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View Full Version : Good Needle Wheel pump for my DIY skimmer?


MatesonG
02/05/2010, 02:34 AM
I built a 4' counter current skimmer initially to just put an air stone in it but changed my mind. So i'm going to ad a recirculating needle wheel to it. Whats a good NW pump i should get for it. Also i need a venturi and air pump for it too if i'm thinking right.

I'm thinking of a DIY venturi
A tetra 150 for the air pump
and have no idea about the needle wheel



here is a pic of what it will look like when done.

<a href="http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/MatesonG/Fish%20Tank/?action=view&current=Screenshot2009-12-21at90609PM.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/MatesonG/Fish%20Tank/Screenshot2009-12-21at90609PM.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Peter Eichler
02/05/2010, 03:43 AM
Wait... why do you think you need an air pump?

What's your budget? For a 75 gallon tank a sicce pump would be plenty, Tunze hydrofoamers are nice as well. Both are quite efficient and capable of pulling a lot of air, no air pump needed.

Juruense
02/05/2010, 06:40 AM
Eheim makes a nice needle wheel pump for skimmers, its $200.

fishoutawater
02/05/2010, 09:54 AM
Will those pumps pull any air with 3+ feet of head? The skimmer is 4' tall.

Peter Eichler
02/05/2010, 03:38 PM
Will those pumps pull any air with 3+ feet of head? The skimmer is 4' tall.

I don't think it would be an issue, but it will decrease the air draw.

tkeracer619
02/05/2010, 04:47 PM
You absolutely don't need a 4 foot tall skimmer of any kind on a 75g tank. Needle wheel pumps prefer 2 foot tall skimmer.

IMO go with a Becket if you want it to be 4 ft or cut it in half. Bubble blaster pumps are great for DIY skimmers but i'm not sure of the air draw with 4ft of head.

Chupakabra-King
02/05/2010, 05:19 PM
I built one of those . Use a Kent Venturi valve . Get the 3/4" inch one if you can , and get a big pump , like a mag 9 or 12 . It will skim anything you throw at it , probably too much . I had mine on a 110 gallon . That thing skimmed a cup of skimmate a DAY . It was CRAZY . I sold it when I sold my big tank . Man I miss that skimmer . PM me if you want anymore info about it .

MatesonG
02/05/2010, 06:36 PM
Hey thanks for all the info everyone!!! Ok just for my understanding, if i get a needle wheel will I need a venturi with a pump to allow air into the skimmer? or do NW pumps for skimmers already draw/create air on there own?

Peter Eichler-I guess i thought I need an air pump for getting air into the venturi and then through the NW.
"What's your budget? For a 75 gallon tank a sicce pump would be plenty, Tunze hydrofoamers are nice as well. Both are quite efficient and capable of pulling a lot of air, no air pump needed."
-would these be able to handle the 4' head of water pressure? how does air get into the pump if there is no air pump feeding it in?

I guess i could cut it in half.. i just want it that tall for the contact time on each micro bubble.

Chupakabra-King- Awesome I'll pm you to see if you have any other info i could use.

Peter Eichler
02/05/2010, 10:15 PM
Hey thanks for all the info everyone!!! Ok just for my understanding, if i get a needle wheel will I need a venturi with a pump to allow air into the skimmer? or do NW pumps for skimmers already draw/create air on there own?

Peter Eichler-I guess i thought I need an air pump for getting air into the venturi and then through the NW.
"What's your budget? For a 75 gallon tank a sicce pump would be plenty, Tunze hydrofoamers are nice as well. Both are quite efficient and capable of pulling a lot of air, no air pump needed."
-would these be able to handle the 4' head of water pressure? how does air get into the pump if there is no air pump feeding it in?

I guess i could cut it in half.. i just want it that tall for the contact time on each micro bubble.


Chupakabra-King- Awesome I'll pm you to see if you have any other info i could use.

Go with a 10" acrylic tube if you haven't already bought the materials, that way you will have a wide body for more contact time without needing the height. I would not go with the combo Chupakabra is suggesting, those pumps with that venturi will use far more wattage and pull less air than the pumps I suggested.

