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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Most Effective Surface Skimmer?


Shaolin

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I have done extensive research on this, mostly from this site.

 

Basically the two main methods I came across are:

1) Cut in your own teeth and block the intake screen.

2) Use a casette box or similar box, and cut teeth into that and put it over the screen.

 

 

Which one is the most effective? In terms of maintenance, and flexibility to changing water levels.

 

Did anyone here purchase a tank with a surface skimmer mod from nanocustoms.com? How well did it work?

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I did the mod that nano customs does and it improved things. still wasnt ideal though. this is what I ended up with.

 

NanoCube002.jpg

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stoney waters
Originally posted by *********

I did the mod that nano customs does and it improved things.  still wasnt ideal though.  this is what I ended up with.

 

NanoCube002.jpg

 

Nice mod. Looks to me like you dont run any kind of prefilter.

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Originally posted by d_icemand

i put the tape cassette over the grate and it keeps the top crystal clear!  perfect.

How do you do this? Any pics?

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Is it done yet?....lol I am a waiting!!. Looks good as usual bob, still adjustable with the screws thru the back right?

 

Oops, never mind! Obvious if I looked at the side near the glass, that is on a 24G.:) The edge is not straight.

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Web Guy:

I made the adjustment and it fits great. I just need to move the screwposts so they line up with intake slots. I should have a couple done this weekend or early next week. I'll keep you in the loop:)

Bob

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for simplicity and cost its hard to beat "doriftu's" idea of the cassette. in my trials i could find nothing that works better for its type.

 

cassetteskimmer1.jpg

 

cassetteskimmer.jpg

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Originally posted by NanoBob

It's not the casette, but this mod is based on it:

 

Have you thought about designing it with functional teeth? Perhaps make the teeth longer so that it points above the water surface and that the water only goes in between the teeth, rather than over? Thus, preventing any debri/fish/snails getting into the skimmer?

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Originally posted by ashburn

9339KN1K4976.jpg

 

here's my mod for the surface skimming. pretty effective :)

 

what tank is that? is that a nano-cube?

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Ok, I did this today! I got the box from The Container Store for $2.20. Broke out the Dremel and wen't to town.

 

Of course when Nano Bob get's his done I am all over that one. This will hold me off for a week until he can make me the Nylon NASA Surface Skimmer.:)

 

What I like about it so far it is a little bigger than some of the others. It cleared the top surface to crystal clear in about 5 min.

 

62.jpg

 

63.jpg

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shao-lin nano

hey web, how much does the water level drop in chamber 1 when the "cassette mod" is used?

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This is not the cassette mod. I used a wider and a little deeper peice that I picked up from The Container Store. It dropped around 1" 1/2 or so. I can adjust it by raising the box up and down. I have been playing with it the last hour and will keep playing with different ideas thru out the night. I made the notches a little deeper which helped with a little more flow and higher back water levels. Now the water does not spill over at all in the second chamber to the third. I guess it is now pulling water from the bottom of chamber 2 into 3? That sucks! Now none of it is being pulled across the LR and Cheato in chamber 2. Maybe I should move all of that to chamber 1 and and in chamber 2 run some xtra LR. Not sure, what are your thoughts? I would like the water to be passed of of LR and Cheato as i did before I installed the surface skimmer and my water levels dropped.

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Just debating on what to do now. Could I block off the flow on the second to third chamber on the bottom? It would force the water to pass up and over the LR and Cheato and over to the top of the 3rd chamber. Would it cause issues? So the water would go in chamber 1, go down, pass up and thru chamber 2 thru LR and Cheato and over the top to chamber 3. Not sure if any issues would come from that. Let me know what you think!

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artarmon42

The more you channel flow, the more you're going to slow it down.

Slowing it down will mean less water flowing into chamber 3.

Which in turn will limit how powerful a return pump you can use.

 

I wouldn't worry about it, because:

1) A powerful return pump is more beneficial to me (with the Hydor Flo)

2) Some water goes that way right now. That means eventually (after more cycles) "all" the water would have gone the path you're trying to force anyway.

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