Protein Skimmer Creative Problem Solving

[veechoda]

Hey everyone,

So the nature center I work for has a custom built 160 gal touch tank. The problem with is, as with all the tanks at this place, it was horribly designed. (My thanks to Marine Eco Habitats & Living Color Aquariums)

The protein skimmer that came with the tank is an in sump, air stone driven model that would probably work for a 30 gal. Biggest problem in replacing it is available room. The sump itself is less than a foot tall and max water depth is roughly 5". I have plenty of space base wise but past the sump edge I only have 3-4" of room, and that's leaving space to remove a cup.

So I turn to you all for help. The closest I've found for my needs is the Tunze Master 2410, but I'm not sure I can provide the minimum 5.5" of water necessary. Any ideas on how to tackle this?

Any additional info can be provided as needed.

 

[Brew12]

The sump itself is less than a foot tall and max water depth is roughly 5". I have plenty of space base wise but past the sump edge I only have 3-4" of room, and that's leaving space to remove a cup.

Am I reading this correctly that you only have 15" to 16" of total height to work with from the bottom of the sump to whatever is above it?

The closest I've found for my needs is the Tunze Master 2410, but I'm not sure I can provide the minimum 5.5" of water necessary.

If the height of 19" will work, this skimmer says it can work in water levels as low as 3.9"

 

[veechoda]

You are reading it correctly. The design literally makes maintenance painful.
I'll include some pictures soon to show you what I'm working with.

 

[Orangezuk]

I'll have to measure, but I may have a solution.
I have a skimmer in the closet, that many would't use anymore. Then I thought of new ways to use it.

Here's the skinny. It's a ETSS downdraft skimmer, it's very short (I will have to measure) I ran it on a 120gal powered by a Danner Mag7, it worked very well.
I didn't think about it much till I was looking for a DC controllable return pump and thought about just your issue. That it could be the solution for very limited space, a very adjustable/controllable, high volume skimmer.
Figured I'd throw the idea out there & see what the thoughts were.
Pic is one close to what I have.

 

[veechoda]

As you can see it's a very aggravating space to work in. I'm not sure if they designed the openings for structural support or just imagined the people working on it would be much smaller.

The other side holds the pump, UV sterilizer and chiller (which was not serviced for 7 years before I came on and now breaks down once a month).

I'll have to measure, but I may have a solution.
I have a skimmer in the closet, that many would't use anymore. Then I thought of new ways to use it.

Here's the skinny. It's a ETSS downdraft skimmer, it's very short (I will have to measure) I ran it on a 120gal powered by a Danner Mag7, it worked very well.
I didn't think about it much till I was looking for a DC controllable return pump and thought about just your issue. That it could be the solution for very limited space, a very adjustable/controllable, high volume skimmer.
Figured I'd throw the idea out there & see what the thoughts were.
Pic is one close to what I have.

I actually run an ETSS in our main display, they're workhorses for sure, but the design is far from user friendly in regards to cleaning. My LFS had offered me one of the same model he had lying around, but 9/10 this tank is cleaned weekly by a volunteer who are more into their years than myself. So sadly I have to go for something they can easily remove the cup from and reinstall without me worrying about something going wrong.

If the height of 19" will work, this skimmer says it can work in water levels as low as 3.9"

I read through the manual online, everything in it said 5.5" min. If I can run it at 3.9" then that should work just fine.

 

[Brew12]

As you can see it's a very aggravating space to work in. I'm not sure if they designed the openings for structural support or just imagined the people working on it would be much smaller.

Wow.. I'm not even sure I would credit someone with "designing" those.

I read through the manual online, everything in it said 5.5" min. If I can run it at 3.9" then that should work just fine.

I did a search for the skimmer you mentioned and didn't notice it linked me to a different one. I should have paid more attention.

The Tunze DOC 9415 and 9430 say they can run down at 3.9"

With a height of just over 17" you may get the 9415 to work for you.