DIY 6" O.D. recirc skimmer.....halp me !! :)

HOLD THE PHONE FELLAS !!!

I completely forgot I had this pump LOL!!
I was perusing through and old box or spare aquarium gadgets and do-dads and WHAMO this guy jumps out of the box at me like a road flare ! :)

Eheim.jpg


The only problem is I dont know what size it is because the salt water has eaten off the lettering on the label.
Also it needs a new impeller shaft.
I bought it second hand a couple years ago and forgot about it.

I know its not a big one though. Its only got what looks to be 1/2" and 3/4" threaded ports.
 
I wish I had some Eheim pumps lying around :)

You should be able to track down which pump you have. Hopefully all of the Eheims do not have the same inlet and outlet size.
 
Looks like a 1250. Should be 3/4" in and 1/2" out. Well, 18mm and 12mm or something like that. If so, it's 317gph.
 
I can only measure it, weight it and compare with that. :(
BUT its missing the volute cover as well as the intake barbed fitting. When they measure length are they going end to end on the pump body or end of fitting to end of pump body?

I just weighed it on my digital postal scale and it comes in at 2.8 lbs. It measures 3" wide x 3 1/4" tall at the pump body and 5" to the tip of the barbed fitting x 5 3/8" long from the back of the pump to the end of the intake volute ( I have no stock fittin gon it or volute cover).

So I guess it only a 1048 rated @ 158 gph at a 4'11 head? :(
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_pumps_eheim_universal_hobby_powerheads.asp?CartId=
 
Last edited:
Well I.D. measured from inside the threads is right around 1/2" and 3/4" so who knows. It may mean nothing.
The dimensions given may reflect the barbed hose fitting only?

My problem now is where do I measure the pump dimensions from? Over all or just the body? LOL!
The weight is only 2.8lbs thogh and a 1260 weighs in at 3.5
The 1048 weighs in at 2.
?????
 
I hope I don’t come off sounding like a pessimist, but from the weight of your pump alone it looks like you’re right about it being the 1048. Even if it is the 1250 it’s likely too small. You would want to shoot for at least the 1260 or the 1262.
 
So where's the link to Randy's plan? I want to make one of these. What kind of glue you use glue the tube and the base? Where do you get the base?
 
Dough !! you beat me to it.

Ok so given the strength of the Eheim pump do you think I could use this pump if it is indeed a 1250 Randy?

Edit: Never mind I just read what you wrote above.

I am ordering that GenX2400 needle wheel right now. Screw it LOL!!
 
Well I know that one can’t go solely by the gph rate of the pump to determine how much air it can handle, but you’ll find that there is an obvious pattern of ‘bigger pumps pull more air’. Considering that the GenX-2400 is rated for 633 gph I assume you would want to shoot for at least the 1260 or the 1262.
 
It will skim with that pump. Just wait until you play with the mesh! Have patience though ... at first you'll be thinking "this sucks". Then next thing you know you'll be lowering your water level at least a couple inches to compensate for the boost in foam :)

I hope you take pics. My skimmer body is PVC and I think your skimmer will be the first I've ever been able to see into with the 2400 :)

The first thing you should do is ditch that venturi that comes with your pump. It's just lousy for that pump. It may come in handy in the future though when connected to a larger pump.

You'll see what I mean if you decide to make your own venturi.
 
I am getting some quick patch and a stepped bit monday ;)

I ordered my pump from MarineAndReef.com
It came to $41.69
Thats the cheapest I found it any where including shipping.
:)

Just figured I would share that with you guys incase any one else is thinking of getting the same pump.

Yeah I will definately take mass photos, and video LOL!
If nothing else for the comedic value when it exlodes when I plug it in for the 1st time! HAHA !!

back on track...

To any one in ear shot with experience,
Do I have my outlet valve at the correct height?

After carefull examination of the Euroreef skimmer and others it looks like its either placed dead nuts on ther bottom or no more than 1/2 way to just a hair over half way up the reaction chamber.

Also whats the idea behind such a long (exhaust?) tube above the outlet on the Euroreefs?
 
Ya know what ... I actually have some left Quick Patch lying around from previous odd jobs. If you want I can just fill some pipe and send it to ya. It is some cool stuff to have handy, but if you want I can just send you a chunk if you think you won’t be making many.

It’s not so much the placement of the valve itself, but the height of the T within the stand pipe. By the way, I wouldn’t glue any of that outlet plumbing. Ya never know when/if you’ll ever decide to change something. The height of the T determines the height of the water column when the skimmer is shut down. If the T is set way too high then it will limit the ‘adjustability’ of the water column. ‘Keelay’ shows it best on this page:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1088707&perpage=25&pagenumber=2

Oh well … here’s Keelays’ drawing:
skimmer_water_level.png


Long story short, your pipe looks ok, but ya never know for a fact until you run it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9881730#post9881730 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Creetin
Not that they are bad, They just are a lesser/cheaper copy of the ehiem, The OR is a much better pump if you want to go that way. It can pump more air and at higher head pressures.
Click to expand...

Are you sure that the Ocean Runner pumps are not the same as the Octopus pumps?
They sure do look like the same body. Even the intake grill looks identical.
 
Randy,
What part of Indiana are you in anyway?
That sounds good to me man ! :)
How long should I make the venturi over all?
If its only a couple inches and you send me 5-10 " of filled PVC I could go to town boy ! LOL! ;)

Let me know what the postage is and what you want for the product and I'll paypal it to ya asap ( give me your PayPal addy too ). Nothing is free in this world. It cost you and you should get somthing in return for it.:)


Yeah the only parts of the skimmer that will be permanently installed when I test it will be the uniseals and the cone LOL!
I am thinking of making the bottom removable but I cant seem to locate any thing to use as gasket material.
Where would I be able to find some 1/8th - 1/4" rubber sheeting?
If I find some I can trace out a gasket and cut it to fit my base so it seals the chamber and base up.

I'll use small chunks of arcylic I formed by glueing several pieces of 1/4" acrylic together and then cutting down ( bout 5 f them I think should do it).
I'll drill and tap a hole in them and run some nylon screws through the base to hold it all together with rubber washers infront of the heads.
 
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