Any one want to build Euro-type skimmers together?

[NateHanson]

I'm going to build a Euro-inspired skimmer in the next 2 weeks, and in another thread a couple people have expressed interest in doing a group-build. I thought I'd make a separate post to give others a chance to sign on.

If you have interest please post soon, as I'd like to place an order for acrylic early this week.

Nate

[Piscevore]

I'm pretty low on funds until this coming friday ;) I have the tools and glue, and some of the acrylic, but not the tubes I will need. How far is lawrence from summerville? Lets talk!

[NateHanson]

I'm about 40 minutes away. I also have all the machinery needed up here. It looks like supplies for this will run around $110. If you wanted to go cheaper, you could use a bolted flange around the top of the body for cup removal, rather than a union ($25!), but it's more work to make the drilled flanges, and more difficult to empty the cup in the future.

[Piscevore]

I should be able to swing it :)

What date do you have in mind?

[super cook]

I would be intrested too a fri or sat would be good for me as I have to work sundays

[NateHanson]

Maybe Sat 16th? Maybe Sat 23rd?

[NateHanson]

All interested parties please answer the following questions:

1) can you build in Lawrence on Saturday, 10/16?

2) can you build in Lawrence on Saturday, 10/23?

If neither, but you are interested in the group skimmer build, please say so.

If you are in, I'll order materials for you, and ask that you send me a check ASAP, or swear that you're showing up at my house with cash. I don't want to get stuck with a mint of acrylic scrap! If you are in, PM me with phone number. I am assuming people want to build a skimmer 6" diameter, but about 24" tall. If your needs are vastly different please let me know.

Nate

[etszoo]

Hey Nate. What size pump drives this skimmer setup. And, is there a link to the
dimensions to the unit that you are building?
Eric

[NateHanson]

I'm building something similar to JWebs skimmer in the "DIY Skimmer - advice" thread. It's 6" wide, and is driven by a 400-500 gph skimmer. You can find a picture of it here (http://216.235.242.50/forums/showthread.php?t=1576)

Differences that I'm planning are the following:
Instead of a bolted flange on top of the chamber I'd like to heat-form a shallow funnel shape which will be glued to the body, and have a 3"union glued to the top of that.

Also, I'm going to put the venturi upstream of the pump, so the bubbles get shredded in the pump impeller, and I'll probably make an impeller for my pump out of a bioball (like euro-reef)

I'm planning to put a gate valve on the output to adjust the foam quality (see external euro-reefs)

I'll probably make my own venturi out of PVC, and see how that works, but others could order one from an online FS if they want. Not important for the build.

Nate

[NateHanson]

here's a pic of Jweb's http://home.earthlink.net/~jjwebster/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/img_0525lo.jpg

[~Flighty~]

I think either day would work for us.

[NateHanson]

Cindy, what do you want me to order for you?

[NateHanson]

Everyone else, I'd like to order this stuff first thing tomorrow morning, so please let me know no later than 7am Tuesday morning if you want to do this. Total cost will be about $100 plus the pump. Tell me if you want a taller skimmer so I can get you enough tube. The skimmers will rock.

[Piscevore]

I'm aware of cost, and willing to purchase. Let's make rocking skimmers! :)

Thanks for doing the ordering Nate---> That rocks!

[NateHanson]

Anyone else? Please PM me quickly. So far there are three (maybe four) of us, and I'd like to order tomorrow.

Nate

[Kim]

Nate not sure if I can make the build day but I am interested in your parts list. I may try to build one on my own and I have scrap acrylic laying around the house anyway so I don't think I need any ordered.

Is their a part list somewhere that I missed?

Thanks,

Kim

[NateHanson]

Kim, I'm using 6" acrylic tube (about 18" for the body, 5" for the collection cup), one 3" PVC union for the disconnect at the neck, 3" PVC for the skimmer neck, and 3/8" acrylic for the rest. Also, I'm ordering black PVC fittings for the plumbing, but you could pick up white locally.

Nate

[NateHanson]

YO! CINDY! Empty your pm box. I have to ask you a question.

[shearwater]

That's a pretty serious looking skimmer, Nate. At 400-500 GPH, what size tank is that good for?

[NateHanson]

Beats me peter! I'm basically modeling this on the EuroReef CS 6-2 or 6-2+, which Euroreef recommends for 110 and 125 gallons respectively.

My system will be 80g total, but what the heck. Wanna make one? Tell me by 8am tomorrow, and I'll order stuff for you.

Any idea on the sailing plans yet? That may affect my scheduling of this group-build. I assume you got my email?

Nate

[NateHanson]

Ok, orders are in for Piscevore, Mattn007, Cindy, and myself. I'll PM your share of the expenses to each of you. It ended up just under $100 for all the supplies for the 6" x 24" skimmers, no pump included.

