External Skimmers?

[Lucid]

Hey, I wanted to do an in-sump skimmer, but probably cannot do that for space limitations. So I need an external skimmer. What are some good skimmers to look at? I have a 75g tank and the sump will be custom made so it will fit through the stands door.

Don't know how to make it external except maybe through a bulkhead in the side of the sump? Really don't want to have an extra pump to deliver water to the skimmer if I can.

TIA

[Lucid]

Anyone tried the octopus skimmers? I see they have an external but requires a delivery pump...

[WSBoyette]

Hey, I wanted to do an in-sump skimmer, but probably cannot do that for space limitations. So I need an external skimmer. What are some good skimmers to look at? I have a 75g tank and the sump will be custom made so it will fit through the stands door.

Don't know how to make it external except maybe through a bulkhead in the side of the sump? Really don't want to have an extra pump to deliver water to the skimmer if I can.

TIA

Maybe you could just pipe it over the end of the sump with PVC, or reinforced vinyl hose and barb fittings. It would probably be a little cheaper, and would save you the trouble of getting two holes put in your sump.

Wade

_____________________________________
Crabz is disgustin', an' ain't too tastee either !

[Lucid]

Hey Wade, ya I prolly will do that for the output part. It's just the input part that I need to figure out. All the externals I have checked out require a delivery pump which I'd like to not have if possible. I figure maybe a bulkhead to allow flow to come in. I dunno, need some help from those who have been through this or at least know how an external skimma works.

[Poseidon]

The output of your skimmer can not go UP and over the sump wall, so keep that in mind.

I have an external MRC MR-2 skimmer that I modified to be a recirculation model, it is fed by gravity, and uses a pump to run the Beckett.

Here is a picture of my sump, it should give you an idea of how it works.



Here is the link that has the conversion of my skimmer to a recirculation model.
Perfect Pix Photography- powered by SmugMug

[WSBoyette]

The output of your skimmer can not go UP and over the sump wall, so keep that in mind.

Excuse Me,

But I don't see why it cannot.... I have an 24 inch tall oxygen/ozone reactor plumbed over the side of my sump, and using a control valve on its discharge, I can easily adjust the water level in it from a couple of inches to 20 inches. I also have no issues with the priming of its drive pump, as long as there is enough water in the sump to cover the intake pipe. Is there maybe something about the skimmer I overlooked ?

Best Regards,
W.S. Boyette

___________________________________
Crabz iz disgustin' an' ain't too tastee either

[Poseidon]

Is the O2 reactor sealed? Does it have a drain for waste?

You can plumb a Ca, or Kalk reactor up and over, but a skimmer is different since it is not sealed. It would terribly difficult to regulate the water level in the skimmer if the discharge was not either straight out, or down. The added back pressure of the rise would complicate things, and the rise certainly could not be taller then the collection cup, or a LOT of water would go out the drain rather then back into the sump.

[Lucid]

Prolly won't matter anyway on the output as the sump wall is likely going to be 16" in height. And I think most skimmers outputs are a bit higher than that.

Do you think gravity fed through a bulkhead to the skimmer input would be enough flow? Thanks for the pics btw Poseidon.

[Poseidon]

I guess that would be something to look at then. From what I have seen, the trend in skimmers lately is to be internal, and to partly use the water around the skimmer to help regulate the water level of the skimmer itself.

MRC makes skimmers that are external, or internal, but the outputs are very low. I have seen pictures of reef octo external skimmers, and they have the riser tube, which may get you over the top, especially if you set the skimmer on a "box" of some sort.

Yes, I do think gravity feeding would be adequate, that is what I do! ;)

[Lucid]

Hmm, I guess what I should be asking is how to hook up one of the externals to the sump. I wouldn't think that the skimmer can handle all the drain line water and pass it all to the sump.

I'd love to have one in-sump, but then the sump would basically be a box for the skimmer and return pump, no other equipment like heater etc.

For reference: Octopus DNW-110 Needlewheel Recirculating Skimmer w/pump: Premium Aquatics

[Poseidon]

It can't. In my image there are 3 vertical PVC lines, the second one from the left, in front of the Kalk reactor, is a bypass line. Any water that is not allowed into the skimmer past the valve is directed down the bypass.

I don't think that output is more then 16", but I think you could raise that skimmer a bit to make sure it works. When you hook up the drain to the skimmer, just make sure there is a valve as close to the skimmer as possible, and a T farther back to direct whatever water doesn't get to the reaction chamber into the sump.

[Lucid]

Aaah ok got it. Not sure if I'll get that skimmer or another one. But it helps to get a better understanding on how to plumb it etc. Thanks.

What is that square chamber in the middle of your pic? Killer setup you have there.

[Poseidon]

My diy Ca Reactor, it holds 50 POUNDS of media.

Thanks for the compliment!

[Lucid]

[WSBoyette]

Hey Wade, ya I prolly will do that for the output part. It's just the input part that I need to figure out. All the externals I have checked out require a delivery pump which I'd like to not have if possible. I figure maybe a bulkhead to allow flow to come in. I dunno, need some help from those who have been through this or at least know how an external skimma works.

Yeh, I was just wanting to save you some work. My experience with my oxygen/ozone reactor seemed applicable to the external skimmer as the hydraulic parameters are practically identical. I still say that as long as your pump can provide plenty of vacuum on startup and you use a control valve in the discharge line, it will work. You can verify this by temporarily connecting an input hose to the pump and running over the side of your sump.... You can raise the level of water in the skimmer by decreasing flow thru the valve, and lower it by increasing the flow. That is all you will ever need to do with a skimmer. Note how my reactor is plumbed:



Wade

[WSBoyette]

Is the O2 reactor sealed? Does it have a drain for waste?

You can plumb a Ca, or Kalk reactor up and over, but a skimmer is different since it is not sealed. It would terribly difficult to regulate the water level in the skimmer if the discharge was not either straight out, or down. The added back pressure of the rise would complicate things, and the rise certainly could not be taller then the collection cup, or a LOT of water would go out the drain rather then back into the sump.

No, it has a vent in the top to allow for air/ozone to flow out of the reactor so that I can always ensure a flow of fresh gases thru the unit. This vent is hydraulically equivalent to the cup drain fitting on a skimmer. It would only overflow if the control valve were closed off too much - just use your knowledge of Hydraulics and think this through completely, and you will see how this works. My knowledge of this comes from experience with my reactor, a hydraulic class I had in college, and my former old-school hang-on simmer (pictured below). Its inlet was piped over over the side of the tank (from a powerhead), and opening up the control on its input would cause the water level in it to go up, and therefore it had to be closed off some to avoid overflow. If my previous post was in error as you suggest, I would have certainly flooded my living room with the thing !



Respectfully,
Wade

[reefer69]

I am using an Aqua Euro 135 recirculating skimmer and I really like it. I would recommend it. This is the one I have right now YouTube - Aqua Euro Recirculating 135 Skimmer with bubble plate!