Diy Re Pvc Euro Reef Skimmer

[skinutt]

This is the DO it yourself Reverse Engineering euro-reef using nothing but pvc, with
help from http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...ht=easy+as+pie
for the venturi.
This design is very simple and so easy to use. This is an in sump skimmer.
I decided to post this cause when I tried DIY skimmers the first time I wish I had
something like this to guide me. The greatest thing about this skimmer is that it is so easy
to adjust and easy to put together. This is the 3rd DIY skimmer I have made, and it is by far
the best! The others were out of sump Skimmers because my sump was so small, and they were so hard
to adjust. They also required constant attention to get very little skimmate. I used 6 inch pvc
for the base because I had some left over from the other skimmers I built. You could use 4 inch
and I am sure it would still work with some adjustments to parts and height of the return pipe.
The pump used is a mag 5. The Directions are not that tough to follow once you get the parts in
front of you and you are looking at the pictures. If you have any questions please ask!!!
OK time For the Parts List!

BASE PARTS:
6" pvc pipe (at least 11 inches of pipe)

6" coupling

6" to 4" reducer (this piece must fit into coupling)

4" to 2" reducer (this piece must fit into 6" to 4" reducer)

6" slip cap (for bottom of Skimmer)



SMALL STUFF:

3/4" pipe (will need at least 3 feet of pipe)

3/4" slip 90 degree elbow (3 needed)

3/4" slip Tee

3/4" slip 45 degree elbow (optional)


Smallest STUFF:

1/2" pipe (will need at least 1 foot of pipe)

1/2" Slip Tee (1 needed for venturi, get 2 in case you mess up)

1/2" slip elbow

1/2" male adapters slip by threaded (2 needed)

1/2" female adapters slip by threaded (2 Needed)

Teflon tape (to snug adapters)


COLLECTION CUP:

2" pipe (at least 8 inches)

4" to 2" reducer (will look similar to funnel)

silicone

vinal tube 1/4 inch (optional drain line)

4" pipe at least 4" long (needed to put in funnel reducer)


VENTURI:

Mag 5 pump

3/8" hose barb

3/8" vinal tube (3 feet)

1/4" hose barb (opional)


TOOLS NEEDED:

drill and bits

round/ flat file

chain saw round file (optional, for drain line hole)

pvc cutter/ hack saw

plyers (for boiling tee)

3/16" screw driver (optional for measurement of venturi opening in 1/2" tee).


Base......... DO NOT USE ANY GLUE FOR IN SUMP DESIGN. IT is not needed!

1. Cut 6 inch pipe to 11 inches long (if you can get it precut that would be best, it is hard to
get a straight cut. If you are off on your cut some it will not be a big deal.)

2. put your 6" slip end cap on the bottom of your 11" long base. ( make sure it is all
the way on)

3. measure down from the top of the slip end cap 2 and 1/4 inches. This is
the center mark for your water return hole. Drill hole to accomadate a 3/4" slip elbow.
make sure it is a snug fit, drill a little small and file out the rest!
(you will be drilling through both the end cap and the 6" base pipe)

4. measure from bottom 6 and 3/4" for your water in. THis is center mark, but it may vary
some depending on the height of your pump and fittings. (assemble pump fittings and get
your exact measurment/ see smaller stuff) Drill hole to accomadate 1/2" male adapter
threaded end.

5. Put both reducers into coupling. Do NOT snug the 6" to 4" reducer (you will need to take it off)



SMALL STUFF: 3/4" FITTINGS AND PIPES

1. Insert 3/4" elbow into return hole ( hole at bottom, put tephlon tape over elbow if not snug)

2. Cut a 3/4" pipe 8" long, insert pipe into elbow. (the length of this piece determines
the minimum height of the water level in the skimmer) Shortening this piece will drop
water level.

3 Insert 3/4" tee on end of 8" pipe. ( see pic )

4. Cut 3/4" pipe 4 and 1/2" long. (2 needed, length of these pieces are optional, but
it worked best for me)

5. Insert 3/4" 4 and 1/2" long pipe into the side of the tee so it is coming out horizontally.

6. Insert 3/4" elbow into 4 and 1/2" pipe pointing up or to the side.( this elbow is very
important, we will call it "tennis elbow")

7. Insert the 2nd 3/4" 4 and 1/2" long pipe into the 3/4" elbow. (This pipe is also
important because it controls the water level in the skimmer. We will call it "ARM"
By raising this "ARM" at the "tennis elbow" it raises the water level in the skimmer.
This is where the adjustments are made. The higher the arm the higher the water level
and the higher the bubbles will travel up. If you need higher level of water than this,
you will need to increase Small stuff #2 pipe and or the "ARM" pipe. )

8. place foam thing that came with mag 5 on end of 3/4" pvc.

