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DIY cassette case surface skimmer


evanj

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Step 1:

:ninja: Steal a cassette tape case from your parents or if you can't find one, skip to step # 5 :ninja:

 

Step 2:

Make sure the case you took has a square profile and not a slanted one. Some cases will be a full square - I chose this smaller one because it's being used for a NC6. Should look like the one below:

 

PC040003.JPG

 

Step 3:

Take a fine tooth hand saw, jig saw, dremel or any other type of plastic cutting device and take off excess tabs. Final product:

 

PC040006.JPG

 

Step 4:

Place in tank, flow of water will hold it in place except when you unplug pump. Raise and lower to find ideal flow rate. Additional options include cutting slots or bulding a fish preventer...

 

PC040009.JPG

 

Step 5:

Wait for your custom fit surface skimmer to arrive because the homegrown job looks tacky, lol J/K.

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forgive me for being a noob here, but what benefit is this?

 

:unsure: a noob with 2,197 posts?!

 

Removes the film from the surface of water - to be collected by my media basket's floss and (someday) DIY protein skimmer.

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a noob regarding OG DIY i guess lol. so on a BC29 youd put that in front of the grill with filter floss inside it?

 

I guess the reason I said "old school" is because it was an idea I robbed from some thread I found dated 5+ years ago.

 

Your BC29 looks amazing, I can't tell what the intake looks like, but I would assume so - I don't know about the floss in the "overflow", try it in the chamber.

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a noob regarding OG DIY i guess lol. so on a BC29 youd put that in front of the grill with filter floss inside it?

 

Not inside it, the filter floss would go in the first chamber, so scum from the surface of the water gets picked up instead of just plain ol water. The scum flows over it into the first chamber and is grabbed by the floss.

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HeyLookItsCaps

ya i already have a fuge and floss back there, im just trying to figure out the justification for doing this mod haha.

 

i see now.

 

would probably raise your tank level tho ya? cuz its impeding some flow into there

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ya i already have a fuge and floss back there, im just trying to figure out the justification for doing this mod haha.

 

i see now.

 

would probably raise your tank level tho ya? cuz its impeding some flow into there

 

If there's no film on the surface of your water you're fine, you have a skimmer so this might not be an issue in your tank.

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ya i already have a fuge and floss back there, im just trying to figure out the justification for doing this mod haha.

 

i see now.

 

would probably raise your tank level tho ya? cuz its impeding some flow into there

 

You can "adjust" the tank level in the front by sliding it up or down, the higher you put it the higher the displays water is.

This does change the amount of water in the back also though.

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Just did some additional research and it appears that having a film on the surface of your water can cause problems with gas diffusion and light penetration if it gets out of hand.

 

Finding the source of the problem may be a better alternative - I'm keeping a log of my tank parameters and other asst. information, hopefully i'll be able to pinpoint any changes related to the film on my water.

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Just did some additional research and it appears that having a film on the surface of your water can cause problems with gas diffusion and light penetration if it gets out of hand.

 

Finding the source of the problem may be a better alternative - I'm keeping a log of my tank parameters and other asst. information, hopefully i'll be able to pinpoint any changes related to the film on my water.

 

The source would be your fish, food, corals, etc. It's a biological film. A surface skimmer keeps the crud off the surface which has obvious benefits along with the side benefit of helping to keep a more constant level in the back chambers if you have a regular skimmer.

 

I had a cassette case surface skimmer on my old 24DX years ago.

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The source would be your fish, food, corals, etc. It's a biological film. A surface skimmer keeps the crud off the surface which has obvious benefits along with the side benefit of helping to keep a more constant level in the back chambers if you have a regular skimmer.

 

I had a cassette case surface skimmer on my old 24DX years ago.

 

Dont forget sticking your hand in the tank, oils from your skin etc. It can be nasty.

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I guess the reason I said "old school" is because it was an idea I robbed from some thread I found dated 5+ years ago.

 

Brilliant little mod. Thanks

 

I know, I like it. Took me a while to find the right case though.

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bluefunelement

-1

My clownfish sleep against the overflow and got sucked into the cassette a few times - probably needed a taller, notched cassette though :mellow:

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-1

My clownfish sleep against the overflow and got sucked into the cassette a few times - probably needed a taller, notched cassette though :mellow:

 

+ 1

 

This would probably be good to add to the DIY:

 

I've read about this being an issue with certain fish. The notches should help prevent this sort of thing from happening. However, if that fails to prevent a persistent fish there is other steps that can be taken.

 

Depending on the size of the overflow a cover can be built out of plexiglas or egg crate to completely seal off the top and only expose the notches. In your case you could also use scrap pieces from the cassette case that are already the same width as the overflow for a top.

 

Another option is a rolled up piece of fine plastic mesh simply placed in the overflow box, with this design the roll of plastic should allow for maximum flow, yet provide a bubbled top that prevents fish from entering the overflow.

 

 

guard1.jpg

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