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Wetworx Nano-skimmers!!!

Undertheradar

By Undertheradar,
in DIY Projects

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doncb

doncb

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UTR,

 

Just made one of your "injector style" skimmers for my 24g DX Cube. This is the 3rd day and the foam it is producing is very "stiff". The skimmate isn't real dark but I think it's still settling in (Bio load is 2 fish, 2 shrimp & a few snails & hermits.). I modified your design so it would fit in bay 2 of the NC. Moved the injector up about one inch and added an extension to the top of the diagonal. I'm using an old PH that is adjustable so I don't know what flow I'm using but it seems to work well. The one in the tank is a test model so I think I'll be making another one that will look better. I'm thinking about making it w/ a removable cup. I'm also thinking of trying an air driven skimmer with an easily removable air stone. I like the skimmer I built but with it I have 3 PH's in the back and now the temps are @ 84. :( An AS powered skimmer would get one pump out.

 

Thanks for your design work on this! :)

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doncb

doncb

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Thought I'd post some pics of the skimmer in the back of my 24g DX. I took off the cassette skimmer mod and cut a piece of plexi the shape of the overflow and trimed it down till I got the water at the right level.

 

SurfaceSkim02.jpg

 

Close-up of the skimmer. Please ignore the rough look of the skimmer. This is a prototype since I needed to adjust UTR's design to fit in the back of the Cube. The skimmate isn't real dark yet but the foam is pretty dry. The final one I make will have a removable cup.

SkimmerProto01.jpg

 

Another shot of the skimmer. The sponge was in there as a bubble trap and to help hold the skimmer in place. Also, I used PVC cement to bond the plexi. Worked great!

 

SkimmerProto03.jpg

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Undertheradar

Undertheradar

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You should post a spec diagram...many people keep PMing me all the time about making one of these or to post specs...and I dont have a nano-cube...so I have nothing for them.

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doncb

doncb

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Posted
Originally posted by Undertheradar

You should post a spec diagram...many people keep PMing me all the time about making one of these or to post specs...and I dont have a nano-cube...so I have nothing for them.

 

I'll put something together soon.

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doncb

doncb

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Here is a rough drawing of the skimmer sized to fit in a Nano Cube. Pardon the poor quality of the drawing. It is an adaptaion of UTR's wonderful design. The main mod is moving the injector chamber up along w/ the pipe. Having the tpo of the main body level w/ the top of bay 1 allows you to fit a removable cup and still clear the fan on the hood.

 

NCSkimmer.jpg

 

Along w/ a close-up of the top part. (Yeah, the glue job isn't the best but I used PVC cement (which works great for this) and hand cut the plexi.)

 

P9050084.jpg

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jmorris

jmorris

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OK, so since I posted last about a HOB model for my minbow 7 my plans have changed.

 

I broke the MB7 (yes, a true tragedy, I know). Then I decided I'd enter the pico contest that is in the works. Finally, I decided that I was going to take this 2.5 gallon pico where no pico has been before... to the land of techno-geekdom. 70watt 14K MH, LED night light, 250gph CLS with a SCWD, refugium, and of course, a UTR skimmer. OK, so maybe it's not really necessary, hell, it may even turn out to be detrimental, but I'm going to give it a shot.

 

OK, so here are the parameters I have to work within:

1) This will be an in-sump model.

2)I want it to be fairly quiet, and low wattage

3)I want it to work well, but let's face it, the total system volume cannot be over 8 gallons, so there's no need to overdo it.

4) I already have the pieces cut for the 14" tall reverse venturi model, and would like to use them if at all possible.

5) pumps I have to work with: MicroJet73gph, MJ400, and MJ1200. Also a couple good quiet but strong air pumps.

 

OK, so what it all comes down to is... I'm not as creative as UTR or the other innovators in this thread... I need your help! lol! There are so many models to consider (venturi, injection, counter-current, recirculating...AHHH!) and so many variations on each model. Can someone help me figure out which combinations to use and how to put it together?

 

Thanks,

Jared

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jmorris

jmorris

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OK, so maybe some more info would help someone help me.

 

This is to be an sps tank, and I want to have a skimmer so that I can feed plenty of cyclops-eze, oyster eggs, and other zoo planktons without poluting the water too quickly. Also, its going to be bare bottom, so skimming is just necessary.

 

I like the idea of the insump asperating venturi model run by the MJ400, but I think it will be too loud. I also like the idea of an airstone driven model like Huari's design, but I need help on that, as the pictures weren't very helpfull for me. Would the airstone modle be fed by a little pump like the MJ400 or the microjet, and have an adjustable standpipe outlet like the other in-sump model?

