DIY protein skimmer please look

[fishymann]

Okay, i want to make protein skimmer, but first thing is first; where does it go? Here is my setup, i have a 37 gallon tank that has an overflow box with 1" PVC that drains into a 20 gallon long sump, a quiet one 4000 then pumps water back into the display 37 tank via 3/4" pvc. So where would the skimmer go? Once i figure out where it has to go i can figure out how large i can make it and then figure out exactly what parts and such.
thank you guys so much

 

[ihavtats29]

skimmer goes in the sump

 

[fishymann]

right, i know that. sorry should of been more specific on what i needed clarification on. I know there are some that hob and others that a pump is used to pump water into it.. so what are my options

 

[ihavtats29]

both in sump and hob have pumps that pump water into them
my diy hob for my 90 gal uses a octopus 3000 and venturi that came with the pump your skimmer needs to move around 3x the system volume of your tank since you have a sump id make a in sump model , it will leave the tank free of any pvc or pumps
here is my skimmer build

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1373083&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[fishymann]

thanks for the link it helped a bit. I'd only be able to make it about 4-5' tall though short ceiling in the basement. SO all together i have about 57 gallons, so i need a pump that can do about 170gph? Might be a stupid question (infact, i bet it is but i need to learn haha) how does the skimmer empty back into the tank?

 

[eeorrandy]

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/proteinskimmers/a/aa052200.htm

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/rhf/index.php

Here are a couple of links that will explain the different kind of skimmers.. and there are several, to exactly what happens when you skim.

The skimmed water simply returns to the sump via an outlet pipe.

 

[ihavtats29]

you dont need a 4 to 5 foot tall skimmer for your tank size mine is only that tall due to the tank not being drilled and not having a sump

 

[eeorrandy]

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

Melev's site has a nice diagram of how a sump works... the Skimmer simply goes in the sump (there are other methods, but this is simplest) skims water from the tank or sump and returns it to the sump, it is then returned to the tank via your return pump.

 

[rustrocker]

I'd put the skimmer in the sump to prevent flooding issues, and before the refugium to avoid skimming out pods and phyto plankton

 

[fishymann]

thanks guys! i got some reading to do but then i'm sure i'll be back here to try and figure this all out

 

[fishymann]

okay, so water goes in the top and exits the bottom it looks like? Where does the air get injected from though (bottom, middle, top..). I found this break down is this pretty much what i want to go for ?
http://www.aquariacentral.com/diy/skimmer1.shtml

 

[phenom5]

Here's a good link to a DIY skimmer. It's pretty big, but you could scale it down to fit your needs...

Geoff Skimmer Build