Geoff's Skimmer Mods?

[SeaDog]

Ok, I have got all the parts together to make a "Geoff's" skimmer, which after much research seem to be the most effective and easiest bang for your buck out there.
I'm thinking of a few mods I want to make to it but wanted to run them by Geoff and the rest of you DIY experts here.

1. I'm thinking of running the 1/2 inch input line down inside the 4 inch pipe and then going into the reaction camber at the bottom with a 45 on the inside. This will give a bit of swirl to the air / water mixture and increase the volume of the reaction chamber.

2. At the 4 to 2 inch reducer I'm thinking of puting a short lenght of clear PVC pipe to monitor the water level, Then going to a union and onto the 2 to 1 1/2 inch reduce. I probably wouldn't bother with this but for the fact I have some 2 inch clear PVC tube and the union on hand.

3. As height isn't an issue I'm going to make the skimmer about 18 inches taller than Geoff's design. This is partly due to the fact my sump is an old 55G tank on the stand which makes it over 50 inches tall. It's not drillable so the inlet / outlet will have to go up and over the rim of the tank.

That's about it, any and all input will be appreciated.

Steve

Oh yeah, Many many thanks to Geoff for the inspiration and designs.

[Geoff]

i got one. instead of one ball valve after the venturi, put 2. trust me this is a good thing. a big problem with skimmers is that they can go nuts every now and then. like say you are painting a room in the house and the fumes make it go bonkers. you have the secound ball valve set for normal running and the first one for emergency adjustments. that way you do not loose the perfect setting you had.

i will be doing this mod shortly.

G~

[SeaDog]

Good one



Everything else look good to you Geoff? You are my skimmer Guru after all

[Geoff]

what are you using on the outlet side? valve or slide fittings? what size tank is this going on?

G~

[SeaDog]

The outlet will be a valve, I figure once it's done I'll never be messing with it.

The skimmer is for a 110 tall with a modest bio-load. Tank has been running for over a year.

Planning on a MAG7 to run the skimmer.

[SeaDog]

Construction has started and so far so good.

Mod 1 is complete and I'll leak test it tonight.

This thing is going to be huge, I'm starting to wonder if the MAG7 is going to be enough!

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Construction has started and so far so good.

Mod 1 is complete and I'll leak test it tonight.

This thing is going to be huge, I'm starting to wonder if the MAG7 is going to be enough!

the pump limit is based on the amount of water that can leave the skimmer through the outlet. the taller the skimmer the longer the contact time the smaller the organics that it is able to process.

of course we would like some pics.

G~

[SeaDog]

Thanks Skimmer Guru

I'll try to take a couple of pics tonight. As far as height goes I think the collection cup is going to be roughly eye level! All things being equal I should be able to sell this thing onto the National Aquarium as a back-up

Steve

[aquaticsdeptleader]

where is the skimmer plans Guru?


Jim

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by aquaticsdeptleader

where is the skimmer plans Guru?


Jim

themantledmonster.thereeftank.com/skimmer.html

G~

[yardboy]

Originally Posted by Geoff

www.themantledmonster.thereeftank.com/skimmer.html

G~

http://www.themantledmonster.thereef...m/skimmer.html

[SeaDog]

Here's the work I've got done so far.....

This is the reaction chamber with the 1/2" inlet running down the outside. The penitration is done the sam way as Geoff does his. The close up is of the penitration into the reaction chamber. If you look close at the third picture you can see where I put a 90 pointing down at 45 degrees to get a bit of swirl in the chamber.
The last picture is the reaction chamber and body fitted. So far this baby is 56" tall and there is a fair bit more to go on top yet!

Any obvious mistakes yet?

Steve

[SeaDog]

Geoff.... how important is the height of the outlet, does it influence the water level in the body?

Steve

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Geoff.... how important is the height of the outlet, does it influence the water level in the body?

Steve

in my skimmer which uses the slide couplers, this controlls the water height. if you are going to be using a valve on the outlet then it is less important. the outlet just has to be below the reducing coupler at the top. the lower the total outlet height the more closed the control valve will be during normal operation.

G~

[SeaDog]

Thanks mate