Ready to build a skimmer?

[EdSnyder]

I just finished building my sump and now I think I want to build my own skimmer. Not sure if it will be worth it to build my own or not. I was just thinking it would be nice if the only thing I had to buy for my sump would be a return pump. I am thinking of running a T on the return line one going to the fuge side and one going to the skimmer.
Am I crazy, my wife thinks so.
Does anyone have a home made skimmer that works great?
Heres my sump:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1723392

[fishoutawater]

How big is your system?

[EdSnyder]

The DT is a 55. The sump is the one in the link.
I can go 42" high, but the footprint is only 9x8.
I have been looking at some other threads on here, is this more trouble than its worth?

[fishoutawater]

depends on how much you like to diy. I doubt you could make one for less than 75-100 bucks, unless you already have some material/pumps.

[EdSnyder]

Cant I just use a big return pump and direct some to the skimmer and some to the fuge?

[droberts]

you need a separate pump for the skimmer because you need to inject air into the water that's being skimmed to actually skim it.

[A sea K]

you need a separate pump for the skimmer because you need to inject air into the water that's being skimmed to actually skim it.


Not true.
If you use a Beckett or other injection/water venturi type skimmer this is entirely possible.
IMO, its pretty much a waste of time and effort, sorry.:beer:

[vikubz]

Here is what I came up with. I had the pump already and the rest cost about 45 bucks. Some of it I improvised with parts on hand so it's not very professional looking.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/vikubz/Reeftank/skimmercup-1.jpg

Looks pretty crusty but works fine.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/vikubz/Reeftank/P9160055-1.jpg

Very simple build.

[EdSnyder]

Here is what I came up with. I had the pump already and the rest cost about 45 bucks. Some of it I improvised with parts on hand so it's not very professional looking.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/vikubz/Reeftank/skimmercup-1.jpg

Looks pretty crusty but works fine.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/vikubz/Reeftank/P9160055-1.jpg

Very simple build.

Ok, I'm interested. More details please!

[EdSnyder]

I've got a mag 3 laying around, what can I skimm with that. In other words, what would be a good skimmer to buy that I could use this pump on for cheap.

[uncleof6]

Not true.
If you use a Beckett or other injection/water venturi type skimmer this is entirely possible.
IMO, its pretty much a waste of time and effort, sorry.:beer:

This is not entirely true either. Beckett skimmers (pretty much home depot technology now) require a pressure pump, and some hefty flow. Tapping off the return pump, would not operate the beckett well, and would draw flow that would better serve the system being returned to the tank.

As with you, IMHUO, I believe DIY'ing a skimmer is a waste of time and effort. Skimmers are far more complex in design than casual observation and anecdote would indicate. There are many designs, differing in how the air is introduced, and a lot of useless bells and whistles also. And from all indications, the only unbiased testing that has been done (lab level -- measuring TOC), says they all work pretty much the same, in terms of performance.

Anecdote is all well and good, but without measuring TOC, you don't know what the skimmer is removing from the system. And you can't really do it at home. Takes years to develope a "new and improved" skimmer, not months, as some would have believed.

Saving money, and achievement are good things, but if you wind up with a piece of junk, what has been accomplished? No reflection on you whatsoever.:beer:

Jim

[uncleof6]

I've got a mag 3 laying around, what can I skimm with that. In other words, what would be a good skimmer to buy that I could use this pump on for cheap.

Run through skimmer literature, specs etc. and look at recommended pumps. If you can find a skimmer that recommends a mag 3, you are in business. Skimmers work best when step up according to manufacturers instructions, using the recommended pumps.


Regards,

Jim

[vikubz]

Well, I don't know exactly what organics are being removed by my skimmer, but it really stinks and I believe it was Robert Fenner who said that regardless of exactly what your skimmer pulls, would you dump it back into your tank?

The picture linked shows less than 2 days of skimmate and the container is a quart jar, so a decent amount of skimmate.

As far as skimmer design being beyond the typical DIYer, how complicated does it really need to be? My skimmer is nothing more than a 6"pvc tube with a meshwheel pump and a gate valve to control the level.

EdSnyder: The skimmer is based on this design.

http://www.randystacye.com/diy_needle_wheel_skimmer.htm

[tank o tang]

Not quite sure how an air bubble can be said to remove different stuff from the water, but if you can nail the bubble dwell time (regardless of injection method) and a non turbulent exchange between incoming and outgoing water. How potent you skilm will be determined by how wet or dry you skim. As so many other things in this hobby, there are MANY CORRECT ways to do something CORRECTLY and be successful that when some become comfortable with their correct way of doing things they will say every other way is wrong.

Most new wave products that we see on the market began with someone tinkering with with an it can't or shouldn't be done idea untill they got it right and some big wig company swoops down to grab it.

In other words go for it to atleast say you tried.

[EdSnyder]

Well, I don't know exactly what organics are being removed by my skimmer, but it really stinks and I believe it was Robert Fenner who said that regardless of exactly what your skimmer pulls, would you dump it back into your tank?

The picture linked shows less than 2 days of skimmate and the container is a quart jar, so a decent amount of skimmate.

As far as skimmer design being beyond the typical DIYer, how complicated does it really need to be? My skimmer is nothing more than a 6"pvc tube with a meshwheel pump and a gate valve to control the level.

EdSnyder: The skimmer is based on this design.

http://www.randystacye.com/diy_needle_wheel_skimmer.htm

Very Cool! Thanks.

[Mike31154]

Can't take credit for my lo tech DIY wooden air stone driven skimmer, it came with the used system I purchased over two years ago. I did make a number of modifications to it though and am quite content with it's performance. Need to deal with replacing wooden air diffusers regularly, but I do not mind this at all. Don't have a sump so it's HOB or HOS in my case on the display. I built a separate stand for it so it's not actually resting on the side of the display. Photo taken shortly after cleaning the cup, so looks cleaner than it would after a few days.

