DIY Square Skimmer

[jd]

Very tired...

Will post full write up tomorrow...

Enjoy...

PS, dare to be square...

[HUNGER]

looken good

[mdcoblentz]

this looks awesome. can't wait to see it all together. I'll be jealous i'm sure!

[cyberwollf]

Wow that looks 1000x better than what I was expecting when you said DIY skimmer. I'm intrested to see how well that neck transistion works. I have never sen a square skimmer in operation. I'll call my dad today about the venturis. You might have to make one twice the size for me lol

[jd]

Thanks guys, except for Wes...

...that looks 1000x better than what I was expecting...

Ye of little faith


I'll try to get the write up done tonight, it should see water in the next day or two.

[HUNGER]

cool

[lazylivin]

Very nice work Josh, looking forward to seeing it filled with micro bubbles!

[cyberwollf]

To be fair, I have seen a ton of horrible diy skimmer.  Especially my own attempts. So it was infact a very big complement lol

[jd]

Very nice work Josh, looking forward to seeing it filled with micro bubbles!

Thanks, Me too. Helping it will help out between WCs in the frag tank. It should handle around 20Gs pretty well...

[jd]

To be fair, I have seen a ton of horrible diy skimmer.  Especially my own attempts. So it was infact a very big complement lol

Hehe, When I first started in the hobby, I tried to make a 4" PVC skimmer before I really knew how they worked... What a disaster. Coincidentally, the pump I bought for that skimmer is the one I'm using now. 

[HUNGER]

well it hook it up and lets see it worken lol

[jd]

Got some new saltwater mixing up with a 1/4cup of skimmate from my other skimmer, will get some pictures tonight.

Anyone interested in making these? They can be scaled up to a bigger tank. All - in - all it cost about $10 save for the pump.

[HUNGER]

cool

[Reefd Up]

Hehe, When I first started in the hobby, I tried to make a 4" PVC skimmer before I really knew how they worked... What a disaster. Coincidentally, the pump I bought for that skimmer is the one I'm using now. 

When I started the hobby, (like, a week into it) I tried to make a skimmer out of an airstone, an old glue bottle (well cleaned), and the top lid of a hairspray can as the cup.  yeah yeah...laugh all you want, but it made a fair bit of skimmate...but it just splattered everywhere and looked really stupid. 

[jd]

some quick shots, so far so good

[Rayman]

very cool!

[HUNGER]

lokks like its worken nicely

[jd]

Okay, last night after I got the water level set, I drained (and had a taste of) the collection cup and went to bed.

Fastforward 8 hours to this morning.

Keep in mind this is the first time I used this skimmer, it hadn't been 'broken in'






 

I water is much cleaner than it was lastnight... I'm psyched about this thing..

[HUNGER]

wow looks like its worken great

[UDJustin]

I know your really didnt taste it did you

[HUNGER]

well its a protine shack lol

[jd]

I know your really didnt taste it did you

I did... I used some airline to suck the water in the cup out and didn't see it coming up the tube  

[HUNGER]

I did... I used some airline to suck the water in the cup out and didn't see it coming up the tube 

yummy

[cyberwollf]

I cant see the top in any of the pictures...does it have a lid? how hard is it to clean?

[jd]

yummy

yeah.... *barf*

I cant see the top in any of the pictures...does it have a lid? how hard is it to clean?

It has a lid with a bubble break, ill snap a picture when I get back.

[ghurlag]

Keep us posted on this.  I am very interested in how this pans out and might be interested taking on a project like this in the summer (after I get through school and the other projects around the house).

[HUNGER]

so its just running on ur tank yet or still in a buket

[jd]

New Valve that allows for fine adjustment. only cost $3



Lid



Head



Cup

[HUNGER]

looks like its worken great  nice job

[jd]

looks like its worken great  nice job

Thanks. Wes and I are making a larger one this week.

[HUNGER]

sweet for wes tank

[jd]

Yes, driving it was a mag7.

[HUNGER]

thats pretty good

[Riderc82]

I'm getting excited to see it running on your tank.

[hamiltro]

What is the size of the skimmer height and foot print, this seems like a perfect DIY project, cant wait to see more

[jd]

What is the size of the skimmer height and foot print, this seems like a perfect DIY project, cant wait to see more

Footprint is about 6" x 6" and it is 16" tall.

I'm working on getting a better pump on it, anyone wanna loan me a maxijet? 

[Joel]

I got several maxi jets and ehiem pumps too if you want to try one of them.

[Wall_Tank]

Footprint is about 6" x 6" and it is 16" tall.

I'm working on getting a better pump on it, anyone wanna loan me a maxijet? 