9. Cut 3/4" pipe 3 and 1/2" long (remove 6" to 4" reducer)

10. Insert cut pipe into 3/4" elbow on the inside of skimmer.

11. attach the last 3/4" elbow onto the 3/4" pipe inside of skimmer.(point it to the bottom)

12. cut 3/4" pipe 1 and 1/2" or so, 'not really sure'. (you may have to adjust this, this pipe
is going into the 3/4" elbow, you want it around a 1/2" from the bottom of the
skimmer. This will cut down on bubbles going back out.

13. Cut 3/4" pipe 2 and 1/2" to 3" and connect this piece to the top end of the tee. (you may
want this longer if you have to run your water higher to get skimmate)

Smaller STUFF: 1/2" fittings and pipes

1. 1/2" female adapter attach (screw) to mag 5 water out.

2. cut 1/2" pipe 1 and 1/2" long.

3. insert 1 and 1/2" long into slip side of female adapter.

4. Attach 1/2" elbow to cut piece of 1 and 1/2" long pipe.

5. cut 1/2" pipe the distance from 1/2" elbow to water in hole. ( this distance should be
as short as possible, mine was 4" long cause I had to go through divider in my sump/ we
will call this the "in Pipe")

6. Attach 1/2" Male adapter to the "in pipe" (tephlon tape the part of it to insure good fit)

7. Put into 6" base water in hole, screw 1/2" female onto male adapter.

8 3/4" 45 degree elbow should fit onto female 1/2" for flow direction control.

COLLECTION CUP: I did not do mine like this, I had an old sea clone top and used it with a small
section of 2" pvc and it fit right into the 4" to 2" reducer. Drilled hole and
ran a drain tube into sea clone collection cup.

1. File out the inside of the other 4" to 2" reducer that looks like a funnel. after you
have filed it out a 2" pipe should be able to go all the way through it.

2. cut 2" pipe 6" and 1/2" long, run it throught the reducer with about an inch left on the
outside of it. then silicone the inside.

3. 4" pipe cut about 4 inches long and put it inside of the 4 to 2 reducer. Drill hole in
side of collection cup for drain.( make sure hole is below the 2" pipe or drain will not
work) see #4

4. Hole should be 1/4" file out with chain saw file if needed ; Cut off 1/4" barb and put
tephlon tape on it. Put it through hole, make sure it is water tight and place 1/4" vinyal
tube on barb for drain.



venturi Making: YOU should follow the direction in the other post

1. Basically you boil the 1/2" tee and pinch it in the middle with the plyers. You want
the hole or gap to be 3/16 of an inch. I shoved a screw driver in there that was 3/16"
at the end and it came out well. (you will need to remember that the hose barb has to
screw in and 1/2" pipe will need to go out one end) this step may take some time.

2. use the 3/8" hose barb screw it in and place the vinal tube on top (when in operation this
May make some noise, there are two ways to fix this: 1. by placing a different section
of 1/4" tube into the end of the 3/8". I also put another hose barb on the end. 2. I used
an old camel bak tube, the 90 degree piece with out the in the end of it went into the 3/8 tube )






You might be wondering what the 4" to 2" funel type reducer is doing in my sump, it is catching the return water and filtering bubbles. Since my sump is so small I could not use baffels. Well Good luck, If you have any questions please ask!! I will be glad to help if I can. Oh, one more thing, if you can find a plumbing supply place that will cut the pvc the size you want that would be best and cheapest!! CYA>>>> skinutt........

[williamrandel]

very nice work!

[davetkoch]

IMPRESSIVE!

[SaM dA MaN]

Another awsome diy skimmer.
What size tank is this used on?

[skinutt]

Thanks, It is on a 55 gal with 20 gal fuge. It may be a bit overkill but I love it!! My water has never been better!! Nitrates are now basically undetectable. Based on the size of the skimmer I think it could handle up to a 125 gal tank. Cya..... skinutt.......

[SaM dA MaN]

It looks like it sure pulls the gunk

[Morbo]

Great skimmer! I'll begin mine on tuesday for my 90 gallon. Thnx for the detailed plans.

[skinutt]

sam, yes I was amazed the first day I had it running. It pulled a ton of wet skimmate. It could actually fill my whole collection cup with in a couple of minutes. I had to lower the water level quite a bit to keep it in check. It only took a few days to break in and start pulling the nasty dry stuff. Did you build one of the easy as pie skimmers?

Morbo, sounds great, keep me posted on how it goes!

Later... Skinutt.....

[SaM dA MaN]

although my skimmer is virtually nothing like topjimmies, yes I did build a easy as pie skimmer. His thread inspired me to make one, and I learned heaps about skimmers.
Just a few questions,
What exactly does it mean by, break in? Do skimmers take a while to be working good or somthing.
Im not sure if i veiwed the picture right, but I noticed your inlet was substantially low to what I would have thought it would go, does this create micro bubbles problems? I suppose this might increase contact time because bubbles have to rise from a lower place, am I right?
I also noticed you used fairly wide 6" pvc. I know you used this becasue you had it spare, but would a wider 6" pvc as apposed to a 4" pvc, which is what i have used, be better?
Thanks

[skinutt]

Sam, I noticed a big difference in my skimmer preformance between the first day and about 3-4 days later. It seemed to be creating a wet skimmate the 1st couple of days then it changed to a dry nasty skimmate. MY BEST GUESS- I think is has something to do with oil build up or some type of substance on the inside wall of the skimmer that does not allow for ideal bubble making. I am not really sure on the that, all I know is that it is working better now than when I first put it together.

