Bring on the CONE

[firechief]

That is just the ticket... what did you use as a Venturi... what is the dim of the skimmer body and what size tank do you have it on.

Thank for the info
Tim

 

[Everyones Hero]

Troy- you just said that in sump skimmers seem to work better & are more efficient. How so?

I have a recirc that is fed by one of my drain lines. I figured a setup like mine would be the most efficient.

 

[dahenley]

Troy- you just said that in sump skimmers seem to work better & are more efficient. How so?

I have a recirc that is fed by one of my drain lines. I figured a setup like mine would be the most efficient.

i think you can only contest to a skimmers performance by where it is placed or fed from. (some people feed the skimmers from a return pump and it will deff kill the performance) if you get fresh tank water, or get it from the first section of a sump before it has a chance to be filtered by anything or diluted by the skimmed water.

i think a recirc pump is more efficient because it doesnt have to fight head pressure like a external pump does. (external like a insump skimmer pump)

 

[meco65]

Nice job looks great.

 

[8mpg]

Well guys, a bit of an update. Got another video because it really seems much easier than trying to take pics and describe everything.

Anyways, here it is.
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No pics of the mesh mod, but its a simple acrylic disc 3/16" thick. Drilled some holes for 4 zipties, and superglued it on where the old stock impeller fan attached to the shaft.

Next skimmer might be a recirculation skimmer...we will see.

 

[dainiusiva]

great job

 

[dainiusiva]

yup..... i prefer in sump thou they just perform better and use less electricity...
here is one i made that is recirc.....

Troy, maybe you have a video of this skimmer performing?

 

[firechief]

Size does matter

Size does matter

Can you give us a complete size, L-W-H, inside tube size and bubble plate, seals you used on your pipes, pump size and maybe a photo of you needle wheel you made.

Thanks

 

[8mpg]

Sure... The cone is 3" ID neck, 15" tall, 7.75" ID base. Bubble plate is 5.75" diameter though 5.5" is what the diameter is around the tube. The seals are uniseals from bulkreefsupply. The input is .75" and the out is 1".

No pics of the impeller until later sometime when I take it apart. Its just a flat acrylic disc that was cut with a hole saw. 1.75" hole saw, so the diameter is just over 1.5". Then I drew lines to cut it into 4 quadrants. Drilled 2 holes just outside of the lines for the zipties to go through.

 

[firechief]

Cone

Cone

Thanks for the Information, That will help allot. How did you make your cone, did the seals have any trouble sealing with the tapper of the cone?

Tim

 

[8mpg]

Tim... The cone is kinda shown on page 3. Its a flat sheet 1/8" thick cut to the shape, then baked in the oven. 300* for 3-4 minutes, then set inside the cone form. This size cone wont fit in a normal house oven unless you have a big Viking one or something...I guess if you have a big Viking or Subzero oven, you aren't doing DIY.

The uniseals work like a charm, even on the curved surface. The one downfall is that the water exit pvc is angled like the cone. Its flexible enough if you build a brace, you could make it 90* to the base. Uniseals work great and there is flexability in them so you can move the pipe around. Its a PITA to get the pipe to push into the seals though.


-Tim

 

[Sharpie_]

I've got intense skimmer envy. Not for long I hope, I am just trying to source an oven, the pizza place seems like a good bet.

 

[8mpg]

I've got intense skimmer envy. Not for long I hope, I am just trying to source an oven, the pizza place seems like a good bet.

Actually...check your local donut shop, bakery, restaurant you know someone at,etc.

A pizza place uses an oven that set to a very high temp (I could have sworn my buddy in high school said 700*) and they set the pans on a conveyor belt that creeps along. This wont work well.

You just need a normal old oven that can hold a full sheet pan. Small places are your best bet.

DIY Reef Guy and I will be making a few more and really trying to perfect it.

 

[Everyones Hero]

All 3 pizza places I've worked at used ovens that baked between 450-575*, used metal conveyors, & only had a few inches of clearance.

 

[sailfintang]

How are you making the quick disconnects for the skimmer neck?