BC14 protien skimmer mod

[toasted1]

I am starting a mod for my bc14 to include a skimmer and had a couple questions for those that know the bc14:

 

1. the lower plate in the filter cartridge section. is it hard to remove? it looks like it's just caulked there... I plan on removing this to get a power head in there....

 

2. what is up with the lower intake... It's too low for a DSB so can I just block it up?

 

3. is there any good skimmer diagrams out there? I plan on following the sapphire design but I'm up for suggestions.

 

4. whats the best technique to get bubbles... a. air stone b. venturi valve c. mini-jet mod

 

thx

[evilc66]

Lower plate comes out fairly easily. I used a small screw driver to wedge into the slots and pulled it up.

 

How deep of a DSB are you looking to do to need to block off the lower intake? I have a 1-1/2" snad bed in mine and doesn't come close to the intake. You would have to be running 4"+ to get to the lower intake.

 

Are you looking to buy or DIY a skimmer? The new skimmer from Oceanic sounds like it works fairly well and fits in the chambers. Cheap too.

[toasted1]

how much depth did you gain by taking the plate out... right now I measure 8" from the plate to the top of the skimmer wall...

 

yeah right now I have 3" of sand bed which is fine, I was just wondering if the lower intake was actually needed IMO it takes away from the effectiveness of the top skimmer. also if i take out the plate and put a PH down at the bottom there is a chance that sand will get into the PH and cause all sorts of havoc...

 

I doing a DIY skimmer, I have a ton of tools and easy access to plexiglas. BTW what I understand from reading the forums, is that the Oceanic skimmer is a POS and not worth it. below is a diagram of what I understand was Kyle's design for the NC12. I modified it from a picture to fit the size of the BC14. the collection cup may need to be modified due to two gussets on the BC hood.. also I will need to file away some of the flange on the tank frame... no big deal structurally...

 

also there is a photo of my cube right now... 1 week old

[toasted1]

ok so I removed the side plates (guides for the carbon cartridge) and the bottom plate just floated up... Now the total depth is a wopping13" and yes there is some sand down there

 

 

So the only things left in the chamber are two shelves that supported the bottom plate, each about 1/4" deep. These I will leave so that the pump will hang and not rest at the bottom (get all clogged with sand, grrr)

 

While I was doing this I made a temp mod on a rio 50 to spit out bubbles... I placed it in my live rock buckets (heated) It worked great.. I think that as long as the air intake is from the front of the impeller it will suck and if the air intake is say 350deg. from the exhaust you will produce maximum bubbles. (please excuse the photos as i didn't fill the bucket enough for my old sump skimmer to work)

[toasted1]

ok so after some thought, I decided that the skimmer would be best situated against the back wall of the compartment, allowing 1/2" space between the skimmer and the intake wall. so I have modified my model so the exhaust blows out towards the 1/2" gap. here it simply exhausts into the gap or I can hard plumb it to go directly into the bio-chamber, sounds more effective...

[toasted1]

Ok so I did some more experimenting with my rio and added depth to my bucket. As the rio goes lower into the bucket I get less bubbles and it makes almost a pulsing effect. Is this the pressure? Also I tried doing a reverse venturi connection that seemed promising, my only concern is whether or not the presence of the bubbles in the impeller area would corrode the plastic propeller over time... I have seen this happen to some plastics exposed to air and seawater, like my venturi valve. Any thoughts?

[toasted1]

well the beta model is working fine, cant see many micro bubbles. I built it out of .08 plexi (easy to cut) to get a fit and to check how it would work... I also used a scroll saw, which seemed to be the best option for this thin plexi. I opted out of the reaction tube (see new model) fyi the dimensions are 2.25" x 2.75" x 8"

 

a question for those out there is what is the best/safest adhesive to bond plexi ?

[MSU Fan]

To bond plexi, the best way is to use weld-on #4 or #3. I don't know if there is a set strength difference, but the #3 sets faster than 4. It will literally melt and bond the 2 pieces of plexi together to form 1 piece. But it's permanent so make sure that you are sure about it before hand.

[toasted1]

ok here is my second beta, with some mods from the last... it's only 2.25" x 2.5" x 8"

[toasted1]

so I figured out that the collection cup was easier to mount sideways than above the skimmer. I will probably make something a bit more custom, but temporarily I am using my collection cup from the last beta. after making mods to a rio 50 and the minijet I tried a rio venturi setup, but the housing is too big so now I have a cheap "sapphire replacement pump" powering the skimmer and it's going just fine....

 

now for designs on the second chamber.... hmmm

[jpndave]

so I figured out that the collection cup was easier to mount sideways than above the skimmer. I will probably make something a bit more custom, but temporarily I am using my collection cup from the last beta. after making mods to a rio 50 and the minijet I tried a rio venturi setup, but the housing is too big so now I have a cheap "sapphire replacement pump" powering the skimmer and it's going just fine....

 

now for designs on the second chamber.... hmmm

Nice write up. What did you decide on for the permanant pump for the skimmer. I am going to make up a skimmer and may integrate a lot of these ideas.

[toasted1]

i'm still using the sapphire pump and it's still working great... btw here is a skp of the latest design.. note the angles are key to reduce bubbles....