DIY Skimmer. Is it worth it?

U

usmcr0811

New member
I was thinking about saving some money and building a skimmer for a 125main with unknown size refugium. Will it work well enough if I build my own skimmer or is it going to be a huge headache and its worth spending the money on one? I like making things as maintanence free as possible but don't like spending lots of money either.
 
I have yet to see a fully DIY skimmer that I liked. In then end they look thrown together and appear to be tough to work on (hard to remove pumps, difficult to clean). If you are into DIY, look at the Avast Marine CS1 Kit. While you can find skimmers online for less, I like the smoked cone because it doesn't grow coraline algae as bad as my old Reef Octopus did. Plus it is relatively easy to work on.
 
Thanks, at first I thought how hard could it be, but after looking into it, although I know I could make one work, I have my doubts that it would work as well as I would like it to. I want one that will work really good so I have less maintenance to do. I bought my first one for a 75 gallon used and it ended up breaking and I threw it away as no one wanted it. I am looking to get back into salt water now with a new 125 but am on a limited budget for the next year or so until my wife finishes her masters. I know that budget thing doesn't work well in this hobby but it is what it is.
 
The budget was one reason for my skimmer choice as well as the DIY aspect which is a huge draw for me. Just for reference the Avast kit + pump is $265+$15 for shipping = $280 all total. By comparison a Reef Octopus NWB200 which is about the same size is $290 (free shipping). Buying the pieces and slowly assembling everything will help with the budgeting as well as let you work on the tank without having the system up and running. Patience is key in this hobby.
 
Buy used and save yourself both hassle and money. For less than $200, you can get a nice skimmer and probably better brand than Reef Octopus.
 
I like DIY- but then a again, I had a whole garage with a 12ft ceiling to use. Cost was ~$200 without the pump but most comparables were in the $1000-$2000 range
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/ps1_zps0d91a438.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/ps1_zps0d91a438.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo ps1_zps0d91a438.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/Mobile%20Uploads/BBC3548B-3CF2-44DF-9B5C-65B388EAFB33_zpshpfnzb51.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/Mobile%20Uploads/BBC3548B-3CF2-44DF-9B5C-65B388EAFB33_zpshpfnzb51.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo BBC3548B-3CF2-44DF-9B5C-65B388EAFB33_zpshpfnzb51.jpg"/></a>
 
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/Mobile%20Uploads/320F8392-4BE8-4695-B1E9-F0C67309ABDC_zpstpgbvfnu.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/Mobile%20Uploads/320F8392-4BE8-4695-B1E9-F0C67309ABDC_zpstpgbvfnu.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 320F8392-4BE8-4695-B1E9-F0C67309ABDC_zpstpgbvfnu.jpg"/></a>
 
Pife said:
I wouldn't build one as they don't work as good as the engineered ones.
Click to expand...

Lets correct that a bit.. :)
You wouldn't build one because YOU don't know how to make it properly.

There is NO reason a DIY skimmer can't perform as well if not better than a commercially sold unit when done properly.
 
I'm building a skimmer right now..
Similar design as a tunze 9415 but recirculating.
I got all the acrylic to build the skimmer AND 2 reactors (carbon and biopellet) for $75 USD shipped to my door.. Plus $10 for uniseals and some orings and reactor inlet/outlet fittings. So for $100 plus the Sedra 3500 pump that I've already got I will have an excellent skimmer and 2 reactor chambers feeding it all fed off my return manifold.
I should have it completed this weekend. (i'll post pics)..
I'm modelling it all up in my 3d cad program (Autodesk Inventor) right now.

But I also have a CNC router in my garage so fabricating the parts properly is easy for me..
 
Pife said:
I wouldn't build one as they don't work as good as the engineered ones.
Click to expand...

What does engineered mean? They guy that designed is a engineer? Lots of engineers hanging around in here. They ran some computer simulations? Lots of people here could do it with MS Excel. But you don't need to model it and they did not on that $500 one you might buy. Most of these commercial ones are designed the same way you would do it in a garage. No magic or science just experience and common sense.

Look at the foam karimwassef is making. Doesn't look thrown together and hard to work on to me. Looks like a $1200 skimmer and the tank now has $1000 more in livestock. I know mcgyvr will build one that kicks also. Most anybody can with some reading and planning. Save some money and earn some satisfaction.
 
wolfblue said:
Look at the foam karimwassef is making. Doesn't look thrown together and hard to work on to me. Looks like a $1200 skimmer and the tank now has $1000 more in livestock. I know mcgyvr will build one that kicks also. Most anybody can with some reading and planning. Save some money and earn some satisfaction.
Click to expand...

