Bored! So lets design a Skimmer!

[ksed]

Any updates!

 

[Sasquatch]

Any updates!

ok lol, I modded my skimmer to try and arrive at the design criteria and result was very dark,very smelly skimmate, production is way down so for this unit ... needs more work, recirc seems to be really cutting back the bubbles even though they are in motion a lot longer,so Im waiting a bit to see someone elses attempt and playing with another style

 

[TheKraken]

Dear Sas,

Do you have any pictures? I need to do my build some day and was waiting for the next generation of design. I finished Escobol and he is big on diameter over height.

I have 2 carboys in the garage.

 

[Guerry]

I've been working on building skimmer that should cover the basic rules of propper skimming. I still have to build the collection cup but here's what it looks like so far

 

[Sasquatch]

Dear Sas,

Do you have any pictures? I need to do my build some day and was waiting for the next generation of design. I finished Escobol and he is big on diameter over height.

I have 2 carboys in the garage.

most interesting! What Ive found now from fiddleing about is if I shut off the feed pump Im getting a really nice thick foam head, soon as it starts climbing the column it falls off drastically, I will be cutting it down quite a bit and will supply pics then ok?

 

[Sasquatch]

I've been working on building skimmer that should cover the basic rules of propper skimming. I still have to build the collection cup but here's what it looks like so far

Real nice! I think the separate air supply may be just the ticket for tall skimming as it will not be impacted like a n/w

 

[Guerry]

thanks, we will see I'm going to use overflow water to feed skimmer then recric. to get the bombardment. flow thrue skimmer should be alittle over 200 gph and recric. is around 250gph

 

[Skimmy]

skimmer looks great guerry... love the recirc'ed eheim!
im wondering if you've seen the small pore ceramic airstones,
im thinking you would like them better because they need less changing/cleaning than wood airstones,
and can be cleaned up to like new with muratic acid.
alot of folks make a nifty pvc manifold for their ceramic airstones that is easy to access and change out of the skimmer body.
Aquatic Eco-Systems: Koi - Sweetwater® Generation II Diffusers
Aquatic Eco-Systems: Lake Management - Small Pond Diffuser Manifold

i personally would love to see a recirculating cone skimmer with bubble plate, and a manifold of sweetwater air diffusers, and a nicely powered external air pump.
then to add flavor, i would do it with hex shaped pieces for bottom plate and trim, and a smokey purple cone body,
like you see here:
Custom Avast Marine media reactors are magically delicious

that would be a badass skimxor.

 

[Guerry]

thanks, yes I've been looking into the glass airstones but have been told to avoid the sweetwater and that Aquatic Eco-systems is suppose to have a much better stone just not listed on their web page. I bought the cheap wood ones to test with and if everything works as well as I plan then I will purchase a couple of nice sets.

 

[ksed]

Guerry

Looks good!
Why did you go with Uni seals around the fittings as opposed to gluing the seals?
Aren't they more prone to leaks as well?

 

[Guerry]

Thanks, I haven't seen where those where prone to leak so didn't know that. I wonder if the leak problem comes from impropper installation

 

[Skimmy]

thanks, yes I've been looking into the glass airstones but have been told to avoid the sweetwater and that Aquatic Eco-systems is suppose to have a much better stone just not listed on their web page. I bought the cheap wood ones to test with and if everything works as well as I plan then I will purchase a couple of nice sets.

im curious, what was the issue with the sweetwater diffusors???
granted, when they were super popular it was like 10 years ago, so im not suprised to hear of something better,
but i was unaware of any negative effects from using them.

 

[mojoreef]

Yea the sweetwater bubbles are a little to big. A couple of things on the design: On the airstones you dont want hem pointing up like that you want them horizontal with one of the corners or the square pointing up. This allows for more area for air bubbles to rise up and cover water molecules coming down, that make sence? YOu also wouldnt need to go recirc on an airstone skimmer as you can control the contact time by water coming in and going out, really as you mentioned you dont even need a feed pump as you could divert from you drain line. If you were say to take out you current configuration for your stones (including that cup like setup?) and then just put some kind of a plate for the stones to sit on in a horizontal set up

SO if your trying to come close to mine, here is how I did it.

So on the left you have the input from a drain line, right is the output of the skimmer ( I run a carbon chamber on mine because I use heavy ozone) The small input on the top right is where the air line comes in.

This picture was done on an early model that I was trying to retro fit but I wanted to use it to show you the position I was talking about with the stones.

 

[mojoreef]

im curious, what was the issue with the sweetwater diffusors???
granted, when they were super popular it was like 10 years ago, so im not suprised to hear of something better,
but i was unaware of any negative effects from using them.

The Sweetwaters are not bad their just not the best you can get, the pore size is slightly larger then similar models. Also right now you have a whole new entry of small pore membranes which I am kind of playing with right now.


Mojo

 

[Sasquatch]

well well, I be happy today! came home and reduced height of the body by 6.5 inches, cleaned up, reinstalled and not really tuned in yet, after 2 hrs you can see the riser neck is very dirty! and it was really clean when it went on, running a bit dry right now until it settles in, this is the best this skimmer has ever done, can't wait to see what the airstones do.

intake for recirc is about 3 '' below bubble box, draws quite a bit of bubble down from the body

 

[mojoreef]

SAS I need you to tell what does what in this skimmer??

Mike

 

[Sasquatch]

6''dia x6'' tall mix chamber with bubble plate, fed by meshwheel thats recirc'd below the mix chamber, fresh feed is above the mix chamber by mj 1200.
What I can't figure but am guessing at is the meshwheel pump is a closed loop? yet the higher the water column the less air is drawn, pump depth is constant and water column rises above sump height, where is the reduction happening at? If the pump is set up to run as the only pump (draw water from sump) it pushes to the top of the body no problem and tons of air.
Mojo your idea is sound, Ive had several skimmers I made like this but always recirc'd from the upper body, this is different.

 

[rayjay]

After reading all these posts in this thread, my head is spinning. I'm glad my skimmers were already built before I read this or I don't know what I'd have come up with.
I went for simplicity and effectiveness and didn't worry about size or looks. It's not a pretty or as large as the "Boomer" skimmer but it does work well.

 

[mojoreef]

I went for simplicity and effectiveness and didn't worry about size or looks.

I hear ya Ray and that is why I started this thread. It seems now days that skimmers are only doing so much for us on an export point of view, as in around 30% removal of TOC's and are missing most of the protiens their were originally invented to take care of. Then you add in the price tags and it would seem you get alot less now days for alot more in terms of money.

OK SAS so if I am looking at it correctly then water from the recirc is going into that cup like thing? So where is the water from the recirc going back in?? also the open tee is the water in from sump correct?


Mojo

 

[Skimmy]

The Sweetwaters are not bad their just not the best you can get, the pore size is slightly larger then similar models. Also right now you have a whole new entry of small pore membranes which I am kind of playing with right now.


Mojo

excellent... got a link?