in tank skimmer set-up

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 08:15 PM

i have a friend whom decided to take the plunge into saltwater tanks . he has a 55 gal tank and did not want to run a sump ( i'm sure it won't be long before he moves to a larger tank , then i'll talk him into a sump ! ) so he wanted to have a good size skimmer , but everything had to be contained inside the tank . so over the weekend i came up with this little deal that worked out great . the only down side is the room lost in such a short width tank . he will only be able to fit two t-5 bulbs on it , but he's only going with a softie tank anyways so lighting will not be as much of an issue . anyways , these pics are from the test tank which is only 20 gal and it worked great right off the bat .

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 08:16 PM

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 08:17 PM

this is the pump chamber with surface skimmer .

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 08:23 PM

close up of the m.j. 1200 compartment . i'll have to get some pics of it in the 55 for a good size comparision since we split the skimmer and motor compartment with each piece on either side of the crossbrace which meant we had to lenghten the pipe from the pump to the skimmer and the skimmer drain . also the whole unit sits in the water about 3" so it doesn't take up much water space .

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 08:29 PM

top down shot . you can see the baffles before the tank return nozzle . bio- balls were removed .

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 08:34 PM

last pic - this (sort-of )shows the bracket that the skimmer rest on . it was an old wavebox bracket to which i added a sliding shelf to , then i drilled and tapped the bottom of the skimmer . the nylon screw goes thru the shelf into the skimmer so it doesn't ( accidentally) fall of the shelf .

hng · 03-18-2007, 08:41 PM

Wow, very cool! What kinda skimmer is that, or is it a DIY? Could the skimmer be placed outside of the tank for more room?

gwaco · 03-18-2007, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hng

Wow, very cool! What kinda skimmer is that, or is it a DIY? Could the skimmer be placed outside of the tank for more room?

thanks ! the skimmer is an old venturi skimmer that was made by a local company that i believe is no longer in business. technically yes it could sit out side the tank , and though i agree that it would give more room in the tank , my friend was pretty adament about wanting everything inside the tank ( hes really freaked about any possability of water leaking onto his floor , ha ! wait till his first water change

) if it were my tank then yes i would have just flipped the skimmer and bracket to the outside

! also by putting it on the outside it would have allowed the height the skimmer sticks up to be reduced , but i did what i was asked to do ..........

hng · 03-18-2007, 10:32 PM

OK, makes more sense now. Newbies, when will they ever learn. Moo ha ha ha!