If you had 6 feet of Acrylic tubing..

[Mac1]

.... And wanted to build a kick ass Skimmer, what would you do?

I've got approximately 6 feet left to my 6-inch ID acrylic tube, and want to build a big-ass mombo skimmer. I was planning on a Beckett type, but don't quite know how to go about it with that sized piece of acrylic... I more than likely I would just end up making a very large Venturi type skimmer with a Mag24 or something... Any idea's at all are very welcomed, as I'm anxious to get on this project.

- Mac

 

[billzie]

First of all, you really don't need that skimmer, so you'd sell it to me for about a buck including shipping. Right?!
Really, check out this site, it has a very informative discussion about skimmers:
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman.htm
HTH, Bill.

 

[Mac1]

That's pretty similar to how I was planning on making it, only using Venturi instead of airstones. Thanks for the link Billzie (btw, I got the tubing from Laird Plastics for 42 bucks... Pretty cheap, though not quite a buck ;-). The thought was that an HSA or Beckett injector would do a better job than some simple Venturi, I just don't know if that many bubbles will work, and if I'm mating the right kind of pump to the situation. I want to place the skimmer body a couple of feet away from the tank (behind a wall, for aesthetics), so will have significant head pressure both going into the skimmer, and coming out of it.... Hence the large Mag Pump idea. However I don't know if it will drive a Beckett at that distance, or if it will even produce effective bubbles. Likewise, where should I put the venturi intake, nearer the pump, or nearer the skimmer itself. Is it required to have a "Reaction Box" in larger sized skimmers, or will simply dumping all those bubbles in my big long tube be sufficient? Thanks for the idea's Bill, I'll be incorporating a lot of that info into my design.

- Mac

 

[kmagyar]

Hmm, six feet. would make one hell of a bong instead!

 

[Mac1]

Yeah, but can you imagine trying to clear that thing? Jesus, I feel sorry for the sap that would have to pack it! Hehehe, remind me to tell you about the 12-footer I made in college

At any rate, I'm still toying with the idea of making a really big, Counter-current style Venturi Skimmer with this acrylic. I'd like to use a Beckett or other HSA type venturi, but don't know if I need to construct one of those special boxes you see on all the commercial designs. I'm wondering if a Mag24 would be powerful enough to drive the thing, too. I want to put this tubing a few feet away from the tank, and would like to have the pump that powers it in the sump. I can return from the skimmer anywhere (refugium, main tank, sump, where ever), but will be pushing all this water through a few feet and several 90's, _before_ it hits the Venturi, and then I have to fill the cylinder, and go through a few more 90's and a couple feet of plumbing (not to mention adding a few feet of head pressure to get the water to someplace I can accept the return...) I'm just wondering if the Mag can do it, and still power the Beckett efficiently. It seems like a lot of distance and turns to be moving the water through (flexi-tubing would help), but I hesitate to just buy a pump and start drilling holes in my acrylic, without at least some discussion with more knowledgable folks.

- Mac

 

[Anonymous]

Mac,

Here are a bunch of DIY Skimmer Links

Have fun

 

[Mac1]

Thanks for the Link Brian. I was already familiar with a couple of those, but not all.

What I was really out fishing for were people's opinions. Most of the HSA type skimmers I've seen are rather complicated, with tubes inside of tubes, or bubble boxes... way too much work for what I had in mind. My dimensions are a bit larger than everything else I've seen as well. That's why I was wondering about the pump being powerful enough to drive the beckett, and still produce quality foam. I'm afraid with with conventional, submersible pumps, I can't generate the pressure I need to run through all the plumbing, fill a 6"x6foot tube of acrylic, and have enough umph to return the water to the tank. I'm afraid I'll either get minimal air intake from the beckett, or a skimmer half filled with foam, and half with water. I'm hesitant to just slap something together without at least some assurances that I'm either off my rocker, or on the right course.
Thanks for the links nonetheless.

- Mac