|
|
|
|
#1
03/24/2007, 10:10 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
diy nano reef skimmers?
Almost all the home made skimmers i've seen range in size from big to really huge. Has anyone made a functional nano sized skimmer that would compete with the Fission nano skimmer or other brands ? I see no reason why a small protein skimmer should cost 130 bucks like AquaC's. Perhaps if the nano Fission could be easily "fixed" ... Any examples of some DIY nano sized skimmers would be appreciated.
ps. I really wish the search button worked here. |
|
#4
03/25/2007, 02:56 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#5
03/25/2007, 12:41 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...e=post&id=8092
I want to do this recirc design. It's not the poster's design, but someone else's on the same thread. There are no measurements to go with the image however. I prefer this design because there are much less holes drilled into the sides that are leak points. It'll be as thick as the pump is and probably about 12" tall and 6" wide. I'm gonna build this today and see how it goes. If all goes well i'll be testing it on my 30g breeder tank with turtles ...should be plenty of protein to pick up in that tank. |
|
#7
03/25/2007, 09:03 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...=post&id=11660 The funny thing is that the new Deltec MCE300 came out a couple months after this and is nearly identical. Placing the pump on the side allows for a better contact time and less turbulent.
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#9
03/25/2007, 11:37 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
yes
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#11
03/26/2007, 12:33 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Well, I bought all the parts and pieces needed.
Here's the parts list and prices. Lowes stuff 1ft 1.5"ID vinyl tubing $ 0.28 PLGA .080 8"x10" $ 1.48 1/2" CPVC ball valve $ 4.97 pipe 1/2" x 5' CPVC $ 2.14 1/2" 90deg Elbow CPVC $ 0.18 x 3 JH 3.7oz Plumber's Goop $2.97 18" x 24" acrylic clear $ 7.96 (same as PLGA above) 1/2" TEE CPVC $ 0.28 Petsmart (didn't feel like waiting for shipping) TopFin Power Head 50 (150gph i believe) 24.95 (i know, twice the price of a maxijet and it's flow rate is half of a mj1200 but at least it came with air tube and screen to cover intake....hahaha) Total cost so far is about 47 bucks. I have very little acrylic that's usuable left. I do have about 3ft of cpvc tubing left and 11" of vinyl tubing and the plumber's goop. That would save me about 5.50 off the next order, and if i buy the pump online, another 12 bucks, or about 35 bucks to make the second one. Anyways, I'll have actual pictures tomorrow, i have everything cut and test fit. I realize that there are better designs but cutting acrylic without a real straight edge cutter sucks. I tried the stupid scoring tool they have sold next to the acrylic and I have to say, that tool is the most useless POS i've ever used. I ended up using a dremel cutoff wheel to do all but the first of my cuts. I went with a design that had the least amount of acrylic cutting and the least amount of holes that had to be watertight for tubing, since like i said, cutting acrylic sucks without the correct tools. It's designed to be a HOB with an external collection cup hanging on the side of it. The pump came with a directional output attachment but depending on how the run tests go, I may or may not use it to increase dwell time. click on the image to see the full size one. 
|
|
#12
03/26/2007, 03:33 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Well, i'll take the lack of comments as a sign that there is nothing outrageously wrong with anything above. I'm going to take some pics of the assembly today, though it's all pretty standard and been done before.
All i need to do is figure out what i'm going to use for the hanger and where i want the cup holder to be. Does anyone know if this is too big to fit inside one of the compartments of a AquaPod 24 ? Are any of the dimensions larger than they need to be for a 24g? I tried to minimize the size as much as possible..though the powerhead limits me to 2.5" wide and at least 7" long. I could take it out and have it in the tank but that's cheating. |
|
#13
03/26/2007, 03:43 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
It will most likely be too large.... you might get it to fit if you rip out some of the dividers though.
If you go with that second design I posted, the pump will cause less turbulence at the collection area. What pump are you using? The top air intake suggests... Aquaclear 2000-3000? Id make the air intake where your recirc intake is. Also, the removable collection cup would be a good idea.
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#14
03/26/2007, 05:34 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
removeable cup involves too much cutting of acrylic to a degree of accuracy that's not very possible without the correct cutting tools. So it's out of the question. Last thing I want is some nasty foam escaping out a tiny gap between the cup and the sides of the filter.
