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loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 05:04 PM
I have built my DIY skimmer and need to know what size pump to buy and also what size air pump to buy ?

Skimmer size

4" ID Pvc body 36" tall
Andrew
11/03/2006, 05:30 PM
I take it it's going to be a needlewheel? First off, a 36'' tall body is too tall for a needlewheel that size. Cut it down to maybe 16'' and use a sedra 2500 or 3500.
SkylineR
11/03/2006, 07:06 PM
why cant you have a tall skimmer with a needlewheel? what if it is a recirculator
Andrew
11/03/2006, 07:18 PM
It just won't work right since the pump isn't powerful enough. If you were using a sedra 9000 for example, it would be a differen't story.
JOHNNY O.
11/03/2006, 07:20 PM
What kind. Beckett , venturi, air stone, etc.
loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 07:30 PM
I have a Wood Air stone and a small 200 gph powerhead right now stuff I had laying around
JOHNNY O.
11/03/2006, 07:48 PM
Try this out has some good info for air stone driven skimmers
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/skimmer101.htm
JOHNNY O.
11/03/2006, 07:50 PM
Is the water height in the skimmer adjustable?
loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 08:06 PM
Yes it is adjustable but I am not sure where the water level should be
loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 08:07 PM
Snailman is where I got the plan to build mine.
JOHNNY O.
11/03/2006, 08:16 PM
I bast mine off it all so but I have a bekett with a 1200gal an hr pump should have stuck with the basic.
But you just have to play with it until you get the right skimIt out of it.
fishamajiggle
11/03/2006, 08:40 PM
i have this same airstone driven skimmer with a few mods. i have a magdrive 9.5 that feeds the skimmer with a ball valve so i can ajust the amount of water coming into the skimmer. and i have 4 airstones driven by a luft air pump. it takes a little tweaking but you can dial them in real nice. i prefer a wet skim so i just got mine where I want it and it took about a month.

good luck
loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 08:49 PM
I am new to skimmers so I am not sure what the term wet or dry skimming is. What kind of flow does the mag 9 have. I only have one 3" long air stone is that not enough ? I assumed that you wanted the water flow thru the skimmer to be low to have more contact time true or false ?
loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 08:50 PM
What mods have you done ?
loves saltwater
11/03/2006, 08:54 PM
Where should the water level be at in the skimmer
loves saltwater
11/04/2006, 12:17 PM
bump
fishamajiggle
11/04/2006, 07:36 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8475037#post8475037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loves saltwater
What mods have you done ?

adding the mag 9.5 as the supply pump, and yes you want as much contact time as you can get. i prefer putting gate valves or handvalves on the water in and out, that you can control the foam head better. and you need more than (1) airstone. the more bubbles the more you are skimming.

wet skimming is when you dont have such a thick dark skimmate, its more light and there is usuially allot more of it because it removes allot of water as well as skimmate. i do it to help remove suspended detritus from the column.