New skimmer - big bubbles....

[serankko]

Hello guys,

I just finish my DIY skimmer and I have some questions, I am new in this hobby, so please give me a hand.

I follow the instructions from this website :

http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/DIYskimmer.php

The only thing I changed was the injection system, I am using a beckett one...

I do not have a reef tank set-up yet, so the tests I did with my skimmer were using fresh water and the water temperature at that time was around 20 F...

The problem I'm having is the big bubbles, as you can see in the pictures below...

I tested using 3 different types of pumps, a MAG5, a RIO2100 and a MAG 9.5... The MAG5 and RIO2100 seems to be working similar, the MAG9.5 it too powerful...

The different tweaks I did using all the pumps were :

- Increase and decrease the air input...
- Increase and decrease the output of the pump (going to the skimmer)
- Increase the size of the PVC in between the beckett and the skimmer's body
- Install a bio-ball in the beckett's output to try to decrease the bubbles size.

Non of those alternatives gave me small bubbles.. What is wrong ??? Can be the design ??? Can be the fresh water ???

Please help me...

Thanks

[Jimbo]

Nice skimmer, you need saltwater and the bubble size should get smaller, also some break in time.

[Geoff]

yep, skimmers do not work in FW.

G~

[serankko]

thanks guys.... I will ask first before start doing test...

[orlenz]

Hey that is a really nice skimmer, good job !!!

[kayaker97321]

Your skimmer looks great. I did find a problem you will have to solve before you can dial the skimmer in completely. You really should plug the holes in your beckett housing that make one hole so that you can install one plastic air valve 3/8" for adjusting your flow. you might want to use some 3/8" tubing to raise the intake for the airflow up above the beckett housing, otherwise when you adjust your waterlevel in your main body you could get some water spitting out the beckett housing.

Valve.


Skimmer Mods


Another thing that you don't really have to change but you will be glad you did is switch the ball valve on the output to a gate valve.

When you setup the skimmer in the saltwater system you are going to have to adjust the outflow with the ball valve and will find that it is a real trick to get a ball valve to make the fine adjustments needed. I do know that the ball valve is alot cheaper I tried one before in a DIY Dual beckett. It's just is extreamly hard to get the ball valve to work properly.


Pm me if you would like help when you are starting to tune the skimmer I can help you there also if you would like.


Aw. One more think which you probally already know but I thought I would mention. Is you have to have a top that fits tightly on top of a Beckett skimmer. It almost has to be a thread on affair. The force of a beckett is so great that it will lift the top off. I even had one lifted off with a 30' FatMax tape measure on top of it.
Tyler

[kayaker97321]

Another thing. If you have the height in the area your skimmer is going you can extend the riser tube up and get more contact time. More contact time == More efficent skimming. You might also have to extend the beckett housing so it is higher than the waterline in the main body to make this work. But you should see increased skimming if you did this. An easy way to add the height on the main tube that some of the manufactures use is to make a tube with the flanges like you collection cup flange on both ends that way you can add it between the main body and the collection cup..


Tyler

[kayaker97321]

I was driving to pickup my roommate from work and also thought that your output plumbing might be to small. Most if not all backett skimmers have 1 1/2" outlet plumbing. Is that why the Mag 9.5 seemed to big. Becketts really like 800-1200 GPH thru them. Myreefcreations recommends a Mag 12 on their smallest beckett skimmer. I am running a PCX-55HP external pump on each beckett on my skimmer with great results. The idea behind a beckett is that you are creating a large amount of backpressure behind the venturi of the beckett and drawing in air. You should have to close the output of the skimmer slightly to control the water height. Also the beckett's run best without the bioball..


Tyler

[VWD]

Is a nice looking skimmer, Let us see when it is skimming saltwater in Your tank.

Vince

[serankko]

Well guys... first of all thanks for your comments... I'm working in your suggestions, I will post pictures later on...

kayaker97321 (tyler), I already install the air valve and order the gate valve online. (I could not find it at HD or Lowe's around my house)... Extend the tube up is very easy, but the problem will be the outlet. The main box is already glued...

Originally Posted by kayaker97321

Pm me if you would like help when you are starting to tune the skimmer I can help you there also if you would like.

Thank you very much, I will do it for sure...

What I'm going to do since this is my first skimmer, is learn and find the design problems this one have, follow your advice and then build a new one...

[RobinsonFam1]

an easy mod to any output of a skimmer to help stop micro-bubbles is to just make the output a spout rather than a tube cut square.
what i mean is if you take your square out put tube and put a real flat angle on it then it will pour the water out smoothly rather than the glug glug that you are probably getting now. it allows the water to flow smooth so when it goes back into the sump it wont draw in as much air which will create bubbles.
let me know if you need a pic of mine and ill show ya.

BR

[RobinsonFam1]

mix a little salt in your test water to see if that helps.

[serankko]

If you don't mind show me the picture, thanks...

[kayaker97321]

Who do you want pics from? and of what?

Tyler

[serankko]

Originally Posted by RobinsonFam1

an easy mod to any output of a skimmer to help stop micro-bubbles is to just make the output a spout rather than a tube cut square.
what i mean is if you take your square out put tube and put a real flat angle on it then it will pour the water out smoothly rather than the glug glug that you are probably getting now. it allows the water to flow smooth so when it goes back into the sump it wont draw in as much air which will create bubbles.
let me know if you need a pic of mine and ill show ya.

BR

The picture are from BR (RobinsonFam1)... Thanks