How To Build a Protein Skimmer

© Luis Mercado, Nov. 1996

Many different brands of skimmers are available these days as compare to a few years ago when only a few expensive brands were imported from Germany. Although the market has increased and prices dropped somewhat, not every hobbyists has the money available to buy some of the more advanced models available.

Some hobbyists prefer to build their own as that way they can control certain aspects of the installation such as space used, types of pumps needed and convenience of maintenance. In this short article I will describe how to build an effecient,low cost skimmer for just about any size tank you may have. The dimensions given are typical examples and the aquarists may choose to adapt the measurements for his or her own use.

Venturi Skimmer:

Venturi skimmer use the Bernoulli principle of air injection. A stream of highly pressurized water is injected through a pipe which is restricted at one end. As it exits the restriction, an opening that is adjacent to the output of the restriction causes a pressure differential to occur. This has the effect of dragging air along with the stream of water producing many tiny bubbles. A venturi injector accomplished the aeration and mixing of water without any supplemental additions of air from an outside source.

this method of protein skimming is extremely efficient and less costly than constantly replacing air stones and also produces a more constant level of skimming without the constant adjustments inherent with air operated skimmers.

The basic construction is simple. A long tube of either acrylic or PVC pipe is used as the main reaction tube. I suggest a minimum of 4 inch diameter pipe for really effective skimming. I also suggest a minimum height of this reaction chamber to be 24 inches tall. Taller tubes can of coarse be used but shorter would reduce effective contact time and are in my opinion not very effective. A 4inch diameter is a good all around choice with 6 inch diameter about as big as I would go for aquariums up to 225 gallons or so.

In this design we will incorporate a second chamber inside the main reaction tube as in the diagram. This should be a two to three inch diameter tube which rises from the bottom of the main reaction tube to within about 2 inches of the top of said tube. This chamber will be the actual air saturation chamber and will also help to keep bubbles from exiting the skimmer into the aquarium or sump.

A 1/2 inch to 1 inch PVC pipe, depending on the Venturi valve used, will enter the top of the reaction tube, and will travel down the internal saturation tube to within about 1 inch off the bottom of the tube. From here the bubbles will travel upwards toward the collection cup and the skimmed water will travel back downward towards the output opening at the bottom of the skimmer. By having the water travel this path, saturation and contact time can be increased tremendously over other designs which just let the water swirl up towards the collection cup from the bottom of the reaction tube.

It is essential that the output opening be large enough to accommodate a rapid flow of water without too much restrictions. We will install a gate valve at this output to regulate the height of the water/air mixture inside the skimmer. I suggest using at least a 1 inch pipe and gate valve combination here.

As for the Venturi valve used, I suggest using the Mazzei Molded venturi valves Depending on the size of the aquarium and the pump you wish to use. there are two sizes commonly available. There is a 1/2 inch version and a 1 inch version of the valve. The 1/2 version will perform very well in almost all typical home aquarium. It has a either a threaded or slip opening which accepts 3/4 inch outside diameter flexible PVC hose. Make sure you use hose clamps at all the connections to insure that the hoses do not pop off due to the high water pressure.

The Venturi valve injects the water/air mixture at the top of the reaction tube and directs it downward into the saturation chamber. The collection cup at the top should be the same diameter as the main reaction tube. the neck leading up to the collection should be about 6-8 inches long with equal halves of the this tube inside and out of the collection tube.

Acrylic can be glued together using a solvent cement such as H-94, weldon-16 or straight Methylene Di-chloride. It is applied with a needle applicator for the thin watery mixture and with a larger hypodermic needle for the thicker cements such as the Weldon brands. Make sure the humidity is low and the temperature around 78-80 degrees where you intend to do the gluing. Please wear gloves and goggles to protect yourself as these glues can bond skin and eyes instantly. Some people are also sensitive to having these substances touch their skin.

PVC tubing can be glued with the special PVC glues available in most hardware stores. You must first prime every piece before gluing as this will increase strength and prevent leakage. PVC is extremely easy to glue but once glued it is permanent like acrylic. So make sure the pieces fit properly first before applying the glue.

A drain can be provided so that the collection cup empties into a separate container by means of a hose and hose fitting. This is not essential but a good idea to have to avoid leaks due to over skimming. The collection cup should have a tight fitting cover with an air hole of about 1/4 inch diameter to allow the skimmer to operate properly.

By using a pressure pump such as a Little Giant or Lifeguard Quiet Pump to extract water from the sump through the venturi valve and exiting the skimmer back into the sump your skimmer should be ready to operate. Please test everything for water tightness. If small leaks occur at the glued joints, Silicone sealant can be applied to make them water proof. Use Teflon tape at all threaded connections and you are all set.

Columnar Skimmer:

The columnar skimmer makes use of air stones rather than a venturi valve to produce the air bubbles in the reaction tube. The construction is the same except you would omit the internal saturation chamber and the venturi valve. You would instead insert two air stones at the bottom of the reaction tube and use the input at the top to inject plain water. The water will swirl downwards toward the rising wall of air and react with it. It is a simpler skimmer to make and will also be very efficient. The following diagram should be self explanatory. The rest of the construction is exactly the same as the venturi skimmer above.

Conclusion:

There are many different ways t o build a skimmer. Round pipe is not the only material to use. The above skimmer can also be built out of flat pieces of acrylic to form a boxed shape skimmer and still have great efficiency. Use your situation as a guide as to what size and shape the skimmer will take. A custom skimmer will help to streamline your installation as well as reduce your maintenance chores.

A good skimmer is a must for a well running aquarium. What kind or brand you use is irrelevant, the fact remains that its use is essential to the well being of our captive friends.....

Email me with any questions or comments about this article.