Man, that's a baby skimmer.  Looked much bigger in the pictures.

How do yo clean the collection cup?

[jd]

Man, that's a baby skimmer.  Looked much bigger in the pictures.

How do yo clean the collection cup?

They always look bigger in pictures 

Right now I'm just siphoning out the skimmate, I plan on adding a drain plug. Its small enough that I can lift it all way out and rinse it in the tub. I got more acrylic today to make another one, I am going to try a removable cup

[Kenn]

WOW  JD

I haven't had time to check this thread out until today. Great post ! and what a project !

Kenn

[jd]

Thanks Kenn!

[cyberwollf]

I got more acrylic today to make another one, I am going to try a removable cup

Who bought more acrylic today?

[jd]

Who bought more acrylic today?

Yes, sorry everyone. Wes bought us more acrylic today. 

[cyberwollf]

Yes, sorry everyone. Wes bought us more acrylic today. 

thank you very much Dr. Skimmer

[jd]

thank you very much Dr. Skimmer

That's Mister Doctor to you!

[hamiltro]

I would not mind given the older prototypes a home

I also have a rio 2100 about 700gph that you can test with

[jd]

I may make a few if anyone in interested once we hammer out the best design.

Thanks for the pump offer Hamiltro and Joel, I think I got a maxijet with venturi from someone at work and Wes has a mag7 we can test with.

[UDflyer00]

Hey Mr. don't be giving my rio away!! haha...

[hamiltro]

your is a 1700 blackfriday i got two 2100 and a 1400 for 37.50 shipped to the door, you got to love black friday and hellolights.com

[HUNGER]

is it hooked on ur tank yet

[cyberwollf]

We are going to build this one on Wednesday.  It will be for my 75G.  I will be fed by a mag7 needlwheel.  Anyone see any probelms with necksize or anything else that looks off?

32" tall, the top will have a removable cup. input and output are on each side of the divider at the bottom, with a bubble plate too.

The neck opening will be 1.5"x3.5" Thats about 20% more area than my round neck skimmer i have a mag5 on now.

[jd]

That looks like crap...

Oh wait...

 

[xXTheWendigoXx]

A drain and tube to some sort of collection container would just about make this mass marketable! Count me in as definitely interested in nabbing one from you if you make more in the future.

[cyberwollf]

i think Im done with the whole drain tubes.  If your cup is full, its time to clean the skimmer!

[Rayman]

very nice guys, i love this part of the hobby as much as the rest of it.

[HUNGER]

ya but a dran cup does and can help when it overflows

[cyberwollf]

ya but a dran cup does and can help when it overflows

it's going to be run in a tank so it's cool if it overflows

[HUNGER]

o ok

[xXTheWendigoXx]

it's going to be run in a tank so it's cool if it overflows

Mmm... Tasty. If I can help it I prefer to keep the skimmate as far away from the water once it's out as possible. That stuff is one of the only things in the hobby that grosses me out.

[cyberwollf]

Dr. Skimmer was in surgery tonight. Its wasn't the prettiest, but the operation was a success.  I still need to run it across the router and flush cut the edges.  Then I pass it back to Josh so he can cut the collection cup off on the bandsaw and we can attach a collar to hold the collection cup on.

[jungliztkruger]

That beast should have a very impressive reaction time for the bubbles to mix with the air

[jd]

Dr. Skimmer was in surgery tonight. Its wasn't the prettiest, but the operation was a success.  I still need to run it across the router and flush cut the edges.  Then I pass it back to Josh so he can cut the collection cup off on the bandsaw and we can attach a collar to hold the collection cup on.

Thank you for your report Mr. Nurse. It was a pleasure working with you, and I hope you don't press sexual harassment charges like last time.



  Had a great time Wes, can't wait to finish it.

[HUNGER]

looks good i think lonnie has some comption

[cyberwollf]

looks good i think lonnie has some comption

Believe me if you saw our "craftsmanship" you wouldnt say that  Lets just say this project was nicknamed Weldon-16, lots of it

[jd]

Believe me if you saw our "craftsmanship" you wouldnt say that  Lets just say this project was nicknamed Weldon-16, lots of it

It was the fences' fault...

[jd]

I know how to fix the fence...

Wanna give it another go? 

[cyberwollf]

I know how to fix the fence...

Wanna give it another go? 

Was its the little allumiunm piece?

[xXTheWendigoXx]

Dr. Skimmer was in surgery tonight. Its wasn't the prettiest, but the operation was a success.

Dear Dr. Skimmer,

I can't decide if you're profile pic is the picture for a Halloween costume, or a snapshot from a horror movie about dentists.