We'll see when we can get together for this. This weekend is a little up in the air, so I can't commit right now (also I'll want to see what the delivery date ends up for the packages later today). But let's think about this weekend or next. If it ends up that one person can't make it (Piscevore and I have already discussed this) then that person is welcome to work in my shop another day, and I'll try to lend a hand.

Can everyone tell me if the 17th or the 24th (sundays) would work?

If any late arrivals want to join up I'd be happy to send you a parts list.

Nate

[mattn007]

Sunday the 17th sometime after 3 works.
Sunday the 24th works anytime.
-Matt

[JWeb]

Nate, did you settle on a build-date, yet?

Jeff

[NateHanson]

I guess I'm leaning towards Sunday the 24th. Any chance you can make it then?

3 others can make it that day, and Piscevore wants to play guinea pig and try making his tomorrow (if the second package arrives in time).

Could people confirm that the 24th works for them, and tell me any time preferences?

Thanks, Nate

[~Flighty~]

Works for us. Maybe we could let the kids play together a bit so I have an excuse to come see your setup too.

[NateHanson]

Sure, bring the kids over. Currently the new setup is empty in the living room, as I slowly get things designed properly. It has a paper fish taped to the inside, because it was confusing my daughter to have a big glass box in the living room with no "fiffees" in it.
Our "old" setup is in the kitchen (had to move it for the new carpeting job) and we are becoming dangerously attached to having a tank in that room too! Now I see how all you people end up with 5 tanks in your houses!

Nate

[~Flighty~]

I heard somewhere that tanks in kitchens are bad for some reason. The oil particles in the air from cooking and that gass that comes out of teflon getting overheated I think. Don't quote me on that, I don't remember the source.

[NateHanson]

interesting point. Our Kitchen is actually divided with a small separate, vented room for the stove and sink.

[Kim]

I might want in on this. I'll ask my husband. He likes doing this type of stuff. Now that you got a definite date I can see if I can find a babysitter. I might want to make mine a bit bigger though. I'd like it to handle 150+ gallons.

Kim

[NateHanson]

Any size is fine. I might be able to sell you some 6" tube. I think I'll have 2 feet to spare. But for that size you could either go 6" or 8". You can buy 3 foot lengths from McMaster, USplastic only sells 5 or 6 foot lengths.

If you decide to join us, let me know and I'll give you a parts list. I ordered on Tuesday morning and Mcmaster arrived today. Usplastic will arrive tomorrow.

Nate

[Kim]

Nate if you dont mind send me a parts list. (aneille @ beld dot net) McMaster is great isn't it. My husband orders from them all the time and I am always surprised we get the stuff so quick.

Kim

[mattn007]

I am good for anytime on the 24th. I can't wait to build my own skimmer :) Thanks for organizing Nate.

[NateHanson]

It's on the way kim. I'll send it to your email.

[Kim]

Thanks Nate, got it!

[NateHanson]

Ryan is going to give all this a test run this weekend, so maybe he and I will have some details worked out before the big build next weekend.

Nate

[~Flighty~]

We might stick together our super simple pvc job too and see how it works if we have time. I would love to see how much better the expensive design is.

[NateHanson]

Do you mean the PVC job that I bought for, or the zig-zag of pipes that you told me about earlier? (if it's the former, I think the only thing your 8"PVC job will lack compared to the little acrylic ones is some looks. Your design shouldn't have to be any different, just not see-thru.)

[~Flighty~]

No, I ment the just pvc and pvc fitting simple dirty one we got the parts for at home depot a long time ago. The plans were here
http://www.krob.com/aquarium/DIY.htm
but they seem to be having some problems at that site.
Just a simple air sucked in before the impeller on the pump one. I don't think it will work too well, but it is worth a try for comparison.

[Kim]

Nate are you going to try to get your hands on a sedra pump for your skimmer?

I would like to build something around the size of an 8-3. Although I may build a smaller one as well for my current tank.

Kim

[NateHanson]

The sedra pumps are extrememly expensive (at least through EuroReef, but I couldn't find them elsewhere). I'm using a ViaAqua 2600, which looks very similar to the Sedra 5000 and has similar output. They're really cheap at Fosters & Smith. I've seen various articles about making a needle-wheel impeller out of a bio-ball to mimic the EuroReef impeller. I'll probably just try it with the standard impeller at first, and modify it later, if I want more performance.

[Kim]

Championlighting used to sell the modified sedra skimmer pump but they took it down. I was pretty bummed, I just went there to check the price and it was gone. They were selling it with the ASM skimmer and now you need proof of ASM skimmer ownership to buy the sedra pump.

At marinedepot you can get the sedra parts but I read on RC that actually getting the part without proof of skimmer ownership is a pain and its expensive.

