700 gph?  Do you find the need to restrict the venturi at all, or is the gate valve your only adjustment?  You said this is in-sump right?  How tall is it?  Where did you get the 4x2 reducers and the union?  did you glue any of the PVC? and in what section of wal mart did you find the containers?  I was in Target yesterday lookin around and couldn't find them.

 

I guess I am having a little trouble conceptualizing how this skimmer works.  I'm using a Turboflotor now with a powerhead pushing water into it, but the main pump for the skimmer is used to recirculate water inside the skimmer.  I have to throttle back the powerhead pushing water into it and also the venturi to prevent the collection cup from filling with clear water in a few minutes.

 

Thanks

31468[/snapback]

the intake of the pump also sucks in air also so that the 700gph is reduced to an air to water ratio i am not sure about. i did not restict the venturi like some people in the RC posts did, the gate valve is the only thing that controls the exhaust, which aslo controls the water level in the skimmer so you can wet skim also. i too had a skimmer like you have with a maxi-jet running the intake and a recirculation pump like 900gph. it was very unreliable. i glued the 4"-2" reducers to the 2" pipe that connects it to the true union. and the lids inside the 4" part of the reducer to screw on and off the collection cup and base of the skimmer.

 

How easy is it to clean this unit?  Do you have a drain tube for the collection cup?  Thanks!

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it is ok easy. i take the collection cup loose at the true union the i can unscrew it from the 4" reducer. i did not put a drain tube as i dont think ill wet skim as much. just punched a small hole in it to release pressure.

 

if i forgot something please ask again and ill try to answer it the best i can

[JMsAquarium]

if i forgot something please ask again and ill try to answer it the best i can

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Now that's a great job Gary. Would you mind posting results likes and dislikes say once a week? I really like the way it looks. :77:

[flowerseller]

Hey, did you send me your address and phone number for the tank tours?

[JMsAquarium]

Hey, did you send me your address and phone number for the tank tours?

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Yes I did :D I just PMed you the info again

[GaryL]

ok this is the goo after about 5 days

 

 

i would however do the collection cup a little different. it does leak up through the threads of the lid when it gets full. so i may figure how to fix that problem. ill post when i come up with something. you may be able to see it in the pic, were the cup meets the reducer.

[dchild]

I tried this myself. Thanks for the pics + advice Gary!

Here's the first try at the skimmer:

 

and in peices:

 

I made my own venturi by boiling a PVC tee and squishing it with pliers (described)

 

Like Gary, I glued the 4x2 reducers to the rubbermaid lids so I could unscrew them. I used exclusively PVC glue.

 

I started this with a mag 7, then switched to an oceanrunner 2700 (much better). I've gone through a couple of iterations since, finally ending up with the OR2700 recirculating and the mag 7 pumping in water. I'm still adjusting it but it's doing a great job.

[GaryL]

awsome dude! looks good. please report on the results

 

i didnt pinch the venturi but if i did i bet it would produce awsome foamage

[Pat_13]

Great job. When I get a sump set up I think I will be making one of these.

 

GaryL- Any more mods or things you would change? Is it always wet skim or have you gotten a dark sludge? Where you able to fix the problem with the leaking lid?

 

dchild- How does the diffuser work? How did you make it?

 

What flow rate (gph) are the pumps you are using? I saw a post with 700gph, is that a good rate?

[GaryL]

i havnt thought of doing mods except for the venturi.

 

i use a 700gph pump

 

it produces a green sludge. not wet. im not sure what is best, but i know with the sludge it has pulled something out.

[dchild]

The only difference I saw with the diffuser is that there were no longer bubbles in the lower 2/3 of the main chamber. I made it out of a $.75 drain cover for a kitchen sink.

 

I'm using an oceanrunner 2700 w/ venturi to recircluate. The feed pump is a MJ1000.

 

I have 2 problems with this skimmer. The first is that it will skim little to nothing most of the day, and go crazy about an hour after the lights go on. So I end up filling my collection container with relatively clear water. The second is that my collection cup leaks, same as Gary's. I have tried making a gasket with vinyl, and putting rubber bands on the threads (maybe I should try teflon tape), but it still leaks. That means I can't really build up enough liquid to flow down my tube. What makes it down the tube is bubbles - and this thing can fill the entire collection cup with nice dry bubbles.

 

That said, I still think it works a lot better than my previous skimmer.