Sincerely
Terrified Forum Member 


Doesn't have to be pretty if it works, and the design and test results were both extremely impressive.

[jd]

Was its the little allumiunm piece?

Close, it did involve that bolt on the table and some machinist's angles

Dear Dr. Skimmer,

I can't decide if you're profile pic is the picture for a Halloween costume, or a snapshot from a horror movie about dentists.

Sincerely
Terrified Forum Member 

Dear Terrified Forum Member,

The photo in question is myself just moments before my first surgery. Results where less and perfect, but that is why we Doctors have malpractice insurance. Fear not, however! I received my Dr. in Liberal Arts at a well known college, who's name I can't mention do to a pending lawsuit. My degree in Doctorology along with my tens of hours of real world experience, leave you and your skimmer in the least costly best hands available.

Best Regards,
Dr. Skimmer

[HUNGER]

o ok   but it does look good

[cyberwollf]

All that is left is for josh to cut a bottom at work tomorrow 

Im an going to run it for a little while to see how it acts before i cut the neck off to have a removable collection cut

[jd]

Not to play our own horn, but it looks good. How big do you need the base? Did you sand the bottom?

[HUNGER]

looken good

[ghurlag]

I'm gonna need one of these for my 10 gallon.  Already not wanting to do a water change every other day.  I need to build a sump and an overflow.  How are you at building overflows?

[HUNGER]

blownmav is great at it

[ghurlag]

so I've heard.  I'll have to sweet talk him and see what he and I can work out

[cyberwollf]

Skimmer is really easy... I dont think i would trust my "skills" at an overflow, thats alot to risk. 

[HUNGER]

ya and he does sumps to so if u had all that done and a skimmer that would be awsome

[cyberwollf]

ya and he does sumps to so if u had all that done and a skimmer that would be awsome

how cool would this be: When building a custon sump, use one corner and make a BUILT IN square skimmer! that would be soo sweet.

[HUNGER]

yes it would

[jd]

I'm gonna need one of these for my 10 gallon.  Already not wanting to do a water change every other day.  I need to build a sump and an overflow.  How are you at building overflows?

I have plans for a HOB version of the little skimmer I made.

[HUNGER]

that be cool

[Rayman]

yes very cool indeed, is anyone writing this down? lets see some pricing on the build plz,(or did i miss that) and maybe adjustment for bigger/smaller ones. cyber that is actually a great idea and even if performance where to fall alil short of expectations i think it would be great for smaller set ups, where the skimming does not need to be as productive do to water changes i would love to try this out, where do you all buy acrylic from as i am sure you know the best place to get it locally.     

[cyberwollf]

Meyer plastic is where I got it, I don't know if anywhere else sells acyrlic locally. For my big one I'd guess the acrylic/PVC problaby cost me under $20. Much less for smaller skimmer or differnt water level adjustment types

[HUNGER]

its about 126.00 for a full sheet now

[cyberwollf]

you can buy scrap and its much cheaper 

[HUNGER]

yes it is

[cyberwollf]

OMG it works!!! its not broken in, i just threw some skimmate from my other skimmer into the tub, so its probably higher % disolved organics than a tank, but its pretty sweet to see dirty dry foam in a few minutes

Its SOLID white with microbubbles. its crazy! also the flow seems to be just right where the microbubbles dont enter the output chamber so they wont get into the tank.

We still need to make a lid with baffels to direct the foam into the collection cup. Also i need some more 1" pvc the standpipe is a tad too short (need to raise water level) and the output needs be longer.

[cyberwollf]

Also, check out those awesomely gruesome acrylic joints...Skimmers are suppose to have bubbles right 

[Reefd Up]

Wow you guys...this is great! 

How did you all design the skimmers?  Why the height, thinness, curve radius, etc? 

Mercy...what did you use to cut the acrylic?  A hacksaw?  We've had problems with cheapo blades getting more bubbles in the seams.

[jd]

Mercy...what did you use to cut the acrylic? 

Butter Knife.

[cyberwollf]

Wow you guys...this is great! 

How did you all design the skimmers?  Why the height, thinness, curve radius, etc? 

Mercy...what did you use to cut the acrylic?  A hacksaw?  We've had problems with cheapo blades getting more bubbles in the seams.