I might try some other ASM dealers and see if I can find it somewhere.

[NateHanson]

Let me know what you find, but it seems the skimmer-manufacturers are really cracking down on this. ER also requires proof of ownership. And on top of that, they're super expensive, even if you are replacing a genuine ER sedra.

[Kim]

I found a place that lists the modified sedra available in CA, the sedra 5000 is listed as 129.00 (I didn't read anything about needing proof of ownership but maybe after you place the order??). I want to build the skimmer first though.

http://www.globeaqua.com/

[NateHanson]

Yeah, that's about what I found for prices. In my opinion, the improvement won't be that great over a standard pump, so I really can't see spending that much. Add that to $100 for materials to build the skimmer, and you're getting awfully close to paying for a used Euroreef.

I'm psyched for this build, because I fully expect to build a Euro-almost for about 1/4 of the price, so I'm interested in keeping the cost down where I can.

[JWeb]

Nate, I'm going to do my best to be there to help/watch/complain - could you PM me your address/phone so I can plan my route? I can already see where this is going, though - I will see how much better the Euro-type skimmer performs and I'll end up wanting to build one before I ever even use my current DIY skimmer on a tank with livestock in it!

Are you lacking any tools? I can't imagine that you are given your equipment and the number of people coming to the build, but let me know if there is anything you need - chances are I can bring it (unless you say "drill press" or "5HP compressor").

Jeff

[Kim]

What about this pump.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AQ1171&ast=&key=

It is a needlewheel style and its not expensive.

And you can buy the needlewheel impeller for $9.00

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AQ1133

[Kim]

http://www.aquadirect.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=1086&cat=0&page=1

This place as the sedra 5000 on clearance for $85.00

[mattn007]

Does the name Sedra mean that the pump has the needle wheel impellers or is that an extra modification that Euro-reef does to the pump?

I guess I am confused as to if Sedra is a manufacturer, or a brand, or a model.

Nice web finds Kim.

[Kim]

I am no expert. I just did some web searching last night and this morning. If I am wrong on anything please someone correct me as I am trying to figure it out as well.

The name Sedra doesn't mean it is the needle-wheel pump. There are Sedra pumps that do not have the needlewheel in them. If you do a search on Sedra you will come up with some that are not modified and some that are.

So Sedra is I guess the manufacturer but there are 2 models. The needle-wheel impeller seems to be propiertary (sp) to Euro-reef and ASM. If you go to Euro-reefs website their is a picture of their impeller, it is their design.

Other manufacturers make needle-wheel pumps like the Ocean Runner, and Ehiem does as well (but I think you can only get the needle-wheel version in Europe not sure on that though).

But the needle-wheel impeller on the Ocean-Runner is different then the needle-wheel impeller in the Sedra.

Needle-wheel is just a type of impeller. But they can be different styles.

[Kim]

Okay I did a search on Aqua-direct on RC and they had some bad reviews. People got their stuff (albeit sometimes the wrong stuff), got it late and trouble getting service over the phone from them.

May not want to purchase anything from them. If you decide to, just be aware of what you are getting into.

[Kim]

Okay well I went ahead and ordered the Sedra 5000 from Aqua-direct. Now lets see if I actually get the item...

Kim

[NateHanson]

Nice. That's a good deal, I just found it this morning myself. It will be interesting to compare the results of that pump with cheaper pumps on these skimmers.

Nate

[NateHanson]

Ryan and I got most of the plans worked out on Ryan's prototype yesterday. We weren't done at the end of the morning, but we could really see where it was going. Very cool!

Thanks for coming up here to lend your expertise Ryan.

[Piscevore]

Nate, while there are plenty of Euro sytle Skimmers on the market, I hardly think any of them have a hand turned hard wood molds :)

I think we've pretty much set the stage for success!

[NateHanson]

Ryan, do you think we should do the rest of the funnels with 1/4"?

Nate

[Britrover]

Nate,

Great Project. Kindly do post a thread on the work in progress to the end product.

[JWeb]

Nate, do you have the means to accommodate Patriots fans as we work together on the skimmers on Sunday? Might be a moot point for some, but for others it is a very important game!!

Just a question... sorry for the irrelevance. :rolleyes:

Jeff

[NateHanson]

Nate,
Great Project. Kindly do post a thread on the work in progress to the end product.

Yep, I plan to make an illustrated thread at the end, to show how we built them.

Nate, do you have the means to accommodate Patriots fans as we work together on the skimmers on Sunday? Might be a moot point for some, but for others it is a very important game!!


I have a very small TV that I can put in the basement. Very small. like 6". If anyone has a slightly larger could bring it along.

