Diy Monster Skimmer For The 300g

[ikon]

i decided i needed to go big so i rigged up an old 3ft tall pool filter as a gravity fed skimmer for my 300g tank

it already had a threaded inlet and an outlet built in which made it work. all i did was drill a hole in the top dome plate big enough for a 2" pvc coupler to fit, then used a 2x4 pvc reducer upside down for the collection cup, drilled out the lip inside the reducer so that a 2" pipe could run straight through and create the spout in the collection cup.

the skimmer is fed from one of the drains straight from the tank with a valve to control flow. on the inlet pipe to the skimmer, i installed a tee inline and used a brass fitting with a nipple adapter, this would be connected to an air pump and would feed the bubbles into the water. the drain on the skimmer also has a valve to control the height of the bubbles in the spout. the collection cup is somewhat small but it is drilled with its own cup drain to a bigger bucket for waste.

right now i am waiting on the top dome glue to dry to get some pics of it in action. i already tested it by holding the dome down tightly and the bubbles were coming up the spout as should. here are some pics, please excuse the unsettled tank water!

 

[sianeds]

That looks really great Ikon.

I have been toying with the idea of a DIY skimmer as in principle they seem pretty simple. What airpump air you using?

 

[ikon]

right now the air pump isnt enough, im gonna run a bigger one

 

[superman]

Are you putting a needle wheel pump on it to chop up the large bubbles? With a big enough air pump you will have enough air injected, but the bubbles will be large and inconsistant. Will the collection cup be plumbed to a drain? Otherwise that collection cup is very small for such a large tank, you'd be cleaning it 2-3 times a day. Is there a good way of taking that skimmer apart? There will be a large amount of sediment build up at the bottom since it is plumbed directly with the drain. The brass nipple is probably not a good idea, brass is made of copper and zinc. As with any DIY you'll have a lot of tweaking, but with persistance you can have a good skimmer!

 

[ikon]

yes you can see the cup drain in the pics..

i decided i am going to drop a 350 gph powerhead inside the skimmer with a venturi (possibly hooked up to another air pump) and hopefully that will chop the bubbles a bit better, and create more

 

[Filmoholic]

your amazing!! every post you make just gets better and better!

 

[SkiFletch]

yes you can see the cup drain in the pics..

i decided i am going to drop a 350 gph powerhead inside the skimmer with a venturi (possibly hooked up to another air pump) and hopefully that will chop the bubbles a bit better, and create more

Interesting, I'd consider adding a recirculating pump and doing a meshwheel mod on it. Prolly get way more microbubbles that way

 

[superman]

yes you can see the cup drain in the pics..

i decided i am going to drop a 350 gph powerhead inside the skimmer with a venturi (possibly hooked up to another air pump) and hopefully that will chop the bubbles a bit better, and create more

Interesting, I'd consider adding a recirculating pump and doing a meshwheel mod on it. Prolly get way more microbubbles that way

My thoughts exactly.

 

[ikon]

today i did a little makeover on the skimmer. cut off the old top and replaced it with new and more accessible fittings and also dropped a mag5 with venturi inside the skimmer body to try some re-circ. it worked wonders! the bubbles are smaller and very consistent.

 

[SkiFletch]

Tasty lookin foam. Now just add some mesh to that mag 5 impeller and you'll be rockin and rollin.

 

[ikon]

Day 1:

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Day 3:

 

[ikon]

Day 5: