DIY Skimmer build....help

grubsnaek

Active Member
whhaaat that thing is sick. man i wish i was better with DIY. i really want to try this. i think im gonna do it at some point. but dont wanna waste the money if it dont come out right.....i just wouldnt know what tools to use or even were to get the supplies. i see some on sleaze bay and prolly home depot. i think my only hang up would be the tools used to drill for the riser tube. my guess would be a router. not really good with associating the tools with the work...
 

pumper

Member
Originally Posted by grubsnaek
http:///forum/post/2790410
whhaaat that thing is sick. man i wish i was better with DIY. i really want to try this. i think im gonna do it at some point. but dont wanna waste the money if it dont come out right.....i just wouldnt know what tools to use or even were to get the supplies. i see some on sleaze bay and prolly home depot. i think my only hang up would be the tools used to drill for the riser tube. my guess would be a router. not really good with associating the tools with the work...
I could quote you a price on one if you are interested.... I will only add 45.00 to the total for labor.
 

grubsnaek

Active Member
with out a doubt yea....couple things the area i have to work with is 10x12in....the water level in the skimmer department is 13in's high. and from the bottom of sump to the top of the stand is 28in....
 

grubsnaek

Active Member
if your serious about doing this, i will give you my cell number through the private message tab....any we'll communicate on it...
 

pumper

Member
I'll do it... Do you have a paypal account? I'll look up each indiviual part when I get a chance and send you an estimate. You can send the money to my paypal account so I can order what I need off of sleaze bay. It will take about a week to get all the parts shipped and another day or so of building and cutting. I need you to answer a few questions:
1. Do you want to use a sedra 5000 or 3500 on the skimmer?
2. How many gallons is your current tank?
3. How deep is the water in your sump?
 

pumper

Member
Here is what I came up with so far:
Sedra 3500 92.00
6'' acrylic tube 20.90
4'' acrylic tube 16.00
small sheet .25 acrylic 16.00
aqua clear 30 powerhead 30.00
1/2'' bulkhead x4 20.00
1/2'' gate valve misc. plumbing supplies 25.00
collection cup 10.00
labor 45.00
shipping 15.00
total 289.90
 

grubsnaek

Active Member
Originally Posted by Pumper
http:///forum/post/2793805
Do you have a paypal account? yes
1. Do you want to use a sedra 5000 or 3500 on the skimmer? wut ever one is better for this build.
2. How many gallons is your current tank? 125DT w/55g sump
3. How deep is the water in your sump? 13 inches
.couple things the area i have to work with is 10x12in....the water level in the skimmer department is 13in's high. and from the bottom of sump to the top of the stand is 28in....
answers in red
 

grubsnaek

Active Member
the sump is a standard 55 gallon tank. but the skimmer section is 10x12inches, and the water level is 13 inches high... total height is 28inches from bottom of the sump to the top of the stand...
 

pumper

Member
The 10x12x28 area will not be large enough to accomodate one of my skimmers. The skimmer has to operate in 8'' of water so It would need a 5'' stand in your sump, Leaving 23'' overall. Your tanks are 180 gallons overall so the design would have to be similar to the one I previously built. Since the height we are working with is 28'' I would have to increase the girth of the reaction chamber and shorthen the overall height to get the same performance. i knocked out a baffle on the return end on my sump and made the return/fuge area one. I can make a skimmer for you but your going to have to make some extra room.
 

grubsnaek

Active Member
the most i can do is, remove a baffle and the area will go from 10x12in to 12x12....other than that nothing more i can do. and the height is wut it is.
and would the sedra 5000 be a better pump...
i also have a maxi jet 1200 i can use as a water supplier to the skimmer...
 

grubsnaek

Active Member
recently i was looking at the ASM G3, and the MSX 200. both rated for a 250g tank. currently im running a ETSS reef devil (rated for a 180g tank), so this would be an upgrade....
 

pumper

Member
I don't think so, The msx 200 is not of recirculating design. It's also much shorter than mine. It seems to have a cheaper pump (claims 750gph for 54.00) But, I'm not sure. But, for 184.00+ shipping it may be worth it.
 

pumper

Member
Sedra 5000 has more gph than the 3500.... 5000=500gph; 3500=350gph(yes it's better). I have a maxijet 1200 lying around I could use for testing as well. I think I can get something to fit in 12x12.... Thats what mine is now that I removed a baffle. You can subtract from the price I quoted if you want to supply some of the supplies yourself... But consider the shipping charge to get it to me.... The asm g3 is a great skimmer..... My diy skimmer is modeled from the asm g4....
 

ca161406

Member
Originally Posted by Pumper
http:///forum/post/2780341
Here is a picture of 2 hours worth of skimming this morning after I finally got it dialed in.

lol am i the only one who noticed the creepy grimlin thing under the collection cup haha???
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
The sicce pumps are not cheap pumps, the sedra's are not all that, I mean I hear they are good pumps, but the sicce pumps have a few things going for them. It has little to nothing to do with GPH. The MSX pulls a lot of air,has a large volute, a bubble diffuser, the neck of yours does not tapper. These things negate whatever additional height yours has. As I said, I believe the MSX or the Octo Extreme will out perform it.
 

pumper

Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2795982
The sicce pumps are not cheap pumps, the sedra's are not all that, I mean I hear they are good pumps, but the sicce pumps have a few things going for them. It has little to nothing to do with GPH. The MSX pulls a lot of air,has a large volute, a bubble diffuser, the neck of yours does not tapper. These things negate whatever additional height yours has. As I said, I believe the MSX or the Octo Extreme will out perform it.
Thanks for your opinion....
 
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