Nate

[JWeb]

I have a very small TV that I can put in the basement. Very small. like 6". If anyone has a slightly larger could bring it along.


Or, even better, we can just listen to Gil and Gino on WBCN. I just didn't know where we'd be working...

Jeff

[NateHanson]

Yeah, I have a radio down in the shop. And if things get really tense you can go upstairs and watch in our living room.

[Piscevore]

1/4 might be too thin, if you consider drilling the hole and then trimming flush with the table saw, the 3/8" matl was pretty thin towards the opening of the hole. 3/8" will give much more thickness, and just a bit more gluing area. 3/8 is a touchmore expensive, and you do have a sheet of 1/4 to use up. I bet the 1/4 would be better used for the base, the skimmate cup, etc, but the thickness works with us in the funnels at 3/8. Just me own .02

[NateHanson]

We'll stick with the 3/8. (we have enough material to go either way) Strength wise the funnel seems more than thick enough, but you make a good point about the gluing surface.

[Armando]

Nate, can you give the skinny on this project? Where to get the materials? Total price?

[NateHanson]

Total price, without pump is $100 for a 25-30 inch tall, 6" diameter skimmer. You can get all materials from Mcmaster.com, although some parts are cheaper at USplastic.com. Basically, you need acrylic tube for the body and collection cup, a 3" PVC union for removing the collection cup, a little 3" PVC for the neck of the skimmer, some 3/8 acrylic sheet for making tops, bottoms, and flanges, and assorted PVC fittings for connecting your pump and making a drain assembly with gate valve to regulate foam level.

Nate

[Chuck Spyropulos]

Nate, check out MyReefCreations. They sell the flanges already cut and tapped.

[NateHanson]

Thanks Chuck. we're not drilling and tapping our flanges, using a 3" union for the connection instead, so making the simple round flanges is very quick.

Nate

[NateHanson]

Ok Matt, Ryan, Cindy, Eliot, (and anyone else who is bringing their own supplies, it's time to make some plans for this weekend. What time on Sunday do we want to do this thing? I'd vote for starting sometime mid morning, like 10. I don't think these will take a long time, but there are going to be some bottlenecks for certain steps, so best to get going early.
Also, do we want to make this an event, and do a cookout or some other easy-to-feed-many meal? If everyone wants to bring some beer, soda, snacks, food, filet mignon, etc that'd be cool. Just post what you want to bring so we can avoid having nothing but onion dip and orange fanta.

Nate

[~Flighty~]

We'll be going to the grocery store tonight. What should we get? Fish seems appropriate, but not so easy. Any good ideas? Grilling?

[Reef55]

If anyone wants chili, I'll make a pot to bring :)

[NateHanson]

We like foil-pouch grilling or baking fish, Cindy, but it's up to you.

by the way, I should have also mentioned Mark and Jeff, our non-building participants, in my previous post.

Nate

[Eliot]

We like foil-pouch grilling or baking fish, Cindy, but it's up to you.

by the way, I should have also mentioned Mark and Jeff, our non-building participants, in my previous post.

Nate
Cindy here posting with Eliot's new account.

So, I count seven adults? Any other wives? how many kids? Thats a pretty big crowd to feed.

Maybe shishkabobs on the grill? Always goes well with beer. Then people can bring ingredients pre cut and everyone can stick together whatever sounds good. Then you just need one or two people to cook them all up. Fish, veggies, beef, shrimp, sausage... I think we have some of the stick thingies.

What does everyone think?

[mattn007]

I think 10am Sunday sounds great. I also like chilli and kabobs. I'm not a big fan of eating fish, jus tlooking for me, but kabobs grilling is good because then everyone can have whatever it is they like.

[NateHanson]

Mmmm. Beef on stick.

10am at 115 East Haverhill 01841

So we've got Kabob stuff from Cindy, Mark's makin' his famous chili. Someone should probably bring a case of beer and a bottle of soda. I'll get some salad stuff, charcoal, etc, and, of course, donuts for the morning crowd. (Kind of a staple of my world). If anyone's unspoken for, you can get some snacks of some sort.

Jeff, will this work for you?

[Armando]

I'll show up just for the food :D

[~Flighty~]

Anyone who wants to bring stuff can bring an addition to the kabobs. shrimp or kilbasa or whatever you want to skewer and grill.

[NateHanson]

You should come Armando. Should be fun. :)

Nate

[JWeb]

Jeff, will this work for you?


Nate, works for me. I'll plan on bringing "snacks" of some sort - unless I am instructed otherwise. I don't think I'll be able to get up there at 10AM, though - I'll be coming up from Providence and probably won't be there until early afternoon. Since I'm an Associate Advisor on the project, that won't hinder progress at all.

