My DIY Nano Skimmer PICS

[lotsofgallons]

i decided to build a skimmer today for my new nano hex. total cost $20. i designed it not knowing if it would actually work having never built a skimmer before, but i used the basic concept of the euro reef skimmer. the body is made of 2" pvc, with a 1/2" inlet connected to a penguin powerhead in the tnak, and a 3/4" outlet. i didnt know the collection cup would be so massive until i actually put it next to the tank, so i think i will replace the collection cup tommorow with a simple 2" coupler at the top, since the collection fluid will be draining to a seperate collection jar anyway; it will be a lot easier on the eyes..

heres a pic i snapped before putting the top half on. the pipe coming in from the left side is the outlet, it 90's down to about a 1/2" from the bottom, similar to the euroreef, which sucks the water out of the skimmer back to the tank. the right pipe is the inlet pipe from the pump, with a 45 at the tip to create some "whirl" inside the body. in order to get the pipes through the reducers on either side of the 2" pvc cross, i bored out the lips so the pipes could push straight through the reducer, into the skimmer body.

heres the initial test...

here she is on the tank..not so nano eh?

and theres the bubblage!

if you have questions, shoot

 

[Agu]

Interesting.

Any way to adjust cup or riser height ?

 

[lotsofgallons]

the penguin powerhead feeding it has an adjustable output so i can control the height of the water in the uplift tube.

 

[Kengaroo131]

thats awesome.

 

[Kengaroo131]

very interasting i need to make a small skimmer for my 5.5 gallon it is easy?and how exactly does it get the crap out of the tank?(with any protein skimmer in general, always wonderd)

 

[dwdenny]

is ti skimming from the surface or down in the tank?

 

[lotsofgallons]

down in the tank. whats the difference?

 

[dwdenny]

I was just curious if it had a surface skimmer attachment to keep the oil buildup off the surface. I don't think that it makes that big of difference were the pump is it is feed directly to the skimmer anyway. I was just curious is all. Nice DIY project btw.

 

[TGBrown]

Any other detailed assembly instructions, particularly on the collection cup and how it mounts?

 

[lotsofgallons]

ok ill try my best to explain. at the top of the 2" pvc cross, which makes up most of the body of the skimmer, there is a 2"x1/2" slip reducer. through this reducer runs 1/2" pvc, up through another 2"x1/2" slip reducer flipped upside down to bump it back up to 2". this length of 1/2" pipe running through both reducers is the "neck" of the skimmer. from the top 2"x1/2" reducer, i connected a 2"x4" drain pvc slip reducer, upside down to make the collection cup. that 1/2" pvc that runs up through both reducers continues running up into the 2"x4" upside reducer/collection cup, which is where the bubbles escape into the cup.

now...in order to allow for the 1/2" pipe to run all the way through both reducers, the inside lips had to be filed down. this is also how i ran the inlet/outlet plumbing on either side of the cross, through filed down slip reducers.

at the bottom of the cross is just a 2" end cap.

 

[jamynsdad]

very interesting.... are you getting any skimmate yet?