Anyone made a skimmer? They don’t look too complicated, I have a venturi piece and would like to make a skimmer!
You don’t even have to get that technical. Years ago a skimmer was nothing more then and acrylic tube and an air stone.
Which is why I just can’t see spending $500 on an ASM G4
I have the G3 - if you’d like to build your own and compare skimmate I’d be happy to bring a cup to the next meeting. There’s a very good reason skimmers are no longer just an acrylic tube and an air stone.
There's a very good reason skimmers are no longer just an acrylic tube and an air stone.
So true.
Unless your going to build a downdraft skimmer, the pump is going to cost you the bulk of the price. For example, with an ASMG3 the sedra pump is almost a third of the price of the skimmer. Once you begin to price acrylic tube or even clear PVC tube you are going to have a hardtime constructing a quality skimmer without spending almost as much as what a quality skimmer would cost you. Its one of the reasons why its not a popular DIY project. IMO, the only time its cost effective is when building VERY large downdraft skimmers where quantity becomes as important if not more important that quality.
Of course, there is nothing saying that a skimmer has to be clear. I have seen people make them out of PVC that worked exactly like the kind that you can see through, only they didnt have to worry about algae building up inside if there is light in the area. Heck, I have seen a pretty sweet skimmer made out of a IO salt bucket on RC.
[quote=“icy1155, post:6, topic:1230”]
…Heck, I have seen a pretty sweet skimmer made out of a IO salt bucket on RC.[/quote]
Lol that’s awesome.
[quote=“logans_daddy, post:5, topic:1230”]
There's a very good reason skimmers are no longer just an acrylic tube and an air stone.
So true.
Unless your going to build a downdraft skimmer, the pump is going to cost you the bulk of the price. For example, with an ASMG3 the sedra pump is almost a third of the price of the skimmer. Once you begin to price acrylic tube or even clear PVC tube you are going to have a hardtime constructing a quality skimmer without spending almost as much as what a quality skimmer would cost you. Its one of the reasons why its not a popular DIY project. IMO, the only time its cost effective is when building VERY large downdraft skimmers where quantity becomes as important if not more important that quality.[/quote]
Shawn, how do downdraft skimmers work? I’ve no idea and never looked into them. What makes the sedra pump good? What makes a good skimmer? I had found place that sells pretty cheap acrylic tubes, which is where I came up with the idea.
If you dont care if it is see through. Much much cheaper. You could make the whole thing out of PVC to the same specifications as an acrylic one for about 1/2 the price.
Not too much price difference between the clear and pvc. But what are the benefits of the clear? Seeing the bubbles?
6" od x 5 3/4" id x 11 7/8" long - Clear Extruded Acrylic Tube
Our Price: $9.99
6" Gray PVC Schedule 40 Pipe
Qty 100: 5% off; Qty 200: 10% off; Qty 600: 15% off;
Foot Yes $8.51
PVC will work just fine. Having the clear just makes it a lot easier to dial in. The price you linked to is great, however, from what i have read that type of acrylic you linked to is not recommended for saltwater use. Cast cell is what is normally used and recommended and happens to be about 5X more expensive. Also, one of the largest challenges when building a DIY skimmer is the neck/cup. Ive seen several different methods to create a taper at the top of the column as well as a cup thats easy to remove, but none that were very sucessful IMO. I think people that have build DIY skimmers will brag about how well they work, but im not convinced. I just dont think most of us have access to the tools/materials needed to build a skimmer that can compare in quality to a decent commerical skimmer.
What makes the sedra pump good? What makes a good skimmer?
Well, for me, three things make a quality skimmer. The amount of skinmate produced. The amount of maintenance required. The ease of dialing the skimmer in. A sedra is just one type of pump that uses one method to generate the bubbles needed for a skimmer. It uses a needlewheel. There are also meshwheels and venturi pumps(old school). A downdraft skimmer(or Beckett) is what most LFS stores use. DPA has a 6 footer in their backroom that isnt being used. Simply put, a downdraft skimmer uses a high flow pump to push water through an injector that then enters the bottom of your skimmer column. Most downdrafts usually have the tube sit on an acyrlic box. As far as i can tell, the only purpose is asthetics to have a mounting point for the injector. The injector is similar to a penductor. It creates turbulence while at the same time pulling in air. I like my skimmer, but it requires more maintanence than my old ASM. My only beef with the ASM is that its in-sump only, otherwise i would probably go back to one.
:TWOCENTS, shell out the money for a good skimmer. Its not that i dont think you can build a quality DIY skimmer, i just think after its all said and done, the amount of money you can save will not be worth the difference in quality between what you build and what you can buy. The ASM’s are relatively cheap as far as skimmers go, and i think its the best bang for you buck.
If you decide to build one anyways, look at MRC and PM. They sell a lot of ready made compoents such as gaskets, collection cups, injectors, etc.