Did you end up getting the appropriately-sized hole saws? If not, let me know and I will bring what I can (I have a variety of sizes). Also, please let me know ASAP which other tools you might be lacking so I can check my inventory.

Looking forward to meeting everyone,

Jeff

[Kim]

My husband has a lot of tools too. Let me know if you need anything and I can check if he has it.

Kim

[NateHanson]

I'm all set on tools, with the following exception. The 3/4 and 1" PVC for the pump input and drain are 1 1/16" and 1 5/16", respectively. I've got hole saws for 1" and 1 1/4", and I figured we could take a 32nd off of that with the dremel or something like that. If by chance someone's got slightly larger hole saws, you can bring those, but otherwise, we should be ok.

I picked up a cheapo hollow ground blade that is doing a nice job on the acrylic, but if someone has a fancier blade they want to bring, then feel free. It should be 5/8" arbor, and no larger than 10".

[Kim]

Edit: I missed that Nate posted his address 2 msgs above this one. Doh...

See you guys around 10.

Kim

[NateHanson]

Nice Day guys! Thanks to everyone for contributing their experience, beer, and chili!

We got 4 skimmers about 80% done. What remains it installing the plumbing for pump and drain, and attaching the bottoms (as well as gluing various PVC parts together).

Here's my skimmer, which is pretty typical of the bunch. Not bad, eh?

[Piscevore]

Looks GREAT! I can't wait to finish mine up :)

[Kim]

Nate -

Thanks a bunch for opening your home and your shop up to all of us yesterday. Dean and I had a great time. Sorry we had to bail out before we completed the skimmers. I can't wait to start them up and see the foam!

Kim

[NateHanson]

No problem Kim. your skimmer is basically at the same stage as the picture above. The union needs glued to the top of the body, and it needs a bottom and a cap. Also needs drilled for the plumbing.
What size rectangle do you want for the base. I'll cut that and a top out for you so all the parts are done.

Nate

[JWeb]

Now that's a real PVC union, Nate.

I'm glad I was able to make it for part of the build - it was great to meet everyone and share some acrylic happiness. My skimmer is now a bit jealous as it lacks the key "thermo-forced" funnel top. But, I still gots my keyway flanges, so there.

Looking forward to seeing a pic of Cindy and Eliot's RocketTube(tm) skimmer once it's done. When your skimmer is significantly larger than your child, you know you have a REAL skimmer.

Take care all,

Jeff

[~Flighty~]

If it wasn't for the belly, the skimmer would be larger than his wife :)

[scavdog]

very nice job guys. Man am I jealous. I wish I had the time to participate :) .

[NateHanson]

By the way, thanks especially to the guys that came just to lend their experience, and worked on skimmers that aren't even for them. Mark and Jeff, you guys were great.

Nate

[TheUltimateNoob]

damn. now i'm mad that i didn't participate! :(

[NateHanson]

I'm glad everyone's so envious, even before a single one of these skimmers has hit water! :)

If others want to build these skimmers (perhaps after we see whether they work) I'll be happy to share a parts list, and how we did things.

Nate

[Kim]

Just wanted to update everyone and let you know I got the Sedra 5000 pump from aquadirect. Seems to be the right one. I haven't tested it yet but so far so good.

Kim

[NateHanson]

cool.
Kim, sounds like Matt and Ryan are going to work on skimmers up here on Friday. Thought I'd let you and Dean know. You're welcome to join us if you're free and want to finish up.

[Kim]

I don't think I can come up Friday. I friend is comming in from Chicago.

Also Nate I asked Dean about the size of the base. He said he left a piece of black acrylic and the size was written on it. But he said it was 7x12.

Thanks again Nate for all your hospitality and help.

Kim

[NateHanson]

Ok, well I finally got mine plumbed and running and it looks AWESOME. I've got it skimming in saltwater I just took out of my tank (from a water change) and it is kicking ass. I ended up making a needlewheel impeller from a bioball (thanks John at Living Seas!) because it only took about 5 minutes, so I figured, what the heck.

Here's some pictures from the group building, and a few pictures of the finished products.

[NateHanson]

Here's Santa's workshop. (Elves: Eliot, Ryan "piscevore", and Matt "mattn007")

[NateHanson]

Our little helpers, Abby and Lilja.

That enormous structure they're admiring is Eliot and Cindy's skimmer, model WMD.

[NateHanson]

Here's Eliot with his pride and joy.

[NateHanson]

Here's the impeller for my viaAqua 2600 pump with the vanes cut off, and a bioball with the back cut off, a hole cut in the middle, and the pins trimmed to about 3/8" long. This was really easy, and somehow doesn't really cut down on the output of the pump.

[jango]

Hey Nate in that first pic it look's like an acrylic reducer. what did you guy's use?
they look well built...

