Bioload 75 - Reef Aquarium

[bioload]

Almost complete today.

Cutting out the holes for the pump and the bulkheads on the top of the skimmer box



Coming together



Plumbing of the diffusion plate



All together



Getting ready to get wet....still need to complete the lid and the bottom of the box. I didn't want to weld the bottom of the box on before I gave it a try. I would have liked to have rounded over the box, but I accidentally welded the body on before I got a chance to get it on router table.

[bioload]

Got the skimmer into the sump . The first thing I noticed was the diffusion chamber. Since I plumbed the inlet of the skimmer directly to the plate I would need to ensure there is a pre-filter or grid to prevent debris from getting into the skimmer in this case macroalgae from the refuge. I'm glad I didn't glue the bottom onto the box yet. The next build I would probably add a keyhole flange to the bottom of the skimmer body to give access to the plate

[rstar]

You have amazing skills! I am curious as to how much a project like this costs? Is it really more cost effective to diy a skimmer?

[DCDN]

Wow that looks amazing

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Those are completely MAD DIY skills you got there. Amazing!!!!

[lastlight]

Ok I was going to post about how much I loved your aquascape. Seriously one of the sweetest I've seen I love the right side especially. I miss the sand but if you don't go nuts =)

Your diy skills are inspiring beyond belief! I so wish I could work with acrylic. I've never tried mind you but I don't have the toolshed you do nor the financial opportunity to experiment!

I also noticed your virtual plumbing warehouse is quite well stocked! Thanks for sharing in so much detail and good luck with the skimmer. I know looks/cleanliness must be important to you but could some sort of angled interior be fitted INSIDE the skimmer body to angle towards the neck?

[Youngster Dan]

Great thread, everything is well thought out and clean. Thanks for sharing all of the photos!

I am looking forward to seeing how everything progresses.

[bioload]

rstar - The most costly part of the build was the pump, mainly because I wasn't able to DIY the volute.....until now . I'll try to post some sketch-ups or CAD drawings of the volute if any CNC'ers are interested. I have a CNC project on the side but haven't had a chance to work on it yet.

I got the modified pump from SWC for $299.99. A laguna 1500 can be purchased for $126.95 (US i think)....and modified as well.

The acrylic I used was extruded which is roughly half the price of cast and is sold by the foot:

24885 7-1/2" x 8" Acrylic Tube Clear Extruded x 24" 1 $93.92 $93.92
24837 3-3/4" x 4" Acrylic Tube Clear Extruded x 12" 1 $10.34 $10.34
24844 5-3/4" x 6" Acrylic Tube Clear Extruded x 12" 1 $16.78 $16.78
24841 4-3/4" x 5" Acrylic Tube Clear Extruded x 12" 1 $13.98 $13.98
Sub Total: $135.02
Shipping: $0.00
HST: $17.55
Total: $152.57
Prices shown in Canadian funds .

I get acrylic sheet from Peidmont plactics who I give a call now and then to see if they have any off cuts available which I get for approx $5.00 sq ft.

The plumbing I already had but I would approximate $50.00

Pump - $299.99
Tube - $152.57
Sheet - 7 sq ft @ $5.00/sq ft. = $35.00
Plumbing - $50.00
Total = $537.00 (approx $364 if the pump was DIY'd)

A simliar skimmer would be the SWC XTREME 250A $549.99, for a cost savings of $10.00.

Why did I do this again ???....most DIY'ers would understand

lastlight - I would have like to add a smoother transition and may play around with it again, but I need some more practice with thermoforming and I've run out of scrap pieces for the time being. I might come back to this depending on how it performs.

Thanks all for the feedback and will update as I progress. I would like to move to the LED project next, but not until I get my water params under control

Here is a vid of the first test of the skimmer. Keep in mind that the tank has been set up for about 5 months now without a water change so the DOC's may be quite high, but I'm please with the initial results .

I'll leave it running for the time being and see what it pulls out.

http://www.youtube.com/user/bioload#p/a/u/0/-R6YFj28bxU

[Doug]

Ask for a price and voila. Now thats a breakdown.

Great work.

[bioload]

Originally Posted by lastlight

I miss the sand but if you don't go nuts =)

I've actually been contemplating adding the sand back.....we'll see.

Originally Posted by lastlight

I've never tried mind you but I don't have the toolshed you do nor the financial opportunity to experiment!

Hope I've taken out some of the guesswork if anyone want to give it a shot. I'll be doing all the reactors as well

Originally Posted by lastlight

I also noticed your virtual plumbing warehouse is quite well stocked!

I'm somewhat of a reef hoarder

Left the skimmer running for a day now and everything seems fine. I'll try to get things finished today and hopefully have it back in and plumbed in it's final location before the weekend

Here are some shots of what it managed to pull out during the test. I'm quite surprised with only around 4" of water in the chamber.