Bioload 75 - Reef Aquarium

[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 Doug

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

Great work.

I forgot to mention that the comparable size/shape/pump SWC XTREME 250A @ $549.99 is not a re-circulating skimmer. One of the reasons I choose to build my own, and I could run the plumbing whichever way worked best for my system

From what I can tell a comparable sized re-circ on their site is the cone SWC Xtreme Cone Protein Skimmer 250 1A @ $749.99

Since we're on price....This is the quote i recieved for an acrylic cone

(1) 8” to 4” x 12” high x 3/16” thick clear cast acrylic cone with one glued, polished seam $199.00
(1) mold charge $140.00

If you can use a cone that s 11.7” high, we can avoid the mold charge as we have one in house.

Freight is additional and terms are prepaid. Delivery about 3-4 weeks."

[bioload]

With the skimmer nearing completion I've started thinking of DIY'ing a calcium reactor.

Danner Mag-Drive 250 Supreme Water Pump
Milwaukee CO2 Regulator with Needle Valve & Solenoid
5-3/4" x 6"OD Acrylic Tube Clear Extruded x 12"
Milwaukee Instruments SMS125 pH/ORP Controller - (Already have)

Still looking for co2 cylinder options as well.

[bioload]

Finally got the skimmer plumbed and running for about a day now, and just when I thought I could move my focus elsewhere.....there seems to be a problem with the pump. Got home this afternoon to find that there weren't any fine bubbles being produced.

The pump is still drawing air through the airline, but the chamber of the skimmer looks like a boil and the water line which was right at the neck when everything was working well has dropped several inches.

I opened the volute and there is nothing visibly wrong with the pinwheel. Contacted SWC and hope to here back from them soon...

[bioload]

The skimmer seems to be working better this morning. Turns out while I was at work yesterday my two year old decided to feed some cheetos into the sump. My next step may be to finish the stand and get some child proof doors.

I do recall an instance with one of my other tanks where the skimmer suddenly stopped working. Thinking back now the neighbors son did drop a couple Ruffles into the thank. I guess skimmers and junkfood don't mix well.

Here is a pic of the skimmer in it's final spot plumbed into the overflow. I had originally had a gate valve on the outlet, but I've found I can adjust the skimmer by varying the height of the outlet tee for now. I currently have the return pump (mag 900) running at 100% through the tank. However, this will be reduced later on when I add a bypass to feed the reactors and refuge.