PLease Help I need a LARGE DIY skimmer

Black71gp · 02-06-2007, 07:44 PM

ok ok ok.... I GOTTA get going on this i think my nutriuent problems have be traced back to my skimmer not being big enough.. reason for this... corals in the main tank are doing so so some good some bad.. if a coral is doing bad in the display i move it to the frag sump, which is lit by the same bulb.. great flow but just comes after the skimmer and the corals do great in there color back up and great extention.. so.. i need to figiure what will be the best pump to power this beast 600 gallons of total water and a heavy stocked 300 gallon display... what are your ideas...

i am thinking somthing like 20"" diameter skimmer.. octogon 36" high chamber and probaly another 12" riser at least 6" maybe 8" colection cup does not matter size just so that it drains to the bucket.. and a wet neck need a wet neck.. my plan is to make an octogone shape out of 1/4 inch acylric... I would use 8 8" peices glued together at 45* angles to make the body.. i need ot know what i should use for pumps.. where the inlet and outlet of the skimmer should be. i will run it off the drain but how much flow? all the drain which is about 1500-2000 gph i would guess... or less.. so help please.

Doug1 · 02-06-2007, 09:41 PM

Thats a monster skimmer, what are you using now?

Geoff · 02-06-2007, 11:00 PM

what kind of skimmer do you have now?

sounds like you have a phosphate problem in the display. are you corasl dieing from the bottom up? this is from phosphates in the LR itself.

i am a high pressure skimmer person. i would suggest either using and eductor driven skimmer or a beckett. you may need more than one input with a skimmer of that size. this is where a monster pump will be needed. something on the order of at least an Iwaki 70.

G~

Black71gp · 02-07-2007, 07:11 AM

i have a dual beckett right now.. run by and gri 520 6" diameter main chamber is like 24 inches tall and the 4" riser is like 20" or so.... phosphates test 0 but i never trust a PO4 test.. they are some from the bottom others in weird areas.. tank is BB as well

Geoff · 02-07-2007, 09:15 AM

do you have a pic of your current skimmer? just wondering if just going up a pump size would be just as good as building a new skimmer. how open do you have the outlet valve or whatever the water level control mechanism is? if it is not open very far than just getting a bigger pump to increase the amount of processed water would do wonders for the tank.

G~

Black71gp · 02-07-2007, 11:35 AM

this is the best pic i have of it. outlet is 1.5 right now. with a gate valve.. problem is if i turn the pump all the way up and the air intake down i get nice small bubbles. if it turn the pump up and the air up it goes and overflows like crazy and is large bubbles and if i have the air up all the way and the pump down its still large bubbles so i have to turn the air down to half on the beckets and the pump all the way to get the best bubbles.. ALL the water from the drains go right into the skimmer no where else... then to the frag tank then back to the liverock sump. then to the mechanical sump then back to the display....

here is a link to a thread all about my tank and how the equpiment is set up now...

http://michiganreefers.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=38729

Geoff · 02-07-2007, 09:13 PM

when i just switched out my 3/8" eductor to a 1/2" eductor on my skimmer it behaved the same way. large bubbles and overflowed like crazy. after 24 hours it calmed down and is skimming like crazy and has filled the entire skimmer with foam.

when you have the air up and the pump up can you open the exit valve enough to keep the skimmer from overskimming? if not than the exit valve is prolly to small.

G~

Black71gp · 02-08-2007, 06:40 AM

no i cant.. so i should probaly step up to a 2: exit instead of a 1.5???

Geoff · 02-08-2007, 09:04 PM

that is where i would start. it sounds like you are not getting the most out of the skimmer as it is if you are not able to open the exit valve enough. with such a nice sized neck on that skimmer, you should be able to get some nice skimmate.

is there anyway you can get a pic of the base of the skimmer? you might need to adjust the way the air injected water goes into the skimmer with a bigger exit pipe on it.

G~

Black71gp · 02-17-2007, 10:24 AM

i opened the exit pipe up to 2 inches and the water going in the skimmer is 1.25 inch pipe at 45* angles in oposite directions causeing a spin factor

Geoff · 02-18-2007, 11:22 AM

how is it behaving with the larger exit pipe? it took mine 24 hours to settle down after increasing the flow through it.

G~

Black71gp · 02-19-2007, 06:05 AM

well it has been running like this for two days now.. and it fills up a 5 gallon bucket within hours. which is way to much so apperiantly it did not work. i am goign to either have to turn the pump or the air inlet down again. the bubbles did get a lot smaller though...

Geoff · 02-19-2007, 07:59 PM

dang it.

i am guessing you bought a 2" valve for the new hole. could you add another hole and put the old 1.5" on the new hole? i think you are really close. if you like the bubble composition i would stick with what we are trying.

if it is to much trouble to add the second valve than eeking water flow down just a touch may be all you need.

G~

NoSchwag · 03-29-2007, 05:59 PM

Did your solve you problem?

Reefrubble · 04-18-2007, 10:15 PM

How is this http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showp...t=1&thecat=500