DIY skimmers work?

[glarior]

I have been looking at skimmer options for my 300g+240g+120g sump setup and they are ~$800+. I thought about looking into DIY skimmer and found a few post on here and other sites on how to build one. However, I see all these plans but no one ever really confirming if it was worth doing or if they should have payed for a brand name skimmer.

What do you think? Are there some good plans out there that are confirmed working? It does not seem to complicated to do.

[Kawi9_cf]

My guess would be for a skimmer that size it would be worth it cost wise to build yourself. However i think for smaller tanks its is more cost effective to just buy one. Then again is also comes down to what type of skimmer you are building and what materials you plan on using.

[glarior]

Yea, that is what I am thinking. Seems like everyone is 50/50 on it. I don't see why not. I build it out of PVC, clear top and a good pump. If it does not work at all then I already have a good pump for a skimmer.

[Kawi9_cf]

I think an external recirc would be really cool out of pvc. You can just use uniseals for bulkheads

[uncleof6]

The reason there is no info (real info, not oooo's and awwww's) is because there is only one way to measure a skimmers performance, and that is with a Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer, and that requires combustion of the skimmate. There is no visual way to tell if your skimmer is better than a R & D designed store bought skimmer, or worse (and unfortunately, it will most likely be worse, because you don't have the R & D facilities) The only skimmer that is really worth doing yourself, is an air driven counter current skimmer--with independent air and water adjustments. DIY skimmers are 100% guess work, unless you do an exact copy, in minute detail, of a manufactured skimmer--and where are you going to get the "model?"

Kawi9.... any non recirc skimmer will remove ~30% of the dissolved organics from a system. A recirc skimmer will remove ~ 30% of the dissolved organics from a system, but it will take longer to do it. Why? Because you are wasting the skimmer's time, recirculating water that does not have a high enough concentration of organics, for the skimmer to operate efficiently. Recirc skimmers are a waste of time, and money. Same reason slowing your flow through the sump to match the skimmers flow rate is hogwash. :)

[Misled]

Kawi9.... any non recirc skimmer will remove ~30% of the dissolved organics from a system. A recirc skimmer will remove ~ 30% of the dissolved organics from a system, but it will take longer to do it. Why? Because you are wasting the skimmer's time, recirculating water that does not have a high enough concentration of organics, for the skimmer to operate efficiently. Recirc skimmers are a waste of time, and money.

That's a crock. A given skimmer has a flow rate. For both air and water. The amount of water coming in is the same amount coming out. If one skimmer is recirculating and one is regular, and all other sizes are equal, with the same amount of air injected and the same water flow the water leaving should be the same organic wise. But the difference is in a recirc skimmer, the water enters the top of the skimmer body. All the water must pass through the column of bubbles. In a regular, it can leave the pump and drop to the bottom without spending the same amount of time in the bubble column. I won't say either is a waste. I will say if it works for you, leave it alone.

[uncleof6]

Looks to me like someone bought the ad hype. ;) Skimmers work on the relative concentration of organics, where the water enters is irrelevant, unless you are trying to sell something. None of this happens in a single pass anyway.

Another thing is an air stone driven counter current skimmer will actually out perform both "regular" and recirc skimmers.

[Kawi9_cf]

So your saying recirculating skimmers are basically just a marketing gimmick? I don't know enough to know any different but honestly I would be surprised I feel like half of the stuff on the market for aquariums is a gimmick or is not really backed up by any solid evidence that it works.

[Misled]

I didn't buy squat. You can see my skimmer in my sig. It's not a recirc. I've also built a few. Still have one I built 15 years ago. I do agree on building an air driven being a viable option. It you want to make one and model it after an existing design, it's not gonna save you much. It might be fun, but it normally isn't worth it.

[uncleof6]

So your saying recirculating skimmers are basically just a marketing gimmick? I don't know enough to know any different but honestly I would be surprised I feel like half of the stuff on the market for aquariums is a gimmick or is not really backed up by any solid evidence that it works.

It is another way to separate you from your money yes, with no advantage to it at all. Yes, much of what people run out and spend their money on for their tank "It works great," "Don't dare be without it," "Miracle," yeah ok..........is closely approaching hoax status.

There are only a handful of things that I would call a "hoax" flat out. Take for instance the recirc skimmer. It will remove 30% of the total dissolved organics, the same as the rest of the skimmers out there--on the other hand, I have seen test results (un-linkable, they are not on the internet--hummmmmm) that show air driven skimmers producing a light amber colored skimmate that contains a higher concentration of organic carbon, than the skimmers producing a green sludge skimmate. <shrugs>

I would not call the recirc skimmer a hoax, as it will remove 30% of the TOC from the tank. But there is no advantage to it over any other skimmer out there. There is a lot with skimmers, that if designed just "so," you can't see what is really going on inside them, only that which is next to the bright shiny acrylic tube. (I am not going to go into specifics, too far off topic.) But you can expect most any skimmer, from very simple and basic, to complex and expensive, (except the few that are really junk,) to remove about the same amount of crud. All the bells and whistles new and improved, blah blah, is just marketing hype--so the unsuspecting will buy a nice bright shiny new skimmer, that will not perform any better than a 30 year old air-stone driven skimmer.

The problem is, there is no hobby level "test" that will adequately translate to skimmer efficiency. They can say whatever they want, and who is going to know? "It foams like crazy!" "Man I am glad this dark green crud is out of the tank!" Yes, ok. But what is the organic concentration in the skimmate? "I don't know, how do I test for that?" With a GCMP, by combustion of the skimmate......... I digress....

Misled: I am glad you did not buy the marketing hype then. :)



Considering DIY, build a air driven counter current skimmer--easy to design, very adjustable--something none of the others can do: change the flow of air without changing the flow of water, and vice versa--in DIY that is a huge advantage. For grins, in a desert far from here, out of boredom I made a skimmer out of a couple of coke cans, the air stone was a trick, however. I figure in time, it would have removed 30% just like any other skimmer, in a rather small system.</shrugs>

[C Dog]

I was going to do this for my 400 gallon but ended up buying a used skimmer rated for 400 gallons for $50 good shape

http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/skimmer101.htm
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/diy8inskimmer.htm

[ravi197699]

+1 i was going to buid my diy skimmer and buying parts and cutting tools i ended up buying new skimmer at great deal, i saw on ebay one of local vendor selling reeflo orca 200 brand new in box without pump for 190 and we made deal for 160 and i go the skimmer there is no way i can make something similar or close to what i bought for 160 and reeflo dart cost me 60 retired reefer. i am very impressed with skimmer and the way its built and parts are easy to find from reeflo it self.