My ghetto DIY beckett - Page 2

luke33 · #26 05/31/2007, 11:48 AM

The 4100 isn't pressure rated, just a good NW pump or return pump......Dohhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Fuegofish777 · #27 05/31/2007, 11:56 AM

ya i looked it up and saw it wasnt pressure rated.... thing is i have no room for an external one, so a hp model wouldnt really work for me. guess we'll just wait and see. worst comes to worst i'll just use the gen-x4100 as my return and i can get a new pump for my skimmer.

money spent so far:
-about $30 in pvc (gate valve and 2" union...ouch)
-skimmer body and cup~ $7
-gen-x4100 ~$54 (cant really save much one this)
so total with pump is about $90, but before the pump its under $40 bucks!
hopefully this baby works, if not i guess i can use to eat my cereal out of

Fuegofish777 · #28 06/01/2007, 03:29 PM

well, time for some good news/bad news. Beckett finally got here, and pump was shipped out yesterday. bad news: the beckett injector doesnt fit in the housing....huh??? I tried to insert it and it is about 2-3mm too big around to fit. grrr... so i might just sand it down to have a snug fit or I might go try to find some sort of clear food container to replace the pvc housing, clear would be cooler anyways right? Only a small hurdle but somewhat irritating, on the brighter side the seller sent me a free T-shirt....but is says I got crabs...haha...dirty..

sgolden · #29 06/01/2007, 04:30 PM

is there a collar that holds the 2 sides together? i removed the collar and slid the 2 halves into the housing to hold em together... it fit perfect

Fuegofish777 · #30 06/01/2007, 06:15 PM

oh, the length of the beckket was fine (without the collars). it was the diameter where the holes are that was giving me issues. Luckily I think i found a very cool alternative to the pvc housings, wish I found it sooner. I'l post pics if i can get any work done today, but im not going to ruin the surprise and tell you now...

sgolden · #31 06/01/2007, 09:46 PM

i used a 1in pvc repair coupling/expansion($7 at hd) the becket slipped right in...tapped it for the air valve and was good to go...

Fuegofish777 · #32 06/01/2007, 10:21 PM

ya thats what I was hoping to do. I went to Ace today and looked at the 1.25" repair coupling, but it was just way too big. (fit the beckett but too much bulk for me). Luckily I found something I think works, or at least looks alot better.

I was cruisin around the store and was checking out some potential stuff for lighting when I ran into the perfect thing. It was a polycarbonate tube used to protect flourescent bulbs. 4ft was only like $3. So I used a male thread adapter to a 90 degree threaded elbow at the top. The other end of the 90 has a hose-barb adapter. the top of the becket fits into the slip end of the threaded male adapter (after a bit of Dremel-ing). The bottom of the tube fits perfectly around the DIY bulkhead that goes into the sump box. Im hoping some eopxy or glue is all that will be needed to keep it in place.
Old ugly pvc injector housing:

New sexy injector housing:

what do you think?

tkeracer619 · #33 06/02/2007, 01:17 AM

Nice!!

Sarcophyton874 · #34 06/02/2007, 11:37 AM

That actually looks nice. I thought this was suppose to be a ghetto beckett!!! Hook it up already!!!

P.S. If you need a tank to test it on, I'm in SoCal also.

Fuegofish777 · #35 06/02/2007, 02:55 PM

Sarcophyon- haha, ya it started off ghetto, but i just got lucky and found great looking parts. cost-wise, this is ghetto-er than most that I've seen. It actually $5 cheaper if I take away the cost of those pvc couplers im no longer using. Well, I have a friends tank to test it on at home, i just dont have anything here at school. where abouts are you from?

Sarcophyton874 · #36 06/02/2007, 11:12 PM

I'm in Torrance. Can't wait to see this one running. I love becketts even though I have a venturi skimmer.