Ummmm.. Did I miss something? Please look at karimwassefs post and clue me in to this foam you see.. I see a skimmer body with air bubble but I certainly don't see any foam let alone the all important foam head. That's not to say his skimmer doesn't produce great foam but you certainly can't draw any conclusions from a skimmer body with bubbles in it..
 
So to cut to the ending... It does create a pretty thick foam head and pretty pungent black output - I'm running it wet right now so it generates about a quart a week - any more and I would need to have it discharge outside the garage. LOL.

I'm still ramping up the tank, so the claims of my livestock are slightly exaggerated. I'm probably at $500 or so. :) ... LFS margins making the bulk of that.

I'll take some pics of the top and the discharge (just cleaned it before reading this).

All in all - it is pretty satisfying to make a great DIY and enjoy the results. I also enjoyed the customization intensely. Getting it at a fraction of the cost is gravy - and is paying for my livestock (and that's putting my LFS's kids through college).

Enjoy the experience, guys.
 
karimwassef said:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23025131#post23025131
Click to expand...

If you are going to do it, do it right. That looks like some very good results but it's obvious that you did it right and even used proper flanges with o-rings and thumb fasteners. Certainly not your typical DIY quality!

That almost looks like a modified down draft design. What if anything you using for an injector. I don't see any Mezzei valves in there. Just straight venturi with a needle valve. Looks like you have dual injectors or dual venturi's.
 
Last edited:
I salvaged the top from an old 18" ETS skimmer that used bioballs down two tubes to make foam. I don't throw most things away unless completely useless - still have the skimmer tops from two built-in rectangular skimmers in an acrylic tank back in 1999...

For air injection, I made my own after giving up on finding Becketts big enough for the volume I want. I researched fire hoses and found they use penductors to create thick foam... So I made two penductor injectors with 2" PVC and $15 penductors.

They do need a beefy pressure pump, but I had one of those too... :)

The salvage of the skimmer top was convenient but not necessary. There's many ways to make it work without being pretty.
 
slief said:
Ummmm.. Did I miss something? Please look at karimwassefs post and clue me in to this foam you see.. I see a skimmer body with air bubble but I certainly don't see any foam let alone the all important foam head. That's not to say his skimmer doesn't produce great foam but you certainly can't draw any conclusions from a skimmer body with bubbles in it..
Click to expand...

Sorry, when I see millions of bubbles and the bubbles are too small to even see I call it foam. Looks like the whole body has a rich foam in it. Maybe to you its not foam because most of those bubbles are destined to pop.

I've been thinking and reading about protein skimmers for 35 years. Since I started to hear they were using them in Norway and Germany on salt tanks. I wanted one but you could not buy one here. And the pictures I had seen were all DIY stuff. The library here will borrow almost any book there is from another library. And papers also, mostly waste water stuff.

So I read everything I could before I built one. And I have worked though the math from different angles over and over again since then. There is a science to it but the science is mostly irrelevant. The worst commercial skimmers work 80% as good as the best ones. You just make bubbles that resist popping and get them out. The foam does not have to be black or even brown but you will save some water and salt if it is.

Ease of disassembly and cleaning can be a problem with home brew skimmers. But plenty of people can build them just as effective as any commercial unit. And even better when you think about dwell/residence time. I know these modern mini skimmers work with a few seconds dwell and only 1/2 gallon in them. But they only work because its not hard to build a skimmer that works. Though after reading everything I have its hard to figure out why they work when the water is only there for 4 seconds. I like to be at 60 minute turnover and 2 minute dwell, but you need some room for that.

Don't think that because it comes from even a large company there is any research or computer modeling behind it. They just know what karimwassef and mcgyvr, and I know. Even RK2 doesn't do much more than... just do it. I should add that I make a living knowing how foam fractionators work. And my other strong point is ozone in fresh and salt water aquariums.
 
6 hours =
<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/F7A0DF3E-B748-4A8D-ADC5-C94E787E41DF_zpsfew6hue1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/F7A0DF3E-B748-4A8D-ADC5-C94E787E41DF_zpsfew6hue1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo F7A0DF3E-B748-4A8D-ADC5-C94E787E41DF_zpsfew6hue1.jpg"/></a>
 
I think my foam is frothy enough... But it might be overkill?

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/AC19F7BA-DBD7-4CAD-91A0-B59E0A57C9F3_zpsdvvjmtqs.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/AC19F7BA-DBD7-4CAD-91A0-B59E0A57C9F3_zpsdvvjmtqs.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo AC19F7BA-DBD7-4CAD-91A0-B59E0A57C9F3_zpsdvvjmtqs.jpg"/></a>
 
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