Pros for me:

Very low power consumption, small AquaClear 301 powerhead moves the water and Stellar W60 air pump to provide bubbles through the diffuser. A little over 11 watts total power, so not a stretch to run this on a battery with inverter during power outages.

The relatively slow flow through the skimmer provides a good dwell time for the bubbles in the water column without the need for any recirculation technology.

Fairly simple and very quiet, produces dry skimmate the way I have it set up so collection container takes a very long time before it requires emptying.

Easily cleaned, I simply turn off the power head, leave the air pump running. This lowers the water column sufficiently to allow cleaning the inner tube.

Cons:

Well, it looks unsightly/ghetto next to the display, although some technically minded folks don't mind checking it out and seeing it function.

Possibility of leakage on the floor if something goes wrong, but so far so good. There is no 'high' pressure going on here, in fact most of the PVC is simply push fitted, no glue or even teflon tape. With the ball valve on the return line fully open, the AquaClear powerhead is not capable of overflowing the inner column, so no danger there.

I need to keep an eye on the water level in the display or the water level in pre skimmer box holding the power head will drop sufficiently to cause the pump to cavitate.

I'm sure I've missed some cons as well as pros, but I think I've go most of the significant items covered. I'd say the biggest expense in trying to build something similar would be the acrylic tubing, but if you don't care to see what's going on in the reaction chamber, PVC will be much cheaper. My next build will include a basement sump and I fully intend to try my hand at building a nice tall version of this, since space will not be an issue.

In your case, provided you have the headroom, I reckon you could run it in the sump and possibly even feed it with a tee off your drain, although I'm not sure how reliable that would be or how much tweaking it would take.

http://ogfarq.blu.livefilestore.com/y1po8fqABXa87ZqADp9zj1UY8t2yduFEPhd6gpIiZkRPKV_T71b4XPuFVx98D9m66NG0JA7O7BI-5lduFYAMAf8Qw/P1010815d.jpg

[uncleof6]

Can't take credit for my lo tech DIY wooden air stone driven skimmer, it came with the used system I purchased over two years ago. I did make a number of modifications to it though and am quite content with it's performance. Need to deal with replacing wooden air diffusers regularly, but I do not mind this at all. Don't have a sump so it's HOB or HOS in my case on the display. I built a separate stand for it so it's not actually resting on the side of the display. Photo taken shortly after cleaning the cup, so looks cleaner than it would after a few days.

Pros for me:

Very low power consumption, small AquaClear 301 powerhead moves the water and Stellar W60 air pump to provide bubbles through the diffuser. A little over 11 watts total power, so not a stretch to run this on a battery with inverter during power outages.

The relatively slow flow through the skimmer provides a good dwell time for the bubbles in the water column without the need for any recirculation technology.

Fairly simple and very quiet, produces dry skimmate the way I have it set up so collection container takes a very long time before it requires emptying.

Easily cleaned, I simply turn off the power head, leave the air pump running. This lowers the water column sufficiently to allow cleaning the inner tube.

Cons:

Well, it looks unsightly/ghetto next to the display, although some technically minded folks don't mind checking it out and seeing it function.

Possibility of leakage on the floor if something goes wrong, but so far so good. There is no 'high' pressure going on here, in fact most of the PVC is simply push fitted, no glue or even teflon tape. With the ball valve on the return line fully open, the AquaClear powerhead is not capable of overflowing the inner column, so no danger there.

I need to keep an eye on the water level in the display or the water level in pre skimmer box holding the power head will drop sufficiently to cause the pump to cavitate.

I'm sure I've missed some cons as well as pros, but I think I've go most of the significant items covered. I'd say the biggest expense in trying to build something similar would be the acrylic tubing, but if you don't care to see what's going on in the reaction chamber, PVC will be much cheaper. My next build will include a basement sump and I fully intend to try my hand at building a nice tall version of this, since space will not be an issue.

http://ogfarq.blu.livefilestore.com/y1po8fqABXa87ZqADp9zj1UY8t2yduFEPhd6gpIiZkRPKV_T71b4XPuFVx98D9m66NG0JA7O7BI-5lduFYAMAf8Qw/P1010815d.jpg

This type of skimmer is the oldest, simplest, and most enduring design there is. It is the only design that permits independent adjustment of the three critical skimmer parameters: Water flow, Air flow, and bubble size. Locking any two in, and changing the third, can change the performance in a manner that can be duplicated. Once dialed in it will perform just as well as a skimmer costing hundreds of dollars more. Now is that ghetto?

What do I use? Needle wheel, but that is not the point. I have a couple 6 foot counter current air stone driven skimmers as well. And they are the same as what you have pictured, when it is all said and done.

It is not that a skimmer cannot be DIY'ed. It is the tendancy to make them "fancy" that gets complicated, and copy cat is probably the best way to not end up with a piece of junk, unless you copy a piece of junk :D

Regards,

Jim

[va_blue_stang]

where can i find diy plans for this skimmer?

[uncleof6]

Off hand, I don't know. Some searching would probably pop up some plans. The basic design is as old as the hills, and is shown in several older books such as Martin Moe's Marine Aquarium Reference (pages 281 -282) and Stephen Spotte's books: Marine Aquarium Keeping, and Fish and Invertebrate Culture. Taller is better.

Jim

[Mike31154]

where can i find diy plans for this skimmer?

Hmm, the first sticky in this forum "Many DIY plans...." has a good link to a fellow named Snailman's various plans for DYI, including skimmers. Just tried it and doesn't seem to be working, but luckily I saved another working link for the same info. Try that for some ideas.

http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/snailmandiy.htm