Chupakabra-King
02/06/2010, 10:06 AM
Go with a 10" acrylic tube if you haven't already bought the materials, that way you will have a wide body for more contact time without needing the height. I would not go with the combo Chupakabra is suggesting, those pumps with that venturi will use far more wattage and pull less air than the pumps I suggested.


I know what im talking about I built one of those skimmers and used it for years . You cant use a small needle wheel pump on a 4 ft skimmer . ( This is the reaon I dont post much . Attacks to people's info. I built this very skimmer and ran it for approx. 10 years and it kept my 110 gallon softy tank clear as a bell.) Im sure there are other ways of doing it , but this guy was wanting to build a 4 Footer , Not a 2 footer 6- 10 inches wide , but a 4 footer, of which I know what I am talking about. Read the first part of the thread he wants to build a DIY 4ft VENTURI skimmer !

Juruense
02/06/2010, 02:09 PM
I think beckett is absolutely the way to go op...

MatesonG
02/07/2010, 01:53 AM
Alright, I have the mag drive 5 already so i might be leaning towards (B) but i already have the skimmer built 4' tall so that make me want to do (A).

so what i'm thinking is either

(A) 4' tall, 3/4" venturi, Mag Drive 9.5
(B) __' Height, 1/2" becket or 1/2" kent venturi, Mag Drive 5

From my stand point now I'll be looking at
(A) $130 more
(B) $20-30 more

Chupakabra-King
02/07/2010, 11:19 AM
Check this link out for the size of pump needed to run a beckett, as well as energy costs .

http://www.austinoceans.com/electricity.html

They are really big pumps . If you want the most bang for the least buck , I would use a kent venturi. Becketss own a venturi for sure, but , the cost of a big pump and the electricity to run it may be prohibitive . If you really want to use the mag5 you already have , then use a 1/2 inch venturi and cut the skimmer down a bit . I would start at 3 ft and work my way down until I like the way it skims.

MatesonG
03/05/2010, 10:57 PM
ok so i just got in my 1/2" venture and I hooked it up to the mag 5, put it in a 5g bucket and hooked my airline up and made sure the opening is about the water line. I turned it on and i dont thin k i'm getting the right amount of bubble/water ratio. It seems to be sucking in too much air...idk

Untamed12
03/06/2010, 12:46 AM
The Sedra 9000 is easily available, and you can pick up the NW for $39 and the venturi for $14.99 online.

I know the Sedras on not well thought of...but my skimmer uses 4 of them and my skimmer chamber is 12"d x 39" tall. They work well enough and I value that replacement parts are easily found.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r118/untamed_photos/Aquarium%20Construction/000_0210.jpg

Isn't the head pressure irrelevent in this case since he has designed the pump as recirculating? The pump is a closed loop, so there is as much pressure exerted on the intake as there is on the output.

It would be very different if the pump were pulling water from the sump and trying to push it out against the height of the skimmer. (non-recirculating)

MatesonG
03/06/2010, 01:04 AM
All i can think of is I need a bigger pump, or the air hose I'm using has too large of a diameter..?

I like yours BTW thats amazing!

mscarpena
03/06/2010, 06:44 AM
Why are you hooking up an air pump to your skimmer. If you are using a venturi pump it drwas the air in by itself. Try removing the air pump from the venturi line. Also you can get a gate valve for the air line. Try those before getting a new pump. I can not imagine a mag 5 is to large of a pump.

MatesonG
03/06/2010, 03:48 PM
Why are you hooking up an air pump to your skimmer. If you are using a venturi pump it drwas the air in by itself. Try removing the air pump from the venturi line. Also you can get a gate valve for the air line. Try those before getting a new pump. I can not imagine a mag 5 is to large of a pump.

I must have worded that wrong. sorry.

There is no air pump hooked up to it. it is just the Kent venturi valve
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k281/MatesonG/Fish%20Tank/SAM_0001.jpg
and i just have a hose that connects to that small part on top and the line is held above the water line.

Do I attach this to the intake side or output of the Mag 5?

I was told attach it b4 the pump but it just sounds like too much air is getting in...?