DIY cone pyramid skimmer

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cool. nice job. how about a full shot. what size is your tank? how about the bioload? ie # and size of fish... and how do you think this skimmer is holding up to the nutrient export demands of your system? very nice build!!!
 
Thank you for your kind words.

I dont have enough space to take a wide angle shot of the whole skimmer - 24" tall (bad planning on my part). I'll take a full shot when I reconfigure it again.

Tank is about 155 gal total with Carlson surge flusher (old school). Bioload: 3 large purple tank (6"), 1 dominant sohal 9", 1 blue hippo 6", 3 marginatus wrasse-harem (3",3",4") + SPS + 300lbs of tonga.

As for nutrient export, with stabled adjustment of air, waterflow outlet and foam density - it about 75% of my AquaC 400 skimmer that uses 185 watts iwaki. This is my initial guess. It has been running for about 5 days.

Some adjustment are so dry and stiff that it managed to move the 5/8" acrylic lid with foam pushing thru three 0.5" holes. Other adjust are so wet that it overflow. I am looking for a stable medium like the pictured coffee skimate.

I can reduce the air intake to create a stable micro bubble column and reduce output flow but it increases the watts to about 44 watts. It ranges from 35 to about 45 watts with the air valve fully open to barely open.

BTW, the pump is a mesh mod with matala mat green.

My goal is to emulate the ATB design with the least amount of wattage consumed for the same amount of skimate as the AquaC 400.
 
Yes, that is based on the ATB pyramid because I can build it with all my garage shop tools. I am trying to figure out how to make or buy a cone shaped acrylic.

Slight accumulation on the pyramid corner of bubbles but it can be solved with proper adjustment and bubble plate design IMHO. Fabricating a cone will cost at least $200- quotes from 2 local store. Pyramid material cost me $3/lb - $15 for 1/8" thickness.

It was a mesh mod with matala green mat on the new Euro Maxijet 1800.

As for air flow - I don't have a dwyer airflow meter.

After reading all the info on RC and german forums; I thought air flow were really important measure. After the built, I am not so sure. In my case, air speed is crucial based on the sound it makes. To much air causes vibration, unstable foam - turbulance mix vs slightly laminar-micro bubble. Maybe my bubble plate design is off.

Bubble plate is tangent inlet with a 5" ring and a bunch of 1/16" holes. Air & water mix spins and exit the bubble plate.

Where can I get silicone orings sizes 2.25, 2.5, 3, 3.25 in?
 
Sakimaru8 said:
Bioload: 3 large purple tank (6"), 1 dominant sohal 9", 1 blue hippo 6", 3 marginatus wrasse-harem (3",3",4") + SPS + 300lbs of tonga.
Click to expand...

wait..... im callin' the tang police!!!:shock:
you have 3 6" purple tangs with a 9" sohal and a 6" blue in a 155g???
you do realize these fish travel 20 miles a day in the wild and that that size tank is WAAAAY too small for that many tangs...yes?? :rolleyes:

mkay, back on topic...off the top of my head, i'd say the neck of your skimmer is too small. do you know the lph of air your putting through it?
if your going to have such a large bioload in such a small tank and have sps, you are going to have to soup up that skimmer a little :) and you really should use the enkamat mesh, it's much better...
i'd say mod a sicce psk2500 pump, and somehow see if you cant use a wider neck, (you would most likely have to cut the reaction chamber down a hair to make the neck bigger, it looks like...) you will need at least 4" more like 5" for the amount of air a sicce will pull
 
Sakimaru8 said:
Yes, that is based on the ATB pyramid because I can build it with all my garage shop tools. I am trying to figure out how to make or buy a cone shaped acrylic.

Slight accumulation on the pyramid corner of bubbles but it can be solved with proper adjustment and bubble plate design IMHO. Fabricating a cone will cost at least $200- quotes from 2 local store. Pyramid material cost me $3/lb - $15 for 1/8" thickness.

It was a mesh mod with matala green mat on the new Euro Maxijet 1800.

As for air flow - I don't have a dwyer airflow meter.

After reading all the info on RC and german forums; I thought air flow were really important measure. After the built, I am not so sure. In my case, air speed is crucial based on the sound it makes. To much air causes vibration, unstable foam - turbulance mix vs slightly laminar-micro bubble. Maybe my bubble plate design is off.

Bubble plate is tangent inlet with a 5" ring and a bunch of 1/16" holes. Air & water mix spins and exit the bubble plate.

