DIY Protien Skimmer
 

Looking to build a Protien Skimmer. I'm planning a 4" tube appx. 18" overall height. Let's see what you have to share.

Cheers

I will wish you good luck.. :thumbsup:

amazon has some nice examples :lol2::lol2::lol2:

but seriously i hope you are doing this purely for fun and NOT thinking you'll save money or make a more efficient model. DYI is mostly just for fun and something to do for myself.

If you have a 3d printer you will be able to have fun, make a better one than probably what is already on the market, for pennies on the dollar. If you don't have one, well, you can still make one, have fun, and get the job done.

Clevername - while I agree Amazon is nice, has are other sources, DYI is what one makes of it. My personal opinion is that my DIY LED lighting is better than anything on the market today for a fraction of the cost. But I do agree that some things are better left to over the counter purchase and not DYI :)

In currently in between tanks. I have a 20 gallon set up currently with a 10 gallon sump no Protien skimmer. My hope is to upgrade this coming year to a 40-50 gallon. I was hoping that a quick PVC build would get me through until I upgrade. I have access to unlimited PVC pipe just need a pump. Most of the Protien skimmer I like are too big for my sump and if I purchase a smaller Protien skimmer it would not be sufficient for my upgrade. This is my dilemma.

Tunze 9004, depending on bio load and what corals you plan to keep it will work for a 40-50 gal system. If you can't fit that in your sump make sure you build a larger skimmer area in your new setup. ;)

You seem to be assuming that you need a skimmer..
You don't..

I would not use one at all in a 20G system.. (nor would I have a sump on such a small tank either..)

water change alone are more than sufficient to take care of such a small tank..

But do what you want.. A simple airstone in a PVC pipe will do it.. or in a water bottle or whatever..

You probably don't need one. Having said that I run one on my 40 breeder that does not have a sump. If I had a sump I probably wouldn't run the skimmer to be honest. When I turn off the skimmer for a couple days a film will build up regardless of how much surface agitation I add. Skimmer on and it is gone. So it works. I run a CPR Bak Pak that I've had for years now and continues to work.

Post 326 in this thread will show you a 3d printed skimmer: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...r#post25211612

I built one from PVC almost 30 years ago. Simplest skimmer uses an airpump/airstone to provide the fractioning foam. PVC reducer on top to go from largest pvc to a smaller diameter. few inches of smaller diameter PVC into the reducer and then collection cup slid down over that small diam PVC to allow foam collection. You tune it by raising or lowering in the sump. if you have the airpump then this will only cost a few dollars.

Any pics or design information?

My main purpose for the sump to #1 to increase system volume for better perimeter controls, #2 to keep additional equipment if needed and #3 to maintain a cluster free display tank.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but on a 20gal system with no sump and no skimmer, would you run any filtration at all or just let the liverock/sand do it's thing?

Post #11 by Madfish83 gives a pretty good reason why a sump is nice. Smaller nano tanks may not allow a sump or have it build in via a false wall. In some of those cases you can put a small skimmer. Then again some of those small skimmers are nothing more than a power hog and are not great at skimming. So it sort of falls into what you plan on keeping and how good you are at taking care of it.

Based on my 40 breeder when I do not run my skimmer (CPU Bak Pak) I notice a film. When I run the skimmer there is no film. So it is helping to some degree outside of pulling the skim gunk out. You could always add a HoB filter and just run filter media and achieve something similar. You do not need a skimmer but there is value they add and it just depends if you can fit one in and what your future plans are.

Skimmers are great "learning" DIY projects. Even if your tank doesn't need one and you don't end up using the thing you build for any long term, it's a good learning process that's fairly harmless to the tank if you mess it up.

there in youtube this guys joey, he always is making thing, i saw a couple diy skimmers

Built a lot of DIY skimmers. Commercial models are over priced plastic.....but...commercial models have the optimum sizes down pact and this is their advantage. Their throat and reaction chamber sizes are designed to have the best efficiency.

You can make a skimmer as easily as using a 1 liter soda and a wooden air stone. The problem is moving it up and down, but this can be fixed by using a cleaning magnets to clamp it to the glass - in tank or sump - doesn't matter. What I've found is the 'throat' size of a skimmer has to be sized to airflow going through it. Too big and and 'dirty foam' won't stack, and too tight you just get wet foam.

A DIY down draft would be something I would try to build if I had the time. No reason you have to use round tubes either.