 

Thanks,

Jared

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NAUTILUS

NAUTILUS

Posted
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CAn someone explain to me how the injection style creates bubbles? I think it creates bubbles by breaking the surface of the water with a strong jet of water. But I dont see how those bubbles could travel towards the botom of the skimmer to be efficient. Wont the bubbles rise immediately after shooting down a few inches? I hope this question makes sense to me in the morning ....

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doncb

doncb

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by NAUTILUS

CAn someone explain to me how the injection style creates bubbles? I think it creates bubbles by breaking the surface of the water with a strong jet of water. But I dont see how those bubbles could travel towards the botom of the skimmer to be efficient. Wont the bubbles rise immediately after  shooting down a few inches?  I hope this question  makes sense to me in the morning ....

 

Yes, the bubbles are created by the jet of water and yes they do want to rise back up. However, the water flow will also carry the smaller bubbles downward since the flow is stronger than the bubble. Larger bubbles will be able to rise back up the injection chamber where they will get blasted by the water jet and broken up. As the water travels down, the flow gets weaker and the bubbles can again travel upward. If you watch a skimmer the bubbles may make several trips up & down in the main flow, which is a good thing as it increases the contact time. If you look at the design that UTR developed, once the bubbles leave the injection chamber, they swirl around the main chamber and then rise up forming the froth. The water, now mostly free of bubbles continues up and out the exit.

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HobokenAddict

HobokenAddict

Posted
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Just an update, I finally got my HOB skimmer in the sump. Thanks again everyone for your help when I was stumped. I ended up using a rio 400 and diy'd their RVT(rejuvination venturi tech). It's pretty easy to do. The only problem I was having was that there wasn't enough head pressure to get the water volume high enough. Instead of having it flow right out, I ran 5/8 OD flexible hose back to my sump. I ended up using a ph ball valve control inline to create back pressure. This worked out perfect, b/c I was able to actually tune the skimmer so it's not too wet or dry.

 

Thanks again UTR....

DSC00674.jpg

 

DSC00675.jpg

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jmorris

jmorris

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Posted

OK, so maybe one more try to get some help... Or has everyone grown tired of this gigantic thread? we'll see!

 

I've decided an asperatin venturi model will work fine in my situation. So, can I make on out of the pieces I had already cut for the 14" x 1" x 2.5" HOB version? Maybe a few extra baffles would make the smaller dims work? Or should I just cut some new acrylic to the specs in UTR's in-sump plans?

 

Also, is there an easy way of making an adjustable-height standpipe?

 

Thanks,

Jared

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jmorris

jmorris

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Anyone? I just have a simple question^^^, and I just need a simple answer. Please... anyone? Hello... am I all alone here?

 

Jared

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jmorris

jmorris

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Posted

It's a 2.5 gallon sps tank with a 1 gallon refugium and a 2.5 gallon sump. Like I said in my previos post, I know this might seem a little extreem for a little tank like this, but I just want to see what can be done on this scale. Oh, and I've got a MJ400 to use for this.

 

Thanks,

Jared

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Undertheradar

Undertheradar

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Sure, then the pieces you have should easily be converted to the in sump version. No extra pieces to make, in fact, you will use less. The trick will be to find a way to feed the air into the sump. A piece of 1/2" tubing with a hole in the side for the air line works fine, and a bunch of other holes for a strainer...and a plug at the end so nothing big can get sucked in.

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jmorris

jmorris

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UTR... I'm glad my already cut pieces will work, but what are you describing here: "The trick will be to find a way to feed the air into the sump. A piece of 1/2" tubing with a hole in the side for the air line works fine, and a bunch of other holes for a strainer...and a plug at the end so nothing big can get sucked in."

 

Sorry, you lost me there.

 

Jare

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jmorris

jmorris

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Posted

Oh... you ment to type pump, and you typed sump on accedent huh? lol...oops! :P As for getting air into the PUMP, I've got a turbo venturi kit conected via a little piece of 5/8" tubing as per david3d's post way back on the 8th page of this thread and it seams to work really well.

 

Oh, and I've got a great idea of how to make an adjustable height standpipe... I'll post pics as soon as I build it and see if it works! lol :D

 

Thanks,

Jared

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Undertheradar

Undertheradar

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there is a simple piece of PVC thats called a EZ-span coupling, available in 1/2", 3/4", 1", etc, that can easily be used to make an adjustable standpipe for any skimmer.

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jmorris

jmorris

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Posted

Cool, that EZ-span coupling saves me the trouble of what I was going to try... thoguh I think my idea would work for anyone who cannot find the EZ-span.

 

I was basicly going to use the same principle employed on the sliding "flow bell" of the Hoffer Gurgle Buster overflow design found here: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/domitron2/HG...nstruction.html

 

thans again UTR, your constant help and guidance have made DIY nano/pico-skimming easy!

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