DIY Recirculating Skimmer

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C

CHOMPERS

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MFK Member
Apr 28, 2006
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Sunnyvale Trailer Park
Made with scrap, junk, discards, and other cheap stuff.

The collection cup and reaction chamber body are from a set of three nesting acrylic containers that I got from Goodwill for $3.99
The top of the reaction chamber is an inverted acrylic bowl from Walmart for $1.98
The majority of other parts were free(ish).
 
I actually had been scrounging up parts for a while.



I can (might) build more designs, but I started to like this one more and more.
 
My camera actually ate a significant number of my pictures, so I'm really starting in the middle somewhere and improvising.
The photo for the container used in this skimmer was one of them that was lost. This picture will give you an idea of what it looked like prior to cutting the bottom off. This picture is actually the making of the cup.
 
The main body started with the largest of the three containers and the Walmart bowl (they are still on the shelves but are seasonal).

It ended up like this after the bottom was cut off and the bowl glued on. I used a two inch hole saw to cut the bottom off the bowl.

 
By the way, the union for the cup is a two inch plumbing union that was (lost) in my garage. I cut it down with my miter saw (chop saw).
 
The flange on the reaction chamber started as a square piece of acrylic and ended up like this:

To make the flange, you need a router table, a scrap of plywood, and a type of pin (I used plastic air line).




Everything was good until the pin broke...
 
I reinforced the new pin by sticking a nail in the center. And I took extra care cutting the next one. In the end, all was good.
 
Before I get too far into this, I'd like to give credit to my inspiration for the final design of this skimmer. And the DIY skills and router skills are way better than mine. This link is worth reading in its entirety. However, please note that it is Canadian. For those not familiar with the native Canadian language, I have made up a quick translation guide in the next post...
The thread:
http://www.reefkeeping.ca/forum/sho...1500-Recirculating-Needlewheel-Skimmer/page2&
 
Canadian Translation Guide:
Eh? = Right? ...as in "ya get what I said, right?"
Eh? = Huh? ...as in "Huh? I didn't hear you."
Eh? = I'm autistic and in a minute I'm going to bark.
a boot = about
a boot = A boot. Footware that is sturdier than shoes. Usually occurs in pairs.

Ok, so now you are pretty much up to speed with the native Canadian language. Now you can go back to the above thread and have it mean something. :D
 
Ok, so enough sillieness for one thread. On with the show...
I drilled the eight holes in the flange prior to gluing it on the body (that makes sense, eh?)

And here's a pic to better illustrate the flange:
 
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