Sam, that is the one thing I would like to change about my skimmer. I would like the water in a little higher, however I have offset it by putting a 45 degree elbow inside the skimmer that points up at an angle. This shoots the water up and into a swirling motion in the skimmer. Yes, I have a small problem with micro bubbles, that is the reason I have the 4" to 2" reducer to to catch the water out. I have a few filters in it and it helps with the bubbles. I really need a bigger sump with baffles and I will probably make one in the future.

The wider and taller the skimmer the better its ability and more it can handle. I took advantage of the euro reef web page and looked at there stats for there skimmers. A 6" wide 24" tall euro reef skimmer is Ideal up to a 125 gal tank. They have the same height skimmer only it is 5" wide and is only good up to a 95 gal tank. So looking at there stats, bigger is better.
I do not see why it would be any different with our diy skimmers.

[gefrankle]

bump.

Great post I may try this as well!

thanks,

George

[H20ENG]

What did you spend on all the PVC? I have built some industrial strength PVC skimmers that were WAY more pricey to build than acrylic. Especially getting into the 6" and up.
Are they sched 40? DWV? PIP?
Thx
Chris

[skinutt]

h2o, I spent $50 for a 10' section of 6" pipe. About $25 to 35 on fittings, 2" pipe, 4" pipe, 3/4" 1/2" pipe. I went to a place where you could cut your own size pipe. I had to get the 6" pipe somewhere else and had to buy it in a 10' section. So it ended up costing about 80 to 85 bucks. If you want to go cheaper use 4" pipe instead of 6" and just make it a bit taller or use a smaller pump. All of it was sched 40. Later..... Skinutt...

[H20ENG]

Not bad! When I built those big skimmers, it was on the companies dime. With the account we had, we had to buy 20' sticks of the stuff.

[jmsilhy]

Hi, I don't mean to make you work or anything, but I could really use a diagram of the whole concept. I'm trying to build a skimmer also, but down here (in Mex.) I'm having a hard time finding galon containers for the design in that other thread, so I'm thinking this design might work out better! I think the pictures are great, however some more detail in the connections and the in/out parts would be better in a diagram (specially because of parts names, etc.). If it's not too much trouble for you to post one, I'd appreciatte it a lot...

[skinutt]

jmsilhy, I will have to draw it up. This may take a couple of days because I don't have a scanner. I have a buddy who has one, and I should be able to use in the near future. I looked at doing it on Paint shop but I am not very good with that tool. Later... ski nutt........

[jmsilhy]

Hey skinutt, thanks for the reply and for the trouble of making a drawing, I'm sure it will help me, and others, a lot! One more question, my tank is 95 gal., do you think the skimmer design will be enough for it?

[skinutt]

Originally posted by jmsilhy
my tank is 95 gal., do you think the skimmer design will be enough for it?

I think it will be more than enough! Later....

[Cosmo^Kramer]

[coralfarm'n]

nice diy skimmer

why didnt you use a rubber taperd 6 to 4 reducer ?Would that make it to high for your cabinet?

[skinutt]

Yes I needed it to be short enough to fit under my stand. I also needed something that would go from 6" to 2". I could not find anything like that so I went with a 6" to 4" that would fit into the coupling and a 4" to 2" that would fit into the 6" to 4" reducer. Thanks, ski nutt

[slalomskier49456]

What is the total height of the finished skimmer?

Thanks for all your efforts in posting your "kit". It looks very interesting.

[tailored]

pardon the ignorant question...BUUUUT....i've never used a skimmer and i just built yours....appreciate it......i haven't put it into action yet because i still need to build a sump and an overflow box.....so my question is...

the water returns out of the foam thing riiight?

[skinutt]

slalomskier49456, my skimmer is 17" high however if I pushed the reducer down into the coupling it would be 16" high. That of course is without the collection cup. You should add another 5 or 6 inches for the collection cup. Total height should be between 21- 24 inches. Are you a racer?


Tailored, yes the water should come out of the foam thing! Good luck with your new skimmer! You can always test your venturi in a 5 gal. bucket to make sure it is working. Let me know how it turns out when you finish up.

jmsilhy, I have the drawing but have not made a trip over for to my friends to use his scanner. I will get it up as soon as I can. Thanks for being patient.

Later! ski nutt.......

[skinutt]

Tailored, one other note; make sure you create a baffle between your skimmer and your return pump so you will not run into a problem with tiny bubbles in your display tank. Good luck!

Ski nutt