tatt2todd Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Who has built their skimmer? Would like to see pics Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryansweet Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Bill Wann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke33 Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I've taken countless crap skimmers and really made them perform like high end models. Of course this was probably 6-7 yrs ago. No days the skimmers are pretty plug and play and you don't need to modify them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 About 8 years ago, I bought the http://www.cpraquatic.com/pdf/SR4.pdf protein skimmer used from Premium Aquatics. I got it to work, but it was never very good. It did pull some crud from the water, but, not knowing much about them, I was never very confidant about it. It quit working a few years back and I just let it set. Yesterday, I yanked it from the sump, cleaned it, replaced the hoses, and reassembled it. It has been in the sump, making bubbles, but not actually producing any skimate. I adjusted the water level so that it is even with the bottom of the cone and everything looks like I think it should, but no scum production. One thing weird about the design: the base box collects the little bubbles which merge into one large bubble which periodically burps up the bubble column, disturbing the normal flow of tiny bubbles. It has always done this. Call it a "feature". Should I just wait for slime to form on the newly cleaned surfaces? Is it worth while to glue some shims in the base box to prevent the burping? I can't really afford $400 for a new protein skimmer, so this relic will have to do. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I've taken countless crap skimmers and really made them perform like high end models. Of course this was probably 6-7 yrs ago. No days the skimmers are pretty plug and play and you don't need to modify them. Luke, the above post was aimed at you. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Back to the DIY skimmer, wouldn't it be possible to build a skimmer from flat pieces of acrylic? Does a skimmer have to be round? Acrylic sheet could be cut at a taper so that it formed a wide base tapering to a narrow top, similar to the newer skimmers, but with a square cross section rather than the commercially available circular cross section. I'm sure the resultant skimmer would look ugly and be somewhat of a glued up mess, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. I haven't tried it, but have always been curious. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Who has built their skimmer? Would like to see pics Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk There are several postings that I found with Google. http://www.reefworkshop.com/DIY_proteinskimmer1.htm http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/diy-beckett-skimmer.29882/ http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/filtration/beckett.htm http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131865&highlight=monster+skimmer http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1030034#post1030034 These are all some number of years old. The biggest problem I see with them is trying to find a Beckett Valve. I searched the internet and couldn't find one. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 When I did a Google for "pond foam head or nozzle", I found lots of them, but not Beckett brand. Could be out of production. I don't know how you would go about finding the right size/shape/style/flow rate. I guess just buy one at a hardware store that has pond/fountain supplies and monkey with it. I suppose it works by venturi action, but not sure. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke33 Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 John, I'm sure your newly cleaned skimmer is just breaking in. You will know if the top of the foam head looks like soda fizz. As far as a flat skimmer being built it can work just fine. Many hot skimmers use to utilize a half square as a neck. The transition isn't as smooth as a cone or cylinder skimmer but they work fine. Also to note that little skimmer you have there looks to have a really small diameter neck, so if you try to modify and push to much air through it the skimmer will blurp or send up to large of bubble's, which will disrupt the foam head, or skim extremely wet. The easiest thing to do is get your hands on a used skimmer body, and use a uniseal and hold saw to cut a hole in it, then add on a cheap modified pump. I'm sure you could do that pretty cheap, heck I have plenty of brand new skimmer bodies if you wanted to get one to modify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 It would be worth the drive to Mooresville/martinsville to see a "Ginormous Skimmer". And maybe learn something about skimmer design considerations. I am a curious sort. I don't want to know that something works; I want to know how and why it works. This trait got me into a lot of trouble when I was a kid. I was always taking things apart to see what was in them. Reassembly was 50/50. Maybe a little better. I understand that making a skimmer using a bubbler at the bottom of a 20' long tube, letting the foam run over the sides, will work well. The difficulty lies in making it work in an 18" long tube without making a mess. Beyond that, I get lost. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Yea!!!! Crud generation today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Progress, what tank and what's the bio load? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrood Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Wasn't there a DIY skimmer design on RC years back using an Instant Ocean bucket, a brewer's funnel as the cone, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Progress, what tank and what's the bio load? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 125 display; 70 sump; 2 6" tangs, 2" butterfly, 3" clown, 7 1" blue damsels, 1 cleaner wrasse, large handful of snails & crabs. The skimmer has always been "better than nothing, but not by much". I'm hoping to wrangle some knowledge from Luke33 so I can work up something better. Not an emergency. I have several projects in the works, sort of, that are chewing on my available time. Replace front door, back door, pour concrete front porch, replace windows. design and install ghost overflow with bean animal silencer on display tank, rearrange sump plumbing and equipment, make proper light hanger for the new LED fixtures, make light hanger for sump, set up reactors for a variety of media. John John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke33 Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 John I think the skimmer your using now is as good as it's going to get. Do you have a budget in mind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Unfortunately, I probably can't do more that the $50-100 range. There is a financial crap storm coming down on me & I can't find my umbrella. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke33 Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Let me think about that. I was up in my attic yesterday and found a full skimmer body with all the bells and whistles, even has a bubble plate. I just wonder what pump we could get in there that would work well on your tank. An el cheapo pump we can modify : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 What's a bubble plate? I have a constant level area in my sump for the skimmer. I have several MJ-1200 pumps, a RIO +1700, and a new MAG 7. None with pinwheels, just the normal paddle impellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 What brand/kind/size ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke33 Posted October 6, 2015 Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 The skimmer is a swc BMK150 body. I think I could source a pump for it with a pinwheel and it would work much better than what you have atm. The pump's are running around $55bux so I could probably have it all set up and ready to skim for 100bux. If you don't want to do that I'm probably going to order a pump and fix it up anyhow. Been meaning to do it for a while. Those pump's you listed are not going to work well for a pinwheel skimmer. You could use the mag 7 on a venturi style but the other one's aren't strong enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 That sounds like a good deal to me. Would it be reasonable to bring the skimmer to the Saturday meeting, drop ship the pump to my house, and I install the pump? It would save mileage, although I still want to see your "Ginormous Skimmer". Should I pack a lunch in case we decide to take a walk around it? Or I could buy the body and order the pump myself. Whatever you think would work best. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 I just saw your KOI pond post and see you are not going to the Saturday meeting. Looks like I get to see your "Ginormous Skimmer" after all. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke33 Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Definitely want to pack a lunch, could take all day with the skimmer tour. I will even let you try some of the skimmate, but not to much, don't want you passing out. I plan on ordering the pump in the next day or two so should have it next week I would imagine, then after I take a trip to lowe's should have it ready to rock. It will actually look like a finished product, not a hack job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Salt Posted October 7, 2015 Report Share Posted October 7, 2015 Excellent. The water in my tank has gotten so thick, some of the fish are walking across the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Excellent. The water in my tank has gotten so thick, some of the fish are walking across the surface. Lol. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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