Have seen quite a few designs, and this is just phase 1 of this design, it will incorporate a single waterpump splitting to it, and an additional phosphate reactor.
Anyways the way it is, I am still getting a good amount of skim, but the water level has to be PERFECT, I think once I add the cycloning current to the inside of the smart water bottle, much more protein is going to bubble up and the water level will matter less.
I got most of these parts at the gas station and hardware store. The black plastic fittings and pipes are all for yard irrigation, I just walked up and down the aisle fitting them together until I had something i figured would work alright, was about $4 in fittings and tubing. Smart water bottle and vitamin water bottle was purchased from the gas station. I love smart water anyways, and I feel that the long chamber helps create good skimmate. The collection cup can be any bottle, I prefer wide mouth as you need a little space to drill a few holes into the top of the collection bottles cap, as the building air needs somewhere to escape from.
The only special thing you need here is an air pump that is strong enough to create the type of pressure you need to get the fine mist out of the limewood airstones. I purchased an aquatop pump, they have a 3.9psi pump for about $15 that outperforms many of the purchased protein skimmers.
I did seal the pipes into the caps on both bottles using silicone.
You can see in this one that I had to rest the unit onto a little container in order to get the bottle up out of the water high enough to not get wet/clear skim. I am working on an adjustment to affix it at that height.
This is after first night of skimming.
after second night of skimming!
Like I said in the beginning. The water pump is going to feed into the top of that bottle, right below the water line, so the water will naturally cyclone downwards and exit the bottom of the bottle, causing the bubbles to move upwards against the water in the cyclone, and maximize the contact of water to air, hopefully increase the amount of skimmate produced! Works well, and when all is said and done, I should have a full protein skimmer and phosphate reactor for a combined total of around $35!!
Anyways the way it is, I am still getting a good amount of skim, but the water level has to be PERFECT, I think once I add the cycloning current to the inside of the smart water bottle, much more protein is going to bubble up and the water level will matter less.
I got most of these parts at the gas station and hardware store. The black plastic fittings and pipes are all for yard irrigation, I just walked up and down the aisle fitting them together until I had something i figured would work alright, was about $4 in fittings and tubing. Smart water bottle and vitamin water bottle was purchased from the gas station. I love smart water anyways, and I feel that the long chamber helps create good skimmate. The collection cup can be any bottle, I prefer wide mouth as you need a little space to drill a few holes into the top of the collection bottles cap, as the building air needs somewhere to escape from.
The only special thing you need here is an air pump that is strong enough to create the type of pressure you need to get the fine mist out of the limewood airstones. I purchased an aquatop pump, they have a 3.9psi pump for about $15 that outperforms many of the purchased protein skimmers.
I did seal the pipes into the caps on both bottles using silicone.
after second night of skimming!
Like I said in the beginning. The water pump is going to feed into the top of that bottle, right below the water line, so the water will naturally cyclone downwards and exit the bottom of the bottle, causing the bubbles to move upwards against the water in the cyclone, and maximize the contact of water to air, hopefully increase the amount of skimmate produced! Works well, and when all is said and done, I should have a full protein skimmer and phosphate reactor for a combined total of around $35!!
