Currently building my first reef tank and dont have to cash to drop on a skimmer. Iv seen the airstone ones. Do they work? Building a 33gal cube
Any diy protein skimmers out there
- Thread starter Whatskillz
- Start date
You can probably rig one up but to be honest a skimmer is something you don't want to cheap out on. What size is your setup? Anything under 20-30 gallons doesn't even need one as you'll be doing plenty of water changes.
They are actually somewhat affordable depending on size, but also many people here have them lying around and would probably give you a good price
They are actually somewhat affordable depending on size, but also many people here have them lying around and would probably give you a good price
I live in cartersville. I work all over tho. Currently in cumming
Sounds good. Thank you
The airstones ones work as long as you change the airstone from time to time (I recommend Lee's Wooden Air Diffusers). Not sure why they chose to represent the product with a freshwater tank, but I use one of these on my 11 gallon nano reef and surprisingly, it works great (two sizes available; I use the smallest):
A traditional pump driven protein skimmer is of course way better.
Sounds like @ichthyoid has you covered.
Aquarium Hang on Protein Skimmer Marine Water Tank Pump Filter 600/800 L/H | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Aquarium Hang on Protein Skimmer Marine Water Tank Pump Filter 600/800 L/H at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
A traditional pump driven protein skimmer is of course way better.
Sounds like @ichthyoid has you covered.
I building a 33gal cube. An airstone one would work for it?The airstones ones work as long as you change the airstone from time to time (I recommend Lee's Wooden Air Diffusers). Not sure why they chose to represent the product with a freshwater tank, but I use one of these on my 11 gallon nano reef and surprisingly, it works great (two sizes available; I use the smallest):
Aquarium Hang on Protein Skimmer Marine Water Tank Pump Filter 600/800 L/H | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Aquarium Hang on Protein Skimmer Marine Water Tank Pump Filter 600/800 L/H at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
A traditional pump driven protein skimmer is of course way better.
Sounds like @ichthyoid has you covered.
(Srry new to all this)
That depends... are you going to have a sump and are you going to stock the tank with more than a few small nano fish?
If the answer to those questions is no, then I think the larger model of the one I mentioned above would work for you, but won't be very pretty in your tank. You will need a cheap little airline valve as well to adjust the amount of bubbles. Just keep in mind, an airstone skimmer is going to skim wetter (at least in my experience), meaning a lighter color, not as much gunk out of the water. This is a super cheap option, but certainly not the best. I personally wouldn't run a tank without a skimmer because I feed my fish and corals kind of heavy, but it is not a must have item for nano tank. Just keep up on your weekly water changes and when you have some extra cash or come across a good deal, then add one.
I found my airstone skimmer to be a pain, the wood (not stone) had to be replaced frequently, and the skimmer required constant adjustment due to the gradual clogging of the wood. It worked, but turned out to me to be not worth the trouble.
If you have any extras and are interested in selling HMU I’m in lilburn
Maybe one or 2. I feed my planted tank fish heave aswell. So I'm guessing I'll do the same with this one
skriz
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,185
- Reaction score
- 122
There's only so much bio-load you can have in a 33g tank. Not many fish will fit, thus, you only need so much food.
You'll get far more production out of water changes than you will a diy skimmer. Hell, a 10g water change will change over a third of your water volume with clean saltwater; that's going to be hard to beat!
As far as an airstone skimmer is concerned: they can be incredible if you use a quality air stone. The better the stone, the better the end result. I'd only go this route if you've got a sump, though. I wouldn't want that hanging off your tank or sticking out of your display.
I built a canister filter. (Befor i realized dumps are the way to go) I'm gona to build a sump so nothing has to be in the tank. Thank you.
Would a skimmer let me do less offer water changes? Or smaller ones?
I would recommend anyone pondering the benefits of a protein skimmer in a marine aquarium (of any size) to read the following article by Randy Holmes-Farley, PhD; a chemist and reef hobbyist.
Pay particular attention to the section on ‘Aeration by skimmers’, a primary & often overlooked function of skimmers.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pay particular attention to the section on ‘Aeration by skimmers’, a primary & often overlooked function of skimmers.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Will do thank you
skriz
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,185
- Reaction score
- 122
You can find commercially built sumps for great prices these days. Look into those and get the biggest one you can fit/afford. Increasing your water volume helps a ton.
A skimmer is a fantastic piece of equipment that has many many benefits. I don't run any system without one; however, if you can't do something right, you end up hurting yourself in the long run and often times short run. So, if funds are tight right now, stick with weekly water changes. You can adjust that down to bi-weekly once your parameters are in check and looking good. Keep an eye out for good used deals on skimmers; they pop up all the time. Then, yes, it'll help you do fewer water changes.
One thing is certain with aquariums: you're going to spend the money no matter what. You'll either do it via labour or via equipment. The better the equipment, the less labour you'll expunge. Buy shoddy equipment today and you will replace it, eventually with the one you should have just bought from the get go. Been there, done that. We all have. And everyone will go through that same cycle. It's almost unavoidable.
All you need is something to make bubbles, and a upside down funnel with a cup on it to collect. You can do it with a coke bottle and an air stone, or 5 gallon bucket with a big pump on it. For all the "tech advances" thats all skimmers are. Make bubbles, collect it through a smaller neck and get it to a cup.
Ive made many large skimmers, but for something small I would just look for a used one cheap.
Ive made many large skimmers, but for something small I would just look for a used one cheap.
