Well i decided to take the leap.
- Thread starter tjfish
- Start date
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http://diyproteinskimmer.blogspot.com/
Not pretty, but cheap and effective. All a skimmer has is a pump that take in water with a hole in the line exposed to air and a place for the foam to spill over for removal or pop leaving organic content in the collection area. There are a thousand ways to skin a cat but that is the basic.
Not pretty, but cheap and effective. All a skimmer has is a pump that take in water with a hole in the line exposed to air and a place for the foam to spill over for removal or pop leaving organic content in the collection area. There are a thousand ways to skin a cat but that is the basic.
Thats way big for the size sump im going to have to run with the tank/stand combo im workin with, but i get the idea of it. I think i could make my own skinnier version with some pvc maybe?
Im thinking a 4" pvc pipe for the body of the skimmer, then reduce it to maybe 2" at the top and have the 2" pipe go up to the collection cup?
One question i have is does it matter where the pump line in and the line out to the sump are in relation to each other on the body of the skimmer? like does the drain line out have to be at the bottom and the pump in at the top like his design was?
Like i said in the rist post, sorry if these are dumb questions im very new to SW, never had to deal with a skimmer before. Im positive i can make a working skimmer with PVC, just need some imput as to where to put the lines in and out on the body of the skimmer. I also most likely not do a re circulating pump if i build one, seems completely redundant from the lil knowlege i have on the matter.
Im thinking a 4" pvc pipe for the body of the skimmer, then reduce it to maybe 2" at the top and have the 2" pipe go up to the collection cup?
One question i have is does it matter where the pump line in and the line out to the sump are in relation to each other on the body of the skimmer? like does the drain line out have to be at the bottom and the pump in at the top like his design was?
Like i said in the rist post, sorry if these are dumb questions im very new to SW, never had to deal with a skimmer before. Im positive i can make a working skimmer with PVC, just need some imput as to where to put the lines in and out on the body of the skimmer. I also most likely not do a re circulating pump if i build one, seems completely redundant from the lil knowlege i have on the matter.
Ok got another question as well.
How high of a water turnover rate should i shoot for on this tank/sump? I usually shoot for at least 4-5x per hour on my FW set ups, usually a lil more.
But on this set up im not sure what to go for.
How high of a water turnover rate should i shoot for on this tank/sump? I usually shoot for at least 4-5x per hour on my FW set ups, usually a lil more.
But on this set up im not sure what to go for.
Honestly I would aim for at least 10x turnover in your skimmer. 4" might be ok. I was going to suggest 8" initially but don't think it is necessary. Just make it as tall as you are able. The more time that water spends in contact with the surface of the air being injected the filthier your skimmate will be. The larger diameter PVC is commonly found at farm supply stores.
And yah narrowing it down to 2" will help isolate the bubbles and make them foam up. One other thing I might recommend is taking a circular object and drilling a bunch of holes in it and putting it at the bottom so that is the first thing the bubbles have to Pass through. This will create a greater air water interface. I mean on a 65 you might go for a sicce 2500. That might be considered overkill but I think it would be good. That and they are sold with a venturi adapter on them which makes it easier on you.
Are you meaning a 2500 gph pump on the skimmer itself, or as a return pump from sump to tank?
I was actually asking how high of a turnover in the whole system.
I was actually asking how high of a turnover in the whole system.
Ohh lol. Get as close to 10x as you can with the system. The sicce 2500 only move 660 gph though. Yah you could Get a mag 12 and t it off with a valve. That pump is a little much for your application but that means you can put as many elbows as you need and not sweat the details.
You can buy pretty parts here...or just buy kits to put one together yourself...or just buy one prebuilt.
Never used these skimmers, but I have heard that they are decent: www.avastmarine.com
Never used these skimmers, but I have heard that they are decent: www.avastmarine.com
Ok, so im shootin for approximately 10x turnover for the whole system. Now if im understanding right, pump size for the skimmer just has to be matched to the skimmer or a valve used to adjust the flow to fith the skimmer correct?
Thank you for that link Fleshy, may come in very handy.
Thank you for that link Fleshy, may come in very handy.
