Euro-Reef DIY clone.

[eastcoaster1]

If you can get the search feature to work, try searching for threads by H2OEng, H2Oengineer, or something similar.
He has built a number of square skimmers.
I think the general feeling is that commercial skimmers are tubular because that shape is less expensive to manufacture - fewer seams to weld, less potential for failure, etc.

 

[H20ENG]

Thanks eastcoaster
Square works just fine, with all the benefits Silencer mentioned.
Skimmers are made with tubing because its easier to glue. Thats it. The swirling /contact time thing with round skimmers has been disproven, plus there is very chaotic motion in a skimmer anyway.
I also build kalk, phos, carbon, & Ca reactors in this fashion. They all work great.
Heres a sample, Holds about 30gallons, and is running on a 550g system. The rest are in my gallery. Thanks for lookin

 

[Silencer]

Yeah I found that. Cool stuff. The more I think about it the more I realize that I'd like a round one but don't have the tools to work with the tubing. I can do it, but it'll use a lot more material because of the extra flanges I'd need, plus I don't know how I'd cut the tubing to length with just a circular saw and still get a uniform length to properly glue a flange to.

I'm just really worried about making a square one then finding out that I wasted all the time and materials on it and that it needs to be round to have effective performance.

 

[H20ENG]

Trust me, they work fine. Even building a square one is tricky with just a circular saw. Good acrylic joints demand proper machining. You can get by with a good straightedge and some clamps, a nice scraper (I use a fresh razor blade for touch up), and a piece of glass with sandpaper attached to it (good for squaring up rough cut tubing). Also weldon 16 is good for a solid bead around the inside of questionable joints.
Just get some scrap and get the feel for working with it, you'll do fine.
Have fun,
Chris

 

[wmfsoll2]

Great Ideas.

Thanks for all the great info.

Bill.

 

[apayne]

What about using a larger chop saw. that should work fine w/ a new/sharp blade.
This is in responce to cutting the tubing on page 2.

 

[Rendos]

I don't know...it would probably work, but I don't have a large chop saw.

 

[reefinnewb]

Does anyone know the height of the rc80 skimmer body? I know its 5" round but im not sure how tall it is before the cone.