In-wall 380gal tank - cut out options

[karimwassef]

Skimmer running wet right now, not much waste for a 700 gallon system.

[Joel_155]

That's awesome. How did you put together your protein skimmer? Also did you make the Beckett or did you buy one online?

[karimwassef]

I made two of my own injectors with 1" penductors in a 2" PVC housing and a 1/2" air inlet.

They generate gallons of air. I put the expel hose into a bucket in my sink. The wet skimmate filled it and the air was being pushed out through the water so I could see how much was being injected.

I glued the acrylic with acrylic solvent.

[karimwassef]

The bond from PVC to acrylic was tougher. I used white epoxy putty to hold it in place (mechanical) and then used goop to create a watertight and semi-flexible joint.

An unexpected effect is that this large column inside my humid garage 'sweats' a little. So there's a small non-growing layer of freshwater around the base. It's not a leak because I let it dry and looked for any salt crystals after running for weeks this way - nothing.

I declined to actually taste it...

[karimwassef]

One more little DIY in there. I had an old premade skimmer that used bio balls for all injection. It was about 18" or 24" tall. I removed the top from the base and cut off the bioball pipes. I converted them into my outlet.

I put my skimmer (inlet, injectors, etc) in the middle with the old skimmer base underneath and the old skimmer body and top above.

Then I used the old outlet in the base to feed the re injection pump.

I can actually turn the air injection & re circulation off and the skimmer stays white with bubbles for minutes.

[Joel_155]

Do you have any video of it running? I'm not sure if you posted it before

[karimwassef]

I'll take one tonight. I'll also post the 3D drawings

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

[karimwassef]

I did add a line to the outside so it draws in fresh air

[karimwassef]

http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/ka...d09e3.mp4.html

[Joel_155]

Wow that thing is super tall!

[karimwassef]

It's ~12 foot total and the main column is 10ft.
Since the re circulation rate is 6000gph and the the pass through rate is ~1500gph, there is a 4x multiplier too making it effectively ~50ft of cross air/water scrubbing before the inlet water reaches the exit.

The bubbles are also very fine. It looks more like white smoke than a recognizable bubble.

It is a pain in maintenance though with the cup 11.5ft in the air.

[Joel_155]

Question for you on your Beckett injector? I'm in the process of modding my old cadlights TIA1150 to operate from an external pump (instead of one mounted in the base of the skimmer) and use a different venturi. I have a mazzei that I bought from them but I'm curious about a Beckett injector also. Did you buy your injector or make it?

[karimwassef]

No. I made it out of a penductor (available from a number of places for ~$15) and PVC.

Essentially, this is exactly how fire hose injectors are made for fire trucks- the 4 openings on the sides if a penductor suck air in as the water is forced through the restricted shape in the middle. It's essentially a super mixer and can be used to mix has into liquid or liquid into liquid.

So, I use an air inlet on one side to feed air into the opening.

The difference is that a venturi or mazzei injects some gas into the liquid. The penductor can inject 4x the gas to liquid ratio! In my case, I only use one side, so I get a little over 1:1 gas:liquid. Gas is compressible so it's not quite as high- so I think it's 1:1... but still massive air intake.

There is one penalty and that's the pump. You need a pressure pump, not a flow pump. That generates more heat and consumed more electricity but I think it's worth it.

I use two of them and recirculate 4x.

[karimwassef]

Post 313 shows the internals. It's a 2" T PVC with the penductor positioned so that the side of the T (with the air inlet) lines up with one of the openings. I could have used a PVC cross (+) to get 2x the gas - in retrospect. Or even a 6 way with 4 air inlets and 2 for the water in/out. Maybe a future experiment.

I used a 1" union coupler and a 2" union coupler to connect the water inlet and outlet. The air inlet is reduced to 3/4" and a valve so I can reduce the air intake.

I run the air intakes outside the house for fresh air.

[karimwassef]

I used epoxy putty to hold the pieces in place and then goop to seal them.

[karimwassef]

One more thing. This doesn't work below water level of the skimmer. It must be above the skimmer's waterline. That's why I raised them from the original design.

[karimwassef]

The air filled lines have to be pretty large so the bubbles stay as fine as possible until they're injected into the main column.

I inject both at the same level in the same direction but turned slightly up and to the side so they climb up the sides like a double helix.

After multiple circulations, the helix isn't visible but it's still there to create an even longer cross-flow path.

So - huge air volume, dual injected, multiple passes and 10' chamber. Overkill so I turn it off at night.

[karimwassef]

First recorded death - murder



I thought Arrow crabs were reef safe... Poor damsel