[NateHanson]

That's the piece de resistance (sp?) of the whole design. We heat formed sheet acrylic into a bowl shape for the top of the reaction chamber because I didn't want to have a flat top on the reaction chamber, effectively blocking 2/3 of the bubbles from rising into the neck. It was actually pretty easy once we got it worked out. I turned a female form in wood, and after heating 3/8" acrylic for about 3 minutes with a torch, we pushed it into the mold with a glass peanut butter jar by putting the whole arrangement in a bench vise.

Those pieces were then routed round with a 6" pattern, and a 1/8" rabbet was cut on the underside so they fit inside the edge of the 6" tube as well as on top, to provide more structural strength and glue surface.

[NateHanson]

Here's a detail shot. You can see the rabbet cut in the formed piece, so that it's both inside and on top of the tube.

[jango]

Thanks Nate, I will have to see one of those in person they look good...

[NateHanson]

Come on over next time your north of Boston.

Last night and today I've gotten the 65g system that I made this for up and running with sand salt and water. Filled the fuge. Fired up the JAMOUNGUS skimmer (really a bit much for this tank, I think, but I couldn't stop myself from making it as big as possible), and I'm finally ready to rock and roll. I'm really psyched!

This afternoon I'm going to figure out how I want my rocks, and put them together with acrylic rod. Hope to get all my stuff into that tank by the end of the weekend, or early next week.

[Kim]

Nate Im still not sure if I will be comming to the meeting (most likely I will) but my sister in law is definitely going. Are you?

If you are would you mind bringing my skimmer with you so I can finish it up?

If you aren't going, its not a big deal I can pick it up at sometime. I just feel bad that you are hanging on to it and its taking up your space.

Kim

[NateHanson]

No problem Kim. It's not in any space that I'm missing right now.

I'm coming to the meeting and I'll bring all your parts. I made you a collection cup lid last weekend as well, when we were finishing the others. I think all you'll need is a 3" union.

[NateHanson]

Here's a few notes on how I set things up, and what I learned while doing so. I think some of this might help the rest of you when you get your monsters running.

Where the pump attaches to the reaction chamber, I wanted it to be easily removable for servicing. To achieve this I glued a very short piece of PVC in the hole in the acrylic tube (about 1.5" long), and inserted a short piece of vinyl tubing in the outer end of the PVC. The output elbow on the pump I'm using fits snuggly into the exposed end of that vinyl tube, and can easily be slipped on or off to remove the pump.

For the venturi, I ended up modifying a venturi fitting that came with my ViaAqua pump. It is sized to fit the output end of the pump, so I adapted it a bit to fit the suction end of the pump. I would highly recommend getting an airline muffler for the end of your venturi air intake. With my big pump sucking so much air it was really loud. I put one on there and it totally silenced the slurping noise with no noticable effect on the bubble density. (it's a total snowstorm in there).

The pump I'm using pushes about 600gph, which is frankly a bit much for my skimmer (26" tall, if I recall). The only drawback, I think, is that it increases the amount of microbubbles pushed out the output of the skimmer. I can't tell yet whether those bubbles are getting through my sump baffles, and into my display tank because everything is a little cloudy right now from adding southdown yesterday. If it's a problem I'll probably get a slightly smaller ViaAqua pump. If that's the case, and one of you with a bigger skimmer wants this ViaAqua2600 pump (all modded with venturi and needlewheel impeller) we can work something out.

The last details I'll add, are for the gate-valve/output assembly. You can probably see from my pics that I put a small air valve in the cap over my gate valve. This was key in stopping big bubbles from coming out of the drain line. I dialed it way down until only microbubbles were coming out. Also, since taking those pics, I've added a 90 and a 45 to the end of the drain, so that the bubbles are directed towards the surface, rather than downwards, where they were getting swept under my baffle towards my return pump compartment. You might want to try that too.

Keep us all updated on how the rest of the skimmers are coming along!

Nate

[Kim]

Thanks Nate for making the cup. I got my union and my gate valve from McMaster last week. I can't wait to see the thing up and running.

[NateHanson]

Now that the my tank is stocked, I can confirm that this skimmer is pulling out buckets of scum!

And the gate valve arrangement on the drain allows for very precise control of skimmate consistancy.

I'm definitely getting some microbubbles in the display, so I'm switching to a smaller pump soon (~400gph).

Nate

[mattn007]

Well now that I have some rock curing I have hooked up my skimmer (identical to Nate's). I am using the ocean runner 2700 pump seen here : http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AQ1171 and the venturi valve seen here: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=KM2851
The venturi valve is connected to the pump intake.

I will get a picture in the next day or so.

