DIY Skimmer design
- Thread starter eric4usa
- Start date
overanalyzer
Active Member
OK that rocks!!
B
billwinterholer
Guest
Eric:
Like the design and was wondering where you got the water bottle from.
Bill
Like the design and was wondering where you got the water bottle from.
Bill
wablondie98664
Active Member
eric4usa...........i was wondering if you could e-mail me with directions on how to make something like that, your skimmer looks really cool
powdertoastman98664@comcast.net
powdertoastman98664@comcast.net
eric4usa
Member
I got the water bottle from my local grocery store, They charge a $6.00 deposit for the bottle, then refills are 39cents per gallon.
I figured $6.00 for the bottle was fine.
Their water is Carbon filtered, RO filtered and UV steralized, so if i'm running short on water for a water change I can go down there with one of these bottles.
These are the same 5gallon bottles that mount upside down on top of "glug glug's", or "water coolers"
The above pictures are prety decriptive but if I think of any more key steps I'll shoot you an e-mail.
Best advice is to give it a try, even if you mess up, you can allways goop the heck out of it with epoxy, and the cost is so low that even if you have to start over, you're not loosing much.
I figured $6.00 for the bottle was fine.
Their water is Carbon filtered, RO filtered and UV steralized, so if i'm running short on water for a water change I can go down there with one of these bottles.
These are the same 5gallon bottles that mount upside down on top of "glug glug's", or "water coolers"
The above pictures are prety decriptive but if I think of any more key steps I'll shoot you an e-mail.
Best advice is to give it a try, even if you mess up, you can allways goop the heck out of it with epoxy, and the cost is so low that even if you have to start over, you're not loosing much.
djessem
Member
Thats an easy one to maintain the water in the bottle when pump is off. One the plumbing going in and out of the bottle,install a one way valve in each line. They have a gate that will only flap one way. Im not sure if they make pvc type but there are brass and steel ones. Im sure there are pvc types also if you checked at a pvc supplier.
vincent843
New Member
Hi eric,
I wonder why you have 2 output. Is it possible make it 1" output? Also, the injector(make bubbles) is traight 1/2 " hole or it is cap and drill to many small size holes? Thanks.vn
I wonder why you have 2 output. Is it possible make it 1" output? Also, the injector(make bubbles) is traight 1/2 " hole or it is cap and drill to many small size holes? Thanks.vn
eric4usa
Member
2 output tubes was a goof up
I originally had one, hooked it up and realized the water doesn't drain as fast as it's pumped in cuz it's just gravity pulling the water out and not presurized from a pump.
So i added a 2nd output tube and the draining water could then keep up with the input.
I probably should have just used a single larger pipe but this was really a build as you go experiment with no plans whatsoever.
The bubble fitting is manufactured.
Not sure if you can see in the picture but it narrows the diameter of the tube (speeding up the water), the air tube joins at the narrowest point, then after that it widens back up again.
The higher speed of the water sucks in the air.
I originally had one, hooked it up and realized the water doesn't drain as fast as it's pumped in cuz it's just gravity pulling the water out and not presurized from a pump.
So i added a 2nd output tube and the draining water could then keep up with the input.
I probably should have just used a single larger pipe but this was really a build as you go experiment with no plans whatsoever.
The bubble fitting is manufactured.
Not sure if you can see in the picture but it narrows the diameter of the tube (speeding up the water), the air tube joins at the narrowest point, then after that it widens back up again.
The higher speed of the water sucks in the air.
vincent843
New Member
Thanks eric. Any more thought that you would change to make it better?vn.
gollus
Member
thanks a lot for posting this, I was wondering how effective the skimmer is? To make it more effective you only need to increase the contact time the air has with the bubbles, not sure how to do this, and you probably already knew it, but just trying to get the brain juices flowing.
Ok I want to build one, but I need the venturi device, I have a pump sitting around doing nothing currently. Any ideas where i could get one or how to build one?
Ok I want to build one, but I need the venturi device, I have a pump sitting around doing nothing currently. Any ideas where i could get one or how to build one?
eric4usa
Member
Yeah that red "venturi" fitting could be elusive.
I'm pretty sure a simple "T" fitting would work as long as, on the T fitting, the input for the air tube is smaller than the straight through part.
It just might not be as efficient at making bubbles.
There's 2 keys to skimmers:
1) Maximum TIME for air bubbles to be suspended in the water collumn for protien to stick to. (height of skimmer)
2) Maximum amount of BUBBLES for protien to stick to.
If you've looked at the best skimmer out there (Euroreef), it is the best due to a custom needle wheel impeller on the pump that makes tons of tiny tiny bubbles by injecting the air BEFORE the pump, then the pump impeller ripps it appart with little spinning metal spikes.
My skimmer has a decent height, like 18" of water and it's width allows a huge swirl for the bubbles to slowly rise in.
It makes about a 2 litre bottle of waste a week on my 300gal.
The only way to increase it's productivity is to increase the amount of bubbles.
I'd reccomend to you, and I might try it myself, to take your existing pump and try to attach an air tube to the pump INPUT.
Play around with how the bubbles will be produced in a sink or something as this is the hard part. Actually building the skimmer is much easier.
I'm pretty sure a simple "T" fitting would work as long as, on the T fitting, the input for the air tube is smaller than the straight through part.
It just might not be as efficient at making bubbles.
There's 2 keys to skimmers:
1) Maximum TIME for air bubbles to be suspended in the water collumn for protien to stick to. (height of skimmer)
2) Maximum amount of BUBBLES for protien to stick to.
If you've looked at the best skimmer out there (Euroreef), it is the best due to a custom needle wheel impeller on the pump that makes tons of tiny tiny bubbles by injecting the air BEFORE the pump, then the pump impeller ripps it appart with little spinning metal spikes.
My skimmer has a decent height, like 18" of water and it's width allows a huge swirl for the bubbles to slowly rise in.
It makes about a 2 litre bottle of waste a week on my 300gal.
The only way to increase it's productivity is to increase the amount of bubbles.
I'd reccomend to you, and I might try it myself, to take your existing pump and try to attach an air tube to the pump INPUT.
Play around with how the bubbles will be produced in a sink or something as this is the hard part. Actually building the skimmer is much easier.