It`s DIY Time Again!

OK, so I've been busy working on a new in sump skimmer and thought I would share it with everyone!
The heart of the skimmer is a Sicca PSK 2500 Pump with custom volute and pinwheel.
Main chamber is 8"x 12" tall.
Neck is 4 1/2"x 8" tall.
Cup is 8"x 4" tall.
Has 1 1/4" Gate valve.
Foot print is 13"x 9 1/2"x 27" tall.
Here are some pics. enjoy!!
The base plate.


Bubble plate.


Neck and coupler.


Main chamber.




The Trans Ring.



Test fitting.





Trans Ring installed.



Assembly time.


Can for size ref.


Thats all for now, I'll have more tomorrow.
Thanks for looking.

 

Thanks for the comps. I'm doing some test runs right now, trying some different bubble plates to see if I can fine tune things abit.
Andrew that was the first try on forming the neck, didn't turn out to bad.
Austin the blotched Anthias are doing great. They are happy to have a few more Anthias in there to hang out with.

 

Great work B-Rad, I just had some questions to maybe do something like this soon myself. Is that "Trans Ring" made out of acrylic still? Is that just a heat gun of some sorts used to make it pliable? Also, where do you buy your acrylic tubes like that and where do you get those uniseal gaskets for pvc fittings?
Thanks, Adam
To answer your questions, Yes and yes.
This is were I get most of my acrylic http://www.mcmaster.com/
and this is were I get my uniseals http://coralnuggets.com/index.php?c...22d5df2512
Good luck.

 

Finely got a new camera, so here are some pics of it up and running!
the collection container holds about 1 1/2 gallons. enjoy!!


This is just over a weeks worth of skim mate!

The new sock filter set up!








Thanks for looking!

 

Posted By rc1214b on 09/17/2009 05:25 PM
Very nice looking!!
A few questions....
1) Is it setup to run recirc also? I see the 2 outputs on the bottom.
2) Did you make the reducer for the Sicce pump intake? What pinwheel are you running? Have you taken any air readings?
3) is the collection cup a slip fit into the pvc for removal?
4) I see you chose a different approach to the bubble plate than most other skimmers that have the pump blowing into the middle. By looking at your method it might actually be a better idea, looks like the water/air mix would flow around the center pipe instead of hitting a concave surface. What are your impressions so far with the turbulance?
Thanks for the comps.
To answer your questions:
1) the 2 outputs were put in to do some R/D, one was used for the main out put and the other was used for the recirc. I tied both gravity feeds from the display tank straight into the recirc line to the pump. I did not like the results, the gravity feeds added to much air into the venturi causing the pump to surge. (not have a steady flow of bubbles).
2)The sicce pumps come with the reducer/venturi and a pinwheel. Some sell it with the option of both the pin and a mesh mod. the mesh mod will draw more air but must be maintained as the pinwheel is maintenance free! so I run with the pinwheel. I took some readings but they were not very accurate, (do to my meter) being set up for 1/4" hose and the Sicce has 3/8" tubing for better flow!
3) yes the collection cup is a slip in. the water line is set in the chamber about a 1/2 below the bottom of the PVC fitting, and this work great!!!
4)exactly right! I designed the bubble plate to do two things. 1, spread the bubbles out instead of condensing them against the back side of a tube. 2, to slow the bubbles down, both in the bubble chamber and the main chamber. And so far it is working better then I expected!
There are a few things that I would change, If I had to do it all over a gain.
1) I would just put in one output only and not worry about the recirc set up. If you think about it, it is actually sort of a recirc set up anyway. ( the output is in the same area as the input!)
2) With only one out put I would go with a smaller inner tube for the bubble chamber giving more room for the bubbles to settle down before they pass through the bubble plate.
3) Then by having more room in the bubble chamber I would drill more holes in the bubble plate, but drill them smaller to help slow the turbulence down even more as they pass through the plate.
I run the skimmate a little on the wet side, this is how I do my water changes. My catch tank holds about 1-1/2g of skim. I have to empty it about every other day. so every day that I empty the catch tank I add 1-1/2g of mixed salt water to help keep the salinity in check.
All in all I think it is a great design, I couldn't be more happier!!! 
PS this is the link to the Sicce pumps;  http://www.aquacave.com/sicce-psk-2...-2492.html

 

Posted By rc1214b on 09/18/2009 08:41 AM
Sounds like you've got a good setup on the Sicce then, I've got 3 on a skimmer that was purchased in Chicago awhile back. They were originally modded for mesh but I chose to go with the ATB purple pinwheel for more consistant performance. They currently pull about 1200 lph air each so I'm quite happy about that... 3/8" airline is a big improvment. Now I just need a tank big enough to run this beast on.
I've got a couple air meters that you are more than welcome to use sometime. Depending on which pinwheel you are using you could also try one of the ATB's to see what you think.
Glad you are happy with the outcome, I would be too!!
LOL that sounds like a monster!!
I may take you up on the air meters, maybe when I get on a tank tour next time you could slide in on the tour and we could check and see what I'm pulling!
The ATB's look like a well engineered pin wheel. I had thought about getting a couple when I had ordered my pumps but I got the evil eye from the wife so!! LOL
Thanks for checking out my post!