Diy protein skimner

Chris kindley · Feb 29, 2016

I have searched on here with no luck. I have searched internet/YouTube also with no luck besides 16 ounce water bottles and an air stone. I have a 4 inch 6 foot long clear pvc pipe. I want to make my own skimmer. Does anyone have a good idea how to do so? Thanks!

mcarroll · Feb 29, 2016

If you look through his posts, @Paul B runs a nice big DIY

cope413 · Mar 2, 2016

Do you, by chance, have a 3D printer, or know someone who does? If so, there's a design on thingiverse you can print. It uses a 2 liter bottle that you cut to shape, but other than that, it's all printable.

Chris kindley · Mar 2, 2016

I don't. But thanks.

Paul B · Mar 3, 2016

I made this 5' one quite a few years ago. It's made with all off the shelf parts and probably cost 20 or 30 bucks to build not counting the two pumps it needs to operate. It may be a little complicated to make a build thread.

Chris kindley · Mar 3, 2016

Funny thing. I was just googling diy skimmer and came across your post on reef tank.com with this exact picture. What is the venturi valve you were talking about ?

redfishbluefish · Mar 3, 2016

I just googled "DIY water bottle skimmer" and got a crap-load of hits. The issue with these skimmers is that it needs a high output air pump that cost you $80-$100. By then, you can purchase a small HOB skimmer.

erk · Mar 3, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
I just googled "DIY water bottle skimmer" and got a crap-load of hits. The issue with these skimmers is that it needs a high output air pump that cost you $80-$100. By then, you can purchase a small HOB skimmer.

I'm using a cheap 20-30 dollar petco air pump and it is working great on my water bottle skimmer. I did use one of those super tall propel bottles to get a large reaction chamber. Gives me a lot of foam and it's not very wet.

Chris kindley · Mar 3, 2016

How large of tank?

erk · Mar 3, 2016

Chris kindley said:
How large of tank?

I'm running the diy skimmer on a 25 gal tub.

Chris kindley · Mar 3, 2016

How well would that work on a 90 gal?

erk · Mar 3, 2016

Chris kindley said:
How well would that work on a 90 gal?

Depends on the bioload. Mine is doing a pretty good job at keeping NO3 down. I also dose vodka. On a 90 gal, I'd scale it up. When I get home, I'll take a picture and get some dimensions. You'll also need a much more powerful air pump if you do air powered or buy a power head and mod the impeller to chop up the air bubbles.

Chris kindley · Mar 3, 2016

erk said:
Depends on the bioload. Mine is doing a pretty good job at keeping NO3 down. I also dose vodka. On a 90 gal, I'd scale it up. When I get home, I'll take a picture and get some dimensions. You'll also need a much more powerful air pump if you do air powered or buy a power head and mod the impeller to chop up the air bubbles.

I have a pump off an old skimmer. I just don't get how the plumbing works. I get how to get the water in, just don't know how it comes out.

Chris kindley · Mar 3, 2016

erk said:
Depends on the bioload. Mine is doing a pretty good job at keeping NO3 down. I also dose vodka. On a 90 gal, I'd scale it up. When I get home, I'll take a picture and get some dimensions. You'll also need a much more powerful air pump if you do air powered or buy a power head and mod the impeller to chop up the air bubbles.

I'm also just setting this tank up. So as of now I don't have any bioload.

erk · Mar 3, 2016

Chris kindley said:
I'm also just setting this tank up. So as of now I don't have any bioload.

You need an exit pipe with a valve to control the water level. The location of the exit pipe should probably be as close to the bottom as possible.

Paul B · Mar 3, 2016

Chris kindley said:
Funny thing. I was just googling diy skimmer and came across your post on reef tank.com with this exact picture. What is the venturi valve you were talking about ?

My venture valve is a barb fitting with a restriction put in and a small air tube bust before the restriction

beaslbob · Mar 3, 2016

Chris kindley said:
Funny thing. I was just googling diy skimmer and came across your post on reef tank.com with this exact picture. What is the venturi valve you were talking about ?

A venturi (if I guess right) and a "necked down" area of a tube which results in higher speed flow at the minimum area. If you put a tube there with access to air, it will suck in the air creating bubbles. Same thing happens in a carburetor only the liquid is gas from the fuel tank and the venturi is running air being sucking into the engine.

I hope that is close enough.

Perhaps Paul can comment if that is close enough.

Paul B · Mar 3, 2016

That is exactly how it works. But my skimmer is so tall that I need an air pump to send air to the venture as the vacuum created will never be enough to suck air so far down the water column.

bobman · Mar 3, 2016

This is not exactly DIY as I started with a skimmer than I modded the crap out of but it may give you some ideas it is also a venturi skimmer. I got the venturis from life reef for 32 bucks each runs 2Xmag 9.5 pumps that I think are a little over kill might try mag 7 pumps next time.

The skimmer was 10 inches in diameter and I glued a 4" piece of PVC in the middle then drilled 3 holes into the skimmer and PVC. This is so I could run the 2 pumps as recirculating pumps and have the third hook to my overflow from my tank saving the need for a feed pump and have them pump into the PVC then got a plate with a bunch of hole and glued it to the top of the PVC making a bubble plate. Then drilled 2 more hole into the skimmer but not the PVC for the suction of the pumps. Works well but is not fully operational yet as the tank will finally be filled up hopefully tonight

Skimmer when I started

Bubble plate almost complete

Completed (pumps with ventuis is not hoked up but the skimmer is complete

Hope this gives you some ideas

bobman · Mar 3, 2016

Forgot to add you can get some nice rubber seals to seal the pipes into the PVC from aquacave for just a couple bucks. Just google ASM skimmer Uniseals