DIY Skimmer - Page 2

Geoff · 08-24-2006, 02:37 PM

yea, it is far to easy to come up with expensive ways to do things in a reef tank.

it may be a dual column thing. a large autoprimer and the skimmer itself. PVC is cheap so i do not think it would add much cost. do you have a shelf near the tank you can place these things?

G~

danp_canucks · 08-24-2006, 08:46 PM

Geoff thank you for your replies. I do not have a shelf behind my tank, I was thinking maybe it would make sense to have the skimmer stand on the ground, as eventually I will get a sump. However, building a shelf out of some 2X4, or 2X6 and putting it behind the tank would not be a problem.

danp_canucks · 08-24-2006, 10:32 PM

Geoff,

I think I may get another tank to use for a sump. I need another tank anyway as I just ordered 40lbs of live rock, and I will need to cook it for a few weeks anyway. Would a 20gal (my tank is 55 gal) be enough to use for a sump, once the rock is cooked.

Geoff · 08-26-2006, 08:21 AM

what shape is the 20g? if it is a 20long than that would make a perfect sump. a 20 high on the other hand could work, but much more difficult.

G~

danp_canucks · 08-26-2006, 02:51 PM

Sweet, I got me a sump (found a used one for $25 at my LFS), it's a 30gal long, and it already has the baffles built in. I think that next weekend I will try to build the skimmer. I will try to follow you "manteled monster" design as closely as possible.
How do I get the water into the skimmer? (I do not want to drill the tanks) Do I need to use an overflow, or is there some other method of doing it?

Geoff · 08-27-2006, 08:25 AM

what is wrong with drilling the tank? you will need an overflow of some kind to get the water into the sump. there is a lot less chance of flooding if the tank is drilled than if you were to use an overflow.

drilling is easy and inexpensive. you only need to make sure the tank is not tempered. most of the time only the bottom is.

G~

danp_canucks · 08-27-2006, 11:39 PM

Well I guess I could drill the tank, but it's a bit of a scary proposition as I have never done this before. I already have stuff in the tank. And I guess the nightmare scenario is that I try to drill it and the tank cracks and everything flows out of it.

I could also try to make a DIY overflow as another option.

Do I have to totally empty the tank (not an option) in order to drill it. Or is it OK just to drop the water-line below the level of the hole. Also if I do that, won't the glass shards fall back into the tank? And isn't that bad?

Geoff · 08-28-2006, 10:39 AM

since the tank is full, i would not recommend drilling the tank. i have drilled many holes in a tank full of water, but do not recommend it to anybody.

you can make an overflow, it is usually better to just order one though. they tend to be more reliable.

G~

danp_canucks · 09-19-2006, 01:26 PM

Sorry for the long time lapse. I paused on the skimmer, and got some new lights instead, (I thought it was more of a priority) I got the Coralife 4X65W lights, they are awsome. But now I am back to the skimmer problem.

Geoff I really want to use your "Mantled Monster" skimmer idea. Does the flow go:

Main Tank->Overflow->Skimmer->Sump->Main Tank

or

Main Tank->Overflow->Sump->Skimmer->Sump->Main Tank

Geoff · 09-19-2006, 09:55 PM

as setup on the website goes it is rather confusing. i did not really have a true sump. i pretty much just pulled water from the overflow. not recommended, but i knew the pump values and knew it would work.

i recommend doing your second list. much more margin for error. if something were to go wrong less pumps would be runnning dry and burning out.

G~

danp_canucks · 09-20-2006, 02:05 AM

Thanks for the reply Geoff

So it is possible to hook up the overflow directly to the inlet on the skimmer. I would really like to use this option, at least for now, as it would mean I only need 1 pump for the return. I will be using the "Mag 7" with this overflow http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-OVERFLO...QQcmdZViewItem

Please tell me what you think about doing this type of set-up.

Also I've started building the skimmer itself (all the parts were $46.00, way cheaper then buying a new skimmer

). How do you work with acrylic (cutting / drilling), the sheet I bought cracked on me, but it was only a $1.50 so I'll try again tomorrow.

Geoff · 09-20-2006, 11:02 AM

that overflow should be able to handle having a Mag 7 pulling directly from it. if it were a single 1.5" drain i would feel more confident about it. having two drains means you will need to combine them before connecting to the Mag. than there is the chance that the Mag will pull heavily from one drain only and suck air.

on paper it should work. 1200gph overflow and heavily pressured Mag 7, prolly only pulling 350gph through the overflow.

as for acrylic. first off, what kind of adhesive are you going to use on it? Weld-On is the only stuff that really works on acrylic.

for cutting acrylic you need a plastics saw. these are fine toothed with zero tooth offset. when working with acrylic it is very important to keep the paper/plastic covering on it for as long as possible. this keeps the acrylic from melting as readily when cutting. i have used hand saws, table saws, circular saws, and miter saws for cutting acrylic.

G~

danp_canucks · 09-20-2006, 12:15 PM

Geoff Thank You so much for helping me with this project.

However, I'm still a little lost on how the plumbing would work. How many pumps do I need for the whole setup. Does the skimmer need a pump to work, or can it just work by gravity from the water that comes into it from from the overflow.
Can I get away with just using one pump in the whole setup. (The pump for the return line to the main tank)?

Geoff · 09-20-2006, 10:40 PM

you will need a pump in order to get the air into the skimmer. when the skimmer was up on the mantle behind the tank i was able to power everything with just one pump. this was because all of the plumbing was at the water height. only the skimmer was taller than the water line in the tank. so when the skimmer was done with the water it would drain into the tank. if you are running a sump below the tank, this will not work. you will need two pumps. one to power the skimmer mag 7 and one for the return to the tank.

G~

danp_canucks · 09-22-2006, 05:28 PM

Ok, I've completed the body of the skimmer. Now I need to figure out how I will get it to work. The skimmer will sit in my sump, as you suggested Geoff. In the diagram below you can see how I plan to hook up the skimmer to my sump. Is this the right way to do it (specifically the venturi, and the piping in general). Also I am working off your "Manteld Monster" page, and I notice that you have an extra section of pipe (in red on the diagram) do I need that, and what is it's purpose?