DIY skimmer

Reef-junky · Jan 4, 2018

Skydvr said:
I say it depends on what you want out of it, the size of your system, and your setup overall.

The thick acrylic tubing and custom formed tubing is what really drives the cost (whether from actual cost or percieved cost by the consumer) and makes it seem too difficult and expensive to home build. Not to say that there isn't a lot of craftsmanship that goes into them, I just imagine the profit margins are very comfortable on those compared to a lot of other reef related products. The fancy motors or needlewheels are not necessary either. They are great if you are limited to putting the skimmer under a short stand though.

If you have the filtration in the basement, fishroom, have a taller stand, or what have you, a counter current air driven skimmer can be far more efficient than the modern commercial designs. You could even cheaply build a couple shorter or narrower ones to fit a tight or custom spot. They don't typically need to sit in the sump, so behind the stand.
I know of some people with counter current skimmers that have been running them for decades and only utilize them a few hours a day because they will strip too much from the water column otherwise.

Aquatic Systems Engineering by Escobal (don't let the name turn you off, it is less that 1/2" thick and not overly technical, it is approachable for most people) band Dynamic Aquaria (an actual water systems textbook) have a bunch of stuff on air driven counter skimmers. Probably a bunch of stuff online too if you can dig back that far. Other than the nano/pico crowd, most people have shifted over the the more expensive fancier looking designs for convenience, space limitations, or because it is he newest prettiest fanciest gadget with mirical promises [not to devalue their actual value and merit].

Very insightful

Thanks

Reef-junky · Jan 4, 2018

Mandelstam said:
Happened to see this skimmer on a report from MACNA. A square design like this will probably be a lot easier and cheaper to build diy than the conical/cylindrical.

https://reefbuilders.com/2017/08/28/titanium-square-skimmer-from-macro-aqua/

Yeah in another thread someone posted a skimmer they made that's similar. However most people use pvc from what I've seen. No matter what I do it's going to be an external skimmer. Not really a fan of air stones which it seems a lot of the DIY skimmers use. Max height I could go would be 23 to 22 inches.

Reef-junky · Jan 4, 2018

I could probably make this skimmer.

bobman · Jan 4, 2018

Thats actually a nice looking build for DIY.

As far as skimmers I have not built one from scratch but I have got a lot of old skimmer bodies for cheap and DIYed them back to life. ASM skimmers are by far the easiest to do. Take a look at lifereef skimmers they are expensive but the design is very simple and would be easy to make yourself. You dont have to use an airstone either if you wanted an external skimmer. Again look at lifereefs venturi I bought a few of them from lifereef they run about $30 but it is basically just a restriction with a hose attachment not much to it and would be simple to make with basic plumbing fitting at home depot. In fact if I didnt already own some from lifereef I would make them from here on out knowing what it actually is but they are virtually indestructible so I doubt I will even need to replace them. This also allows you to use any pump of your choosing instead of having to use a needle wheel or such pump that get expensive.

For external skimmers I run nothing else. It leaves me able to maximize the sump space for the largest refugium I can fit. Basically first chamber is just large enough to hold a filter sock with a pump for the skimmer (or bulkhead for the pump to be external to which ever works for your setup). Then the refugium then a small chamber for the return pump. This from my experience is the best option for nutrient control that I have found for my tanks.

The best advise I can give on a DIY skimmer is carefully plan out what you want to do and price out the supplies carefully then add 20% to account for things you didnt think about during the planning stage. There is always something. The reason for this is I have built many many skimmers (using old skimmer bodies I got cheap/free) and when all is said and done you honestly dont really save that much over just waiting and getting a decent used skimmer that is plug and play. Especially if you have to buy a pump. Take the DIY skimmer pictured above for example it is running a bubble blaster pump which is probably the bast skimmer pump on the market IMO but that pump can run you $150-$300 depending on the size for just the pump. That still dont account for the materials needed. There are some other advantages though as you can build a skimmer to fit your needs instead building the system to fit a skimmer in most cases. Plus the options you have are endless like recirculating options and such.

Reef-junky · Jan 4, 2018

bobman said:
Thats actually a nice looking build for DIY.

As far as skimmers I have not built one from scratch but I have got a lot of old skimmer bodies for cheap and DIYed them back to life. ASM skimmers are by far the easiest to do. Take a look at lifereef skimmers they are expensive but the design is very simple and would be easy to make yourself. You dont have to use an airstone either if you wanted an external skimmer. Again look at lifereefs venturi I bought a few of them from lifereef they run about $30 but it is basically just a restriction with a hose attachment not much to it and would be simple to make with basic plumbing fitting at home depot. In fact if I didnt already own some from lifereef I would make them from here on out knowing what it actually is but they are virtually indestructible so I doubt I will even need to replace them. This also allows you to use any pump of your choosing instead of having to use a needle wheel or such pump that get expensive.

