What is the best airstone for a protein skimmer?

[Unresistible Blue]

electric - I just bought some nylon barb fittings from the hardware store - I glue them into drilled holes using Marine goop.

[BUD]

Wooow, I just nuked my wooden air stone and now no bubbles are coming out.What was that recipte, I think I added too much nuke.

[Unresistible Blue]

In my post above I meant to sy you'll have to crosscut - i.e., cut across the grain (NOT rip) the block into thin slices.

Sorry

[Unresistible Blue]

I took mine out this past weekend, cleaned them with a brush to get off the nasty slime, then nuked each for a minute. They seem to be working fine again.

[s a v v o]

I have a question for Irresistable Blue or anyone else who has experience with KW's Awesome DIY Air Diffuser.

I realise this is an old thread, but is probably better than starting a new one.

I've build a 5.'6" x 6" CC skimmer, and I'm interested in this KW diffuser.

I'm particularly keen to know how long it's likely to last before requiring cleaning, and whether or not it has a finite life when it will no longer function.

Secondly, I'd like to know how best to clean it. I read the posts about nuking it in the microwave. Delbeek and Sprung suggest a bath in bleach for limewood diffusers.

Thirdly, something which seems self evident is that all the walls of the box are cut across the grain so that the air moves through the grain. I imagine having it the other way would present an impenetrable barrier to the passage of air. Have I got it right?

Any help with these questions will be greatly appreciated by me.

Once I get going, the first step is to import basswood from your country. So far I haven't been able to find what I want in Australia.

Many thanks, and best regards,

Les Savage
Member, Marine Aquarium Society of Queensland
Brisbane
Australia

[AnnArborBuck]

Originally posted by s a v v o
I have a question for Irresistable Blue or anyone else who has experience with KW's Awesome DIY Air Diffuser.

I realise this is an old thread, but is probably better than starting a new one.

I've build a 5.'6" x 6" CC skimmer, and I'm interested in this KW diffuser.

I'm particularly keen to know how long it's likely to last before requiring cleaning, and whether or not it has a finite life when it will no longer function.

Secondly, I'd like to know how best to clean it. I read the posts about nuking it in the microwave. Delbeek and Sprung suggest a bath in bleach for limewood diffusers.

Thirdly, something which seems self evident is that all the walls of the box are cut across the grain so that the air moves through the grain. I imagine having it the other way would present an impenetrable barrier to the passage of air. Have I got it right?

Any help with these questions will be greatly appreciated by me.

Once I get going, the first step is to import basswood from your country. So far I haven't been able to find what I want in Australia.

Many thanks, and best regards,

Les Savage
Member, Marine Aquarium Society of Queensland
Brisbane
Australia

I built one of these a few years ago and they do work great. They definetly only last so long as the pores in the wood get bigger and bigger, thus the bubbles get bigger and bigger.

To clean mine I just pulled it out and used a sharp knife to scrape the outside layer of crud off. Nuking it might cause the pores to expand due to the expansion of the water into gas inside of the wood pores, so I probably wouldn't do that. A good soaking in bleach probably wouldn't hurt, I just never did it.

You are correct about the grain. Air will only flow with the grain so if you have anyside that are not cut against the grain air will not be able to escape. The big advantage of KW's over normal air diffusers is that all four sides are porous, and thus there is less back pressure and more air flow which equals more bubbles.

As an alternative, there are some new airstones at aquatic-ecosystems that people are now using in their skimmer instead of the wood stones. These are newer stones and are getting good reviews so far.

One tip of advice if you build a KW, use a superglue gel to glue the sides, the thin stuff just doesn't seal it that well IMHO. The gel seemed to work much better for me.

[Doubledown]

I have a CPR wet/dry that came with a built in skimmer. The skimmer is driven by a RIO 1700 venturi. It has never produced any quality skimmate and I was considering getting a bigger pump.

Could I just add an airstone for increased bubble production?

Seems like it would be more cost effective than replacing the pump with something that the skimmer might not be rated for.

Thanks
Chris

[tbrennan]

I used one for years 4" 6ft tall I would buy 1X6 clear aspen and cut into 1X6" blocks. I then centered drilled them and used rigid airline with a drop of marine goop to hold. The big purchase for these skimmers is getting a air pump that can handle the pressure. You can add a tube inside the main chamber and place a venturi valve and pump on your skimmer for about the same price of a quality air pump.

[s a v v o]

AnnArborBuck,

Thanks for your reply and the information you provided.

I understand now about the deterioration of the grain pores and resultant bigger bubbles. Can you hazard a guess as to how long it takes to get to this condition?

Les

[tbrennan]

Depends on the wood and water conditions 3-6 weeks I used to change mine every month and would run 4 6" blocks at a time, the deepwater series air pumps or lufts make a good pump for the stone they are also a couple linear pumps The pump makes a big difference on performace especially on big units where you have to drive the 48" depth for the air stones

[s a v v o]

TBRENNAN,

I'm not sure if your reply is to my question or to Doubledown, who got into the thread. I think you're talking about block diffusers. I'm talking about KW box diffusers.

Les

[DrBDC]

Regarding whoever asked about the inlet to the air stone, at the local hobby shops they sell little mini bulkheads with air nipples on them. They work great under pressure too. On freshwater youi can use them for CO2 production which is high pressure and they are slimline enough to get 2 on a 2 liter bottle lid and are already the correct size for an airline. I think they are for fuel lines on RC planes.

[Unresistible Blue]

Anyone found a better option yet? Anyone use those rubber membrane bubblers?