This is my first experience with a protient skimmer and reef aquariums so I am not sure how to tell if it is working properly. After 12 hours it has produced a little nasty skimmate, some big black dirty stinky bubbles in the cup. Things I have noticed so far:

1.)My entire cylinder is not filled with bubbles. How far below the input should the bubbles go. It looks like pretty clear water down in the bottom of the skimmer. I can visibly see a desnser stream of micro bubbles rising straight up through the "cloud" from the skimmer input.

2.)Flow of the pump is 1/4 or less of what it is when there is no venturi connected on the intake. The pump also makes ALOT more noise with the venturi connected on the intake. I am wondering if it is not the right venturi valve to use and that it is restricting flow too much which could also explain observation #1. I may try to slightly widen the restricted portion of the venturi valve using a drill to increase flow and decrease stress/noise on the pump..

Thanks,
-Matt

[NateHanson]

Yea Matt! I was wondering when you guys would get those things skimming!

I've tried two ViaAqua pumps on my skimmer. A 750gph and a 450gph. Both produced enough bubbles and enough turbulence that the storm inside is opaque, except for the bottom inch or two. Bubbles are coming out the exit elbow 1/2" from the bottom of the chamber. On both I used the venturi that comes with the pump. It's about a 1/2" tube with a slight ridge just before the air-hose. The ridge is only about 1/16th high, and goes half-way around the inner circumference. I've also modified both impellers with a bioball. (Ryan now has the larger pump)

I'd say if you're producing nasty foam in one day, you're doing fine. But it might be worth messing around with the venturi a bit to cut down on noise. Do you have a muffler on the end of the air hose? That helps A LOT on my setup.

Nate

[mattn007]

The noise is definitely mechanical vibration come from the pump unit itself. I don't have a muffler on the air line, but I did make the airline about 3 feet long to muffle the noise. I wonder if the airline length is restricting air flow too much so I may try a shorter piece and if it gets better performance use that with a muffler instead. But my current best guess is that the venturi is restricting the water volume too much so I will play around with that a bit.

I figure if the restricted pump is making a lot more noise than that non-restricted then the restricted pump is also experiencing a lot more wear and tear and generating more heat.

[delta]

nominate

[NateHanson]

Accepted for DIY Useful Threads. Thanks Greg.

[NateHanson]

Here's an update on this skimmer after using it for almost 6 months.

I originally put it together with a gate valve on the output, which was closed partially to regulate the height of water in the skimmer. That was great for decreasing noise in the sump, and generally worked well, but it was a bit finicky and would sometimes fill the cup with water when you first plugged in the pump after cleaning the cup.

When I moved my sump to the basement I removed the whole gate valve assembly, and replaced it with a plastic tube that just fits over the vertical 1" exit pipe. By sliding this up and down I can regulate the water level inside the skimmer (it will be whereever the top of the adjustable tube is). This is the way the EuroReef skimmers are put together, and the only drawback is noise, but now that I'm in the basement I don't care.

Frankly, this is an easier set up for me. The cup never floods anymore, and there's less fiddling with the valve.

If sound were an issue for you, I imagine you could make the adjustable tube a U-shape, with it's exit under the sump waterline, but you'd have to have a substantial air inlet at the top of the U in order for this to work properly. You could muffle that vent with some polyfill or foam or something.

Other than that modification, I have been super happy with this skimmer. It kicks butt and cranks out the smelly stuff.

Nate

[NateHanson]

Tim asked me a question about building this skimmer, so I thought I'd post my answer here (mostly because I spent so long writing this answer, and it'll make me feel like I wasted less time if more people can see it :p)

hey nate ive been checking out that skimmer thread u did a while back and well i picked up the materials today to build one of my very own. could u explain to me a little bit about the best way at attacking the top part of the skimmer. how to get it into that cone shape.


I've got a wooden mold that I turned on the lathe for forming the top cone. You should stop by sometime and pick it up. Just get it back to me when you're done. (no hurry, I just don't want to lose track of it)

I heated 3/8" sheet of acylic that was an inch or two larger than the top of the tube. Keep the torch moving, all over the sheet, with a long blue flame, and with the plastic in the last 1/4 of the visible flame. Heat it for a minute flip it over (you'll need vice grips or something to hold the hot plastic), heat the other side the same way, flipping every minute or so. At some point the plastic will start to "flash" (make little whispy flames on the surface) as fumes escape from the acrylic and ignite. When you see that a couple times, flip it once more and heat the other side for a few seconds so it's all good and even, then shut off the torch, and press the plastic into the wooden mold. You have to press really hard, and you want to work fast (less than a minute so it doesn't harden). We used the round bottom of a glass jar that was the same size as the bottom of the mold, and clamped everything in a big bench vise to evenly push the jar and hot acrylic into the bottom of the mold.

Pour water over it when you've got everything in place, to quench the plastic.