Fuegofish777 · #37 06/02/2007, 11:15 PM

I ran a NW skimmer at home so noworries

. I am really excited to see this thing start up. the pump should be here monday, but how can I test it? I have a big rubbermaid tote box (future sump) that i can run it in, but is there something i can put in the water to give a decent test. i know people have used soap but i was hoping for something a little more accurate. I luckily have some IO salt too.

sgolden · #38 06/03/2007, 11:03 AM

i wouldnt use soap...i have used melafix to boost my skimmer a few times....i wouldnt use it as means of judgement, but it will put on a good show...

Sarcophyton874 · #39 06/03/2007, 01:10 PM

Try using Seachem Reef Plus. IMO, it is basically either skimmate or the water left after dissolving frozen foods. When I was new at saltwater, I put this in my 30G and my Seaclone (LOL) skimmed it right out. That's about all that Seaclone ever skimmed out too.

Fuegofish777 · #40 06/03/2007, 02:01 PM

hmm...reef plus might cost a little more than i was hoping to pay just to test my skimmer. not to mention i dont have a car and there isnt an lfs very close by. anything else? There is a very small fish section at the hardware store. i was thinking i could use some of that stress coat stuff. i remember my old skimmer went nuts when i put that in, not to mention its like two bucks.

Daemonfly · #41 06/04/2007, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fuegofish777
I got lucky, this stuff isnt polystyrene. Thats one of the reasons i chose these containers, they are made from polycarbonate. (weldon actually works with this stuff). it machines well, if anything its alittle too strong. it was more difficult to cut this compared to acrylic.

Ah, your pasta container looked like it had the #6 recycle symbol (it does) with the "PS" under it. The glare made it hard to read.

Edit: Actually, I thought the #6 symbol was strictly for polystyrene...

Fuegofish777 · #42 06/04/2007, 02:41 AM

You're right, it did have the #6 stamp. hmm....according to the manufacture its polycarbonate.... and it sure as heck felt like i was working with polycarb. damn stuff took forever to cut/shape. and weld-on did bond to it, which i thought it doesnt do with polystyrene. who knows, you could be right. either way its on there real good (I siliconed the inside flange to the riser (aka pasta container) and i can lift the whole thing from just the riser. if it was polystyrene im surprised i didnt crack or break it.

Daemonfly · #43 06/04/2007, 03:02 AM

Weld-on will bond with it, but not as strong as acrylic-acrylic. But, either way, it looks like it came out well

Now for the testing....

Fuegofish777 · #44 06/04/2007, 03:07 AM

this is true....looks dont count for anything if it doesnt skim right? Crossing my fingers that pump will get here tomorrow, if it does theres a chance i'll test it, but not till late at night. most likely get you some results tuesday night though, next couple days are bogged down with school work....lab practical exams and essays...psshhhh

luke33 · #45 06/04/2007, 09:27 AM

To test it in your rubbermaid just dump your skimmate from your other tanks in there and that'll be a good test.

Fuegofish777 · #46 06/04/2007, 10:51 AM

i dont have any tanks up here at school anymore. any food or something that will react like skimmate or fish poo?

luke33 · #47 06/04/2007, 11:42 AM

Throw just about anything in ther and it should work, food wise. One thing that would work well imo are shrimp pellets, those will cloud a tank in notime.

Fuegofish777 · #48 06/04/2007, 11:54 AM

Your right, some poor(er) quality fish food would do the trick pretty well. They sell that stuff in bulk at the hardware store (for ponds and stuff). I have to get some hose anyways, so i'll just get some pellets while im there.

luke33 · #49 06/04/2007, 12:30 PM

Wally world for 2 bux.

Fuegofish777 · #50 06/04/2007, 12:43 PM

hahaha....wally world, as if i had a car. I live in the "city of bicycles", and am true to the title (not by choice). Im a poor college freshman, hence the cheapest parts possible for this skimmer. Getting a car for next year is on my to-do list though.... maybe then I can actually get to an LFS....or grocery store for that matter.