There were so many designs posted on that thread that I'm not sure what you mean. The second design on the first page? i mentioned in the post where my diagram is what type of pump it is. It's a topfin power head 50. What would moving the air intake from the impeller intake to the recirc intake do to increase bubble production? I'd be losing the little bit of extra water induced suction coming in from the tank intake. |
|
#15
03/26/2007, 05:52 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I know what you mean by reducing turbulance ... just thinking of a way to do so without increasing backpressure noticeably. Perhaps by using some scrap pieces of acrylic i can make a half width wall angled above alternating between the front and back side....so that water is bounced back and forth but not too drastically. I'll see how things look once i start gluing stuff... today.
|
|
#16
03/26/2007, 07:24 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#17
03/26/2007, 07:25 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#18
03/26/2007, 08:35 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I dont know, unless you've actually built that design and tried it and seen that it doesn't shoot bubbles back into the tank, it seems unlikely that it wouldn't. The water is shooting straight for the overflow side, as well as the recirc...so bubbles should go both ways.
I've been thinking about how to avoid throwing water up into the collection area. Perhaps something like this below. I have it laid out like it is to stop water from just pushing back. Perhaps making a kind of whirl action. I'm not sure if that would be helpful or not. Maybe I only need the top one, or none...  I'll probably go with nothing and see how that works. If i have too much water flow I can always add an air pump to the air intake hose and force feed the venturi. |
|
#19
03/26/2007, 08:56 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I did build one... the recirc keeps the amount going out the outlet pretty low, and the bubbles from the pump dont shoot down THAT far...
Ill try to dig up some photos...
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#20
03/26/2007, 08:57 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
You could do what Tunze DOCs do and have a cap right on the output of the pump to shoot it out the sides.
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#22
03/26/2007, 11:10 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Yea, the powerhead came with a diverter that will do the same trick if I need it. Though, the design of my skimmer is meant for size and ease of assembly, not for maintenance. It'll be interesting cleaning it ...let alone altering the bubble chamber side. I'll have to deal with that when the time comes.
 Above: Using the wonderous Goop, I've utilized old computer hardware laying around in my closet to square up my edges. What you see here is the intake/exhaust chamber. The top of the image is the top of the skimmer.  Above: Now both chambers are constructed and the skimmate chamber is done. The bottom of the filter will go in last with the pump affixed to it. I dont think i'm going to make a permanent lid to either chamber on the filter. Otherwise the filter will really be hard to clean and do any sort of modification to. I'll see how things go with no glued lid ...i can always do it later.  above: This is the U section not in the diagram. The side with the ball valve is the side that goes into the aquarium.  above: Here is the pump with tube assembly. Sorry for all the bad pics, the lighting sucks. You can kind of make out the T for the recirc intake and the tube extends up to where it will eventually mate with the L end of the last assembly. The air intake (not shown) is on the opposite end of the pump from the water intake. I was thinking of a nifty way of securing removable but tight closing lids on the filter and decided that if i go that route, i'll glue some steel wire/strips along the inside of the chambers and get some tiny neodynium magnets and glue them to the top of the lids. that should hold them down and some silicone glue along the top edges of the chamber (dried) should create a good seal. Anyways, I'll be putting another coat of Goop on all the joints of the side i did, and when that's done I'll drill out the holes with something. Once that's finished, gluing on the bottom and the hanger should be it. All in all I think it's coming along nicely for a completely contained skimmer that's as small as it is. It should be ready to test with water by the weekend. |
|
#23
03/26/2007, 11:43 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
#24
03/27/2007, 05:11 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
To make the pump spray downward, the filter would have to be taller. 12" is already pushing it for me.
Today is going to be a re-Gooping day so no pics. Tomorrow I'll take pics of the drill holes |
|
#25
03/27/2007, 02:07 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Not really... with that spraybar with all the slots in it, the output goes down only about 3" before the bubbles shoot back up. Either way, the pump isnt pointing up, so you can use a number of fittings to get what you want. You could use a 'T' and have the pump output shoot to the sides or something.
__________________
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it" -Al Einstein |
|
|
Linear Mode