Where can I get silicone orings sizes 2.25, 2.5, 3, 3.25 in?
Click to expand...

some pics of the new maxijet would be great, i've been waiting to mesh one of these things...the impellar well looked much larger than normal for the gph.

and i think your air wouldnt have to be throttled back so much if the neck issue was addressed, it would make a more stable, controllable foam head. pics of the bubble plate too would be great, if you think there are issues, it sounds pretty straight forward though...

hmmm, good luck on the silicone rings, you'll just have to make them yourself, or go to mclendons to use regular rubber if you can, they will make them any size you want.
im digging up a link to how to build a cone that hahnmeister posted on RC a year or so ago.
 
Sakimaru8 said:
Yes, that is based on the ATB pyramid because I can build it with all my garage shop tools. I am trying to figure out how to make or buy a cone shaped acrylic.
Click to expand...

Cones are expensive. Ive tried everyone local and got the same quotes. Polyfab is a big company but they will not do a cone for a one off. I'd suspect that is who one of the makers is using. I heard through the grapevine (lfs owner) someone is making them for diyers and import skimmer upgrades. I cant figure out who it is or when they will be out for sure but he says there is already a web site but I havent found it yet.

Don
 
I have had the tangs for almost 10 years in the tank. Bought them wholesale when they were cute 1.5" long. Probably $2000 worth of food by now.

Yep, the neck is too small. But that is all that was available in the remnant section of the local plastic store. $30 for 3' of 2.25" clear blue tube. Cutting and size availability was out of my budget for the neck.

I am planning to build a 2nd one: 10" base, 6" bubble ring, 16" tall pyramid, 3.5" neck 11" tall for now. A bunch of acrylic tubes is on its way. The neck ring build is going to be a pain and I still need to find a silicone ring. Might lathe a uhmw oring (not sure on how).

As for pump, I have 4 -laguna 5000 (85watts). That is where the budget for this built went. Red dragon mod based on RC data. Sicce hard to get parts as far as my google search.
 
you got it don..
http://www.polyfab.biz/plastic_cones_fabricate.htm
at least they tell you how to do it :)

i would avoid this design of smaller pyramid reaction chamber w/long neck...
make it just like you see ATB doing, with a larger reaction chamber and wider,shorter neck, it will work better:)
and what parts for sicce are you looking for, they arent that hard to find, and you can use some pentair quiet one 3000 parts for them as well, like the volute, and impellar. but yes, a small laguna for a larger body would be awesome!! then were talking like 6" neck...:)

also, from the one pic it looks like you made a larger volute for your maxijet, yes?? what is the normal gph for that pump?
 
Yes, larger volute mod with 1.5" fitting. Lathe down and added oring cut. Then clamp after thought. I'll incorporate it next time. Maxijet 1800 mod with also fit the 3000. 1800lph - 474gph & 3000lph - 774gph.

I am stuck with the laguna 5000 mod since I have 4 of them. Red Dragon Mod per BK and and ATB airstar. Laguna 5000lph - 1600gph.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1094749&perpage=25&pagenumber=25

i would avoid this design of smaller pyramid reaction chamber w/long neck...
make it just like you see ATB doing, with a larger reaction chamber and wider,shorter neck, it will work better
Click to expand...

Yes, that is correct but flowrate is the determinant. Flowrate is volume over time Q=V/t. If I increase height and width I'll get the adjustment. I plenty of 3/16" acrylic to prototype.
 
Last edited:
Sikimaru8, nice build. The only problem i see with it is the body to neck transition. In a cone skimmer there cannot be a transition like you have. That pretty much defeats the purpose imo. The advantages are the smooth transition and the less backpressure on the pump due to cone shape. This also make the foam head less turbulent. But if you have the cone meet a transition, it defeats the purpose. You'll still have the other advantages, but your missing the big one! I'm sure it'll still work well though.
 
luke33 said:
In a cone skimmer there cannot be a transition like you have. The advantages are the smooth transition and the less backpressure on the pump due to cone shape.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your suggestion, I will include smoother transition in my next build. I can adjust the bubble flow to laminar (non-turbulant) by messing with the air intake. I think I can retro the current one but it will be a little messy.
 
I would like to buy a cone skimmer....no one in Hawaii stocks them...bummers
 
Sakimaru8 said:
Thank you for your suggestion, I will include smoother transition in my next build. I can adjust the bubble flow to laminar (non-turbulant) by messing with the air intake. I think I can retro the current one but it will be a little messy.
Click to expand...


Yep, i think if you do that you'll see alot more sewage! Would like to follow that build too!
 
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