I wanted something tall. i dont like the short fat designs used today.  Contact time is great. and talk to josh about the cuts  

[jd]

Hello everyone, the Doctor here. I've spend the last few days doing CPR on a patient and haven't had time to post. Did you know that CPR doesn't always work?! Who knew! Here are some new pictures of the frankenskimmer in my sump on my 29. And to show that my PhD in liberal arts didn't go to waste, I wrote a haiku

Skimmers always foam
Skimmate  tastes like salty snot
Hippopotamus 

[Blown76mav]

Also, check out those awesomely gruesome acrylic joints...Skimmers are suppose to have bubbles right 

You were right Wes those joints look nasty.  I would recommend a acrylic class of some sort.

[jd]

You were right Wes those joints look nasty.  I would recommend a acrylic class of some sort.

Our main problem was we didn't know the fence on the saw was moving on the back end, so that screwed our first cut up, that messed the rest up. 

[Blown76mav]

Ya, he told me that when we talked on the phone. Well I'm sure with practice you guys will get it sooner or later.

[HUNGER]

still looks good  and worken nicely i mite say

[cyberwollf]

Its online plumbed into the main systems OHHH SNAP!!!

[jd]

Attention Haters:

Presenting the MDS-75

(That stands for Mr. Dr. Skimmer - 75 Liter)

A few notes:

The tank has zero bioload right now.
I still need to make a new silencer, that one is from my other skimmer.
The blue plastic at the bottom is stuffing a hole that is tapped for a drain plug, I let the screw at work.
Runs off a maxi1200 with no restriction on the air intake.
Stands about 17" tall, has a footprint of 3"x5".
It is nearly silent.

[cyberwollf]

Looking good.  what are you using for the bulkheads?  I have mine running in deeper water in my new sump and it performs MUCH better

[jd]

I though it might do better in more water, every inch its outta water is that much harder the pump as to work.

The bulkhead are just a 1/2" coupler sawed in half so the pipe can slide all the way through. Glue the ring on, slide on the oring, put that through the hole in the acrylic, install the other oring, apply a little glue and slide the other ring on, pressing them together to form the seal. It is permanent, but it seals well and still lets me rotate the pipes. Uniseals may work, but I think they require a larger hole.

[lazylivin]

I got to get over to see the MDS-75, it looks like quite a cool contraption.

[HUNGER]

very nice

[jd]

I got to get over to see the MDS-75, it looks like quite a cool contraption.

I should be free the middle of this week, I'll shoot you a PM.


Thanks Dave.

[Rbunk13]

Hey jd I have 2 of these skimmers from a current solana tank. They reminded me of yours. You are welcome to borrow one to maybe get some more ideas.

[HUNGER]

cool

[cyberwollf]

Well despite my scaling of the volumes for differnt pump sizes, This one still came out too small for my mag7.  I just swapped it back to a mag5 impeller and it works great.  I will leave it to break in while Im out of town this week.  It will probably be up for sale soon.  Im on my 3rd iteration of trying to size one correctly for my mag7.  First one was too big and mag7 wouldn't run it, this one is too small (mag5 seems to work great). for reference (hard to see in the pic) the foam head starts right below the neck transition.  Tons of foam, and the body is solid white from micro bubbles.



PM me if you are interested in the skimmer body, super cheap.

[jd]

Wait, whats wrong with this one?

[cyberwollf]

Too small for my mag7 (perfect on mag5)  I'd like to build one that will work with my mag7 so that I am getting the most for my investment in the mag7 impeller.  Otherwise this one seems to work great. already pulling stuff less than an hour in.  I think it is in the ballpark of the bigger AquaC remoras.  good for <100 Gallon tank

[HUNGER]

looks like it works good i would just keep it like that

[reefman]

Very nice!!

[jd]

I just stopped by and had a look, its looks great and is skimming already. Well done Wes.

[ghurlag]

I am well pleased, except with Wes's infatuation with the Mag7...  But then again, if it keeps him pumping out skimmers, then who am I to argue. 

Wes, I support you in your quest for perfection.  Onward my friend!  And stay thirsty!

[chromiumlux]

So, all in all how much did it cost ya to build?

[cyberwollf]

The acrylic is Almost negligible. The PVC is about $10 I think, then it's the 5 hours of labor or so. Whatever pump you want to use

[reefman]

Nice skimmer, very interesting idea!

[stifrk]

what about installing a small drain plug/valve so that it makes it easier to clean?  Have an airline hose or something hooked up to it and just drain the junk out into like a coke bottle or something.

[cyberwollf]

what about installing a small drain plug/valve so that it makes it easier to clean?  Have an airline hose or something hooked up to it and just drain the junk out into like a coke bottle or something.

I posted this awhile back 

i think Im done with the whole drain tubes.  If your cup is full, its time to clean the skimmer!

Although I am rethinking the convenience.  It would make it easyer to drain, but anytime it needs to be drained you really need to clean it.