The next trick is to cut the top off your cone. I clamped the sheet sideways to a block of wood, and ran that along the fence of my tablesaw, to cut the very top off the cone, and leave a very flat surface to which I glued the 3"PVC and union.

You'll need to route the rough cone to a circular shape too. I think I did that by attaching the cone to a circular template with carpet tape, and trimming it with a bearing guided pattern bit on the router table. (I also cut a rabbet in the underside of the cone, so it would sit slightly inside the acrylic tube-body of the skimmer, but I'm not sure that's too important, as long as you get two flat surfaces where the tube is glued to the cone.

This one piece is by far the most time consuming part of the project. The rest is a cakewalk after you get that thing done.

Nate

[nemogonecrazy]

nate the mold worked perfect made two molds sunday just to be safe. i will get the mold back to you asap thanks again skimmer is just about compleated just have to glue everything up. hope u got the needle wheel fixed. thanks again.

[NateHanson]

Great Tim, Glad it worked for you. Just drop the mold by when you're in the area sometime. If I'm not around you can leave it on the back porch.

No worries about the skimmer pump. I got it back up and running shortly after you left.

Nate

[sanker]

I'm trying to make a skimmer from the overflow in my basement sump. I get tons of bubbles and figured I should be able to build something without a pump. Here is the first draft. I made the 4" tube (long section) about 30". well the water just went up and out and never created a foam that would go up the next section. So I cut the middle section from 30" down to about 15". Now it burps up too much water into the collection cup. Next is to increase the collection cup 2" pipe to see if I can overcome the occasional burp (every 30 seconds). Any ideas? Should I give up and just make the one you guys made? Do you have any drawings or list of parts? I skimmed (no pun intended) through the thread and could not find any.

-Sean

[NateHanson]

I think you'll have trouble keeping the water level consistant in an overflow-powered skimmer.

You're welcome to come look at my skimmer sometime if you want. I think I still have drawings and parts lists lying around in the basement. (pencil and paper, so I can't link them here).

Nate

[Reef55]

I have been thinking about making a monster skimmer (well, 10" diameter, 5-6 foot tall) fed off my drain line as well. However, my goal in using the drain line is getting the surface skimmed nasty water directly into the protein skimmer. Then I would use some recirculating pumps to inject bubbles. I have been thinking quite a bit about how to regulate flow through the unit...

For the input side, I want to be sure that I am getting mainly only water, very little air. Also, I am looking for around 250gph flow, so I need to be able to regulate it a little. My idea is to have my drain line split, with the pipe going to the skimmer have a gate valve to slow down flow, keeping the pipe full water. It will enter the skimmer towards the top at an angle to create a circular flow inside the skimmer.

The water will exit the skimmer at the bottom into pvc pipe, that will then turn 90 degrees straight up, then 90 degrees away from the skimmer body at the height I want the water to maintain. I have seen a couple of skimmers on reefcentral set up that way, so basically the water level remains constant in the reactor as it acts like an overflow that pulls water from the bottom of the skimmer.

I can try to make a drawing if that isn't clear enough :/

[Liam]

I think you'll have trouble keeping the water level consistant in an overflow-powered skimmer.

You're welcome to come look at my skimmer sometime if you want. I think I still have drawings and parts lists lying around in the basement. (pencil and paper, so I can't link them here).

Nate

My Deltec is fed off one of my overflows,works flawlessly ;)
The key to this type of feed is the skimmer needs to be of the recirculating type thus requiring a very low flow rate,i think mine is around 160 gph.

[clamm]

Liam, I am assuming that you are pulling much more over the overflow then 160GPH, so are you running the excess water directly to the sump I am guessing and just using a valve feeding the skimmer to get you 160GPH?

[Liam]

Liam, I am assuming that you are pulling much more over the overflow then 160GPH, so are you running the excess water directly to the sump I am guessing and just using a valve feeding the skimmer to get you 160GPH?

correct,i have around 1000gph going through each overflow.I have the skimmer take off one of the overflows via a large diameter pipe which acts a resevior and keep supply very constant because the res is always full.

[Reef55]

Liam, any chance you could post a picture for us? :) Thanks!

[Liam]

Liam, any chance you could post a picture for us? :) Thanks!

there is one in my 150 gallon major project thread,i don't have access to my filed pics right now. :)

[Shenlung]

Someone want to do this particular project again with a new group of aspiring reefers? My littel HOB skimmer is virtually useless in my sump and i could use a nice 10 foot tall super skimmer :P

[maurod]

I have one of these that was built by Nate himself. I'd be happy to sell it to you :)
M.

[NateHanson]

I get $10 every time that thing passes hands, ok? ;)

[maurod]

I get $10 every time that thing passes hands, ok? ;)

Lol, you should pay me for keeping your legacy going.