For external skimmers I run nothing else. It leaves me able to maximize the sump space for the largest refugium I can fit. Basically first chamber is just large enough to hold a filter sock with a pump for the skimmer (or bulkhead for the pump to be external to which ever works for your setup). Then the refugium then a small chamber for the return pump. This from my experience is the best option for nutrient control that I have found for my tanks.

The best advise I can give on a DIY skimmer is carefully plan out what you want to do and price out the supplies carefully then add 20% to account for things you didnt think about during the planning stage. There is always something. The reason for this is I have built many many skimmers (using old skimmer bodies I got cheap/free) and when all is said and done you honestly dont really save that much over just waiting and getting a decent used skimmer that is plug and play. Especially if you have to buy a pump. Take the DIY skimmer pictured above for example it is running a bubble blaster pump which is probably the bast skimmer pump on the market IMO but that pump can run you $150-$300 depending on the size for just the pump. That still dont account for the materials needed. There are some other advantages though as you can build a skimmer to fit your needs instead building the system to fit a skimmer in most cases. Plus the options you have are endless like recirculating options and such.

Thanks

All good stuff to think about.

Dr.Xipoles · Jan 13, 2018

Ive always had the idea of building my own low cost efficient hob skimmer.
Ive done a ton of research and this is the best efficient HOB I could come up with.
Designed in SketchUp.

Roughly $60 in parts but as efficient as a $200+ skimmer.

2, 3, or even 4 in pvc can be is used.
Design uses 2 in pvc.

*Efficiency:
Air is supplied via tetra whisper 150 = roughly 37 gph which is more than most hobs can boast.
Skim tower is tall for maximum dwell time.
Skimmer is counter current to increase contact time.

Blue arrow is water intake from tank via mini pump.(Inlet will be small enough not to allow bubbles through)
Red arrow is water out of the skimmer.
Green arrow is skimmate out of the skimmer.
Brown square is wooden air stone.
Yellow bar is a union for removal and cleaning.

Skydvr · Jan 14, 2018

I'd havethe section below the inlet longer and the aitstone lower.
You need the air bubbles in contact with the water for a significant time, notjust making a bunch of foam near the surface. You would wany to set the intake flow rate just below the point where bubbles are being pushed out of the outlet, or so that only a small amount are being pushed out. Since the tubing will be opaque, this will be the closest you can get to ensuring you have the longest dwell time and highest bombardment rate.

Reef-junky · Jan 14, 2018

Yeah not a fan of HOB anything or air stones for that matter. In fact my goal is quite the opposite it's to get as much equipment out and off the tank as possible. Due to the cost of the pump and the material I wouldn't really be saving that much money to make a skimmer the way I would want to so I decided to just buy one.

Skydvr · Jan 14, 2018

I've got a few ideas bouncing around inside my head for a while now. I've been contemplating making basswood disks (quite porous like limewood, but may be longer lasting) that would be retained at the bottom of the skimmer chamber to give a better distribution of bubbles in the chamber.

I also want to do some experiments with using a venturi as an airpump to feed an air driven countercurrent skimmer and run the same skimmer design feeding directly with the venturi to see if there is a noticable difference in the performance.

joekool · Jan 14, 2018

Just build it. Easy.

joekool · Jan 14, 2018

Feed pump Counter current. Recirc needle wheel pump. Boom skimmer.

Reactor size chamber is key. I'l hi d and post back all the info for sizing etc.

Mark Derail · Jan 14, 2018

I absolutely LOVE my Reef Octopus 202-S, so much that in the store, I had to pick it up to show my GF how awesome it was.
...
That's when
...
Since I had grabbed it by the "cup" from the bottom shelf of the LFS, I had to bring it up in the air.
...
Just as my GF turned to me, the "cup" separated from the "body". Ever seen a LFS with a floor that's not concrete or ceramic tiles?
...
The "body" bounced around a lot - it fell from about four feet - and my heart stopped.
...
Right behind my GF is the cashier - and owner - of the LFS. She gave my 20% off the sticker of 499$, since I was buying some 200$+ of cleanup crew and fish.
...
My most expensive LFS visit ever.
...
It took me 2+ weeks reassembling all the acrylic pieces together with the appropriate cement.
...
...
TL;DR - I picked up a skimmer by the wrong end, it fell and shattered, the adage "If you break it, you buy it".
My DIY plan was quickly modified to a jigsaw puzzle.

gar732 · Jan 14, 2018

I’ve built a couple skimmers and can say that unless you have pumps and materials just laying around it’s really not worth it. By the time I was done purchasing everything I needed to get it running I could have bought a used quality skimmer. I also could have built it less expensive but I wanted something that looked store bought. I did enjoy building it but I buy my skimmers now. Here is my thread from when I first built it https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-diy-skimmer-so-far-some-input-please.50938/ and here are some pics of version 2.0, made it recirculating and made a custom non directional volute for a psk-2500

