Diy skimmer

[GHOSTLY]

So the king of diy a long time ago made a diy skimmer with a pvc and water bottles. My question is if anyone knows how much this could skims and if it would be sufficient for a 35g

 

[GHOSTLY]

 

[UnderseaOddities]

More for freshwater @GHOSTLY imo
It looks like it would be inefficient for the wattage used and would probably over or under skim and give off microbubble which is a whole other issue

A diy marine skimmer would look more like this guy with a needle based pump and adjustable airflow to skim wet or dry depending on preference
And they only cost 69.99 us which is probably cheaper and more precise than something u can whip up in your garage and will be more efficient in wattage and will skim efficiently as long as you keep up on maintenance scrubbing the collection cup and emptying it in the sink 2x a day once in the morning and once at night and then scrubbing the collection cup after

Or this it could sit behind the weir in a aio or cube setup or in the sump but if you were to put this guy in the aio chamber it might not fit if u have a stock weir it would probably only fit in a custom interior overflow or aio kit and u may have to get a medium to large bioblock to raise it to desired water level

Or if u wanna avoid it all together u could run a hob and lose out on a small corner of tank space but some of these little guys pack a wallop



Just my 2 cents

 

[UnderseaOddities]

The only reason I would reccomend a diy skimmer is if u were looking to save money on a large commercial grade system 1200g or more with the sump

Like shown in this thread by fellow reefer @AlexG https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-protein-skimmer-for-1600gallon-system.251541/page-3

 

[GHOSTLY]

More for freshwater @GHOSTLY imo
It looks like it would be inefficient for the wattage used and would probably over or under skim and give off microbubble which is a whole other issue

A diy marine skimmer would look more like this guy with a needle based pump and adjustable airflow to skim wet or dry depending on preference
And they only cost 69.99 us which is probably cheaper and more precise than something u can whip up in your garage and will be more efficient in wattage and will skim efficiently as long as you keep up on maintenance scrubbing the collection cup and emptying it in the sink 2x a day once in the morning and once at night and then scrubbing the collection cup after

Or this it could sit behind the weir in a aio or cube setup or in the sump but if you were to put this guy in the aio chamber it might not fit if u have a stock weir it would probably only fit in a custom interior overflow or aio kit and u may have to get a medium to large bioblock to raise it to desired water level

Or if u wanna avoid it all together u could run a hob and lose out on a small corner of tank space but some of these little guys pack a wallop



Just my 2 cents

I would go with these options but some of them won't fit in my ato chambers. Each chamber is maybe only 4 or 5 inches across so these might be a bit bulky. I was looking at this one but it doesn't seem the best

 

[_sludgefactory]

How much do you make per hour and how much time do you think it will take you to cobble some trash together into a properly functioning protein skimmer? Are you really saving anything here by making you own?

 

[UnderseaOddities]

And even then it has to be precise as the water volume going into would be massive you would have to ensure mathematical precision with files gauges micrometers and efficient measurements with a tape measure a d possibly even acsess to a 3d printer and heat gun

 

[UnderseaOddities]

I would go with these options but some of them won't fit in my ato chambers. Each chamber is maybe only 4 or 5 inches across so these might be a bit bulky. I was looking at this one but it doesn't seem the best

What about one of those mini hobs? Like I posted above

That one for 69$ is a good buy it comes with needle impeller and suction cups to a corner

So it's more like an in tank skimmer not in sump or hob

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Its smaller than the one you had your eyes on

 

[UnderseaOddities]

You could even underspec and run something like this https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aquamaxx-nf-1-nano-protein-skimmer-in-sump.html

Aquamaxx has been a tried and true brand for years and sell one of the most affordable overflow boxes to date for anything under 50g

 

[_sludgefactory]

If I were to buy a new nano skimmer, which I may be soon for a new build, it would probably be one of the Bubble Magus hang on skimmers or one of those glass air stone skimmers. I've tried both the Fluval mini skimmer and the Ice Caps K1 and both sucked hard.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

You mean aio chambers? Not ato?
Lol. U can up the air pump and do dual air stones but this kind of skimmer prob won't do to well like others are saying. Please don't buy one of the $40> skimmers. They are Chinese crap.

Maybe a hang on back like the small small bubble magus or team rio?
D

 

[jda]

Wood air stone skimmers can work quite well... design matters so nobody can guess with that particular design. Some of them can work as well as a needle wheel and especially nano needle wheel skimmers. The skim mate can be dry, nasty and very potent.

However, those air stones do not last forever and are 6-10 dollars and probably need replaced every few months... so calculate that into your cost. If this is about money, then look for a high quality used skimmer.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

The glass reef tube skimmer sucks. The diameter of the tube is to small and after awhile it creates an air pocket rather than allowing water to enter the body of the skimmer.
My rant.
D

 

[_sludgefactory]

QQ1 Hang-On Back Skimmer - Bubble Magus

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

This is the one I was thinking for my 6 gallon. The only reason I am leaning this way is because I just bought the Bubble Magus Z8 for my Reefer 170 and it's a beast and super easy to tune.

 

[_sludgefactory]

The glass reef tube skimmer sucks. The diameter of the tube is to small and after awhile it creates an air pocket rather than allowing water to enter the body of the skimmer.
My rant.
D

Good to know, I will avoid them.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

It's a common misconception alot of the time we chase numbers or focus on this or this or that and think we need a huge mammoth skimmer and alot of the time our nutes will bottom out at some point and you wont wanna run your skimmer in anything under 50g maybe on a timer

Bc in a closed system like a cube or aio sumpless or even a hob along as you keep up on weekly or daily wc(whatever your method may be) you may not actually want a skimmer depending on you bioload

What's the point on spending all kinds of hard earned money on things like aminos plankton nutes additives etc etc if your just gonna skim them out of the water colum

As long as fish bioload is in check and n and p are within propper range and your keeping up in sucking out the detritus changing out carbon and doing weekly to bi weekly water changes at bate minimum and dosing when needed you might not even need a skimmer until n and p spike and you get something like a turf algae or cyano or hair outbreak


But it's all personal preference rember high light low nutes higher ph high flow

Low light high nutes lower ph medium flow

But at the end of the day it's all personal preference and what your trying to grow and achieve in your system

 

[GHOSTLY]

How much do you make per hour and how much time do you think it will take you to cobble some trash together into a properly functioning protein skimmer? Are you really saving anything here by making you own?

I'm a kid. I make about 0 a day. I make my money off flipping items and trying my luck in stocks

 

[GHOSTLY]

How much do you make per hour and how much time do you think it will take you to cobble some trash together into a properly functioning protein skimmer? Are you really saving anything here by making you own?

I'm a kid. I make about 0 a day. I make my money off flipping items and trying my luck in stocks

 

[GHOSTLY]

How about the k1 ice cap? Someones selling one for 70 and its nano sized