building a protien skimmer question

[Chaotech]

ok im going to build a protien skimmer out of acrylic tubing its going to be a Columnar Skimmer

here is a picture im going to work off of

for the water input should i just use a powerhead or is there a special pump needed? also shouldnt the water output be larger than the input otherwise the forcing of water into that chamber will make the water rise into the waste chamber right?

 

[theatrus]

Simple powerhead will do here. This is best for the DIY forum, but I suggest making the output with a 90 degree elbow which then goes into a vertical pipe with a T about where you want the lowest water level to be. Add a vertical pipe section on top of the T to hold extra water, and the main return comes out the side. Add a ball valve either before the T or after it on the return line to control the water level in the skimmer.

Picture: http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/catalog/images/recircnw110l.jpg

 

[Chaotech]

yea sorry i posted this in the wrong forum, so your saying from the output have a vertical pipe that will actually be above the water in the sump itself? i plan on having this built into my sump

 

[theatrus]

Yes. You don't need to use that external piping, but you need a method of controlling your water level in the skimmer. There are other options as well.

 

[DgenR8]

[moved]

 

[Chaotech]

also more bubbles = better right?

ive got some monster air pumps with 4 outputs on them, i could T 2 outputs per line and run 1 airstone per 2 outputs...

that being 2 airstones in the bottom of the skimmer chamber.. and would 4 airstones on 2 pumps be overkill?

 

[spineshank385]

http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/diy3inskimmer.htm

 

[kgross]

2 changes on your skimmer. First on the water inlet move it down about 1/3 of the way down the skimmer, the reason behind this is that you don't want the new water disrupting the foam that is created in the skimmer.

Second on your outlet, do a hartford loop they work very well for controlling th water level in the skimmer.

Kim