Reef-junky · Jan 15, 2018

gar732 said:
I’ve built a couple skimmers and can say that unless you have pumps and materials just laying around it’s really not worth it. By the time I was done purchasing everything I needed to get it running I could have bought a used quality skimmer. I also could have built it less expensive but I wanted something that looked store bought. I did enjoy building it but I buy my skimmers now. Here is my thread from when I first built it https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-diy-skimmer-so-far-some-input-please.50938/ and here are some pics of version 2.0, made it recirculating and made a custom non directional volute for a psk-2500

Yeah that's pretty much what I found. I would only be saving a couple hundred dollars vs just buying the one I want new. Plus all the messing around I would have to do to get it to work totally not worth it.

Reef-junky · Jan 15, 2018

joekool said:
Just build it. Easy.

It's a question of cost not if I can build it or not.

Reef-junky · Jan 15, 2018

Mark Derail said:
I absolutely LOVE my Reef Octopus 202-S, so much that in the store, I had to pick it up to show my GF how awesome it was.
...
That's when
...
Since I had grabbed it by the "cup" from the bottom shelf of the LFS, I had to bring it up in the air.
...
Just as my GF turned to me, the "cup" separated from the "body". Ever seen a LFS with a floor that's not concrete or ceramic tiles?
...
The "body" bounced around a lot - it fell from about four feet - and my heart stopped.
...
Right behind my GF is the cashier - and owner - of the LFS. She gave my 20% off the sticker of 499$, since I was buying some 200$+ of cleanup crew and fish.
...
My most expensive LFS visit ever.
...
It took me 2+ weeks reassembling all the acrylic pieces together with the appropriate cement.
...
...
TL;DR - I picked up a skimmer by the wrong end, it fell and shattered, the adage "If you break it, you buy it".
My DIY plan was quickly modified to a jigsaw puzzle.

I've had bad experiences with LFS giving bad advice. To be honest I don't really buy anything from LFS. I just don't see the need to when I can get a wider and cheaper selection online. I know tons of people say to support LFS but if they can't supply me with the latest equipment and come close to matching prices I don't see the point. That's just the way I feel I know people will disagree with me possibly even flame me for saying so but there's a reason these places are dying. Within less then a year 4 LFS by me have gone out of business.

Mark Derail · Jan 15, 2018

Reef-junky said:
I've had bad experiences with LFS giving bad advice. To be honest I don't really buy anything from LFS. I just don't see the need to when I can get a wider and cheaper selection online. I know tons of people say to support LFS but if they can't supply me with the latest equipment and come close to matching prices I don't see the point. That's just the way I feel I know people will disagree with me possibly even flame me for saying so but there's a reason these places are dying. Within less then a year 4 LFS by me have gone out of business.

Edit: I love my skimmer, because I foolishly broke it, bought & repaired it. So it's part DIY part "no choice but to love it".

When you can't find reefers in your area and not much online, you look for LFS. I agree, not that many out there. Most survive with selling food / salt / accessories and fresh water critters. I was fresh water for 7+ yrs before venturing marine.

Two of the LFS in my area (Montreal, QC Canada) one is mixed FW/SW and the other is SW exclusive, both have online stores and ship throughout Canada. So they are adapting.

My point in my post - don't touch anything unless you plan on buying it! Don't lift in the air the *most expensive* skimmer on the shelf. I was such a newb, just 5 months ago.

Reef-junky · Jan 15, 2018

That's my point there is nothing in a LFS that you can't find online. All I see is a bunch of outdated equipment and small selections at best. The closet decent LFS to me sells one type of dry rock and that's it. I can find 100 of different kinds online. That's just one example of many things. While they are good for a few odd things more often then not they don't have what I want or need. I will say I got a good deal on my tank from a pet store but for 99% of things I need I couldn't get them from that store. The two biggest suppliers have been online and the hardware store for me anyway. Amazon has a ton of stuff. I wish there was a one stop LFS that had everything. I would gladly shop there.

bobman · Jan 17, 2018

gar732 said:
I’ve built a couple skimmers and can say that unless you have pumps and materials just laying around it’s really not worth it. By the time I was done purchasing everything I needed to get it running I could have bought a used quality skimmer. I also could have built it less expensive but I wanted something that looked store bought. I did enjoy building it but I buy my skimmers now. Here is my thread from when I first built it https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-diy-skimmer-so-far-some-input-please.50938/ and here are some pics of version 2.0, made it recirculating and made a custom non directional volute for a psk-2500

By chance have you sold any of those skimmers? I have a skimmer I picked up for cheap to make an external skimmer and for the life of me I can figure out who makes it. But looking at this skimmer they are close to identical.