DIY Skimmers???

[JimmyTheKid]

I am in the process of setting up my aquarium and am trying to build close to everything myself, both for the fun and to keep everything fairly cheap.

I am about to buy materials for the DIY Skimmer in the "Articles" section.
I am just looking for a quick review on this or any other home made skimmers.

is a DIY skimmer sufficient or should I just cut out the drop the dough and go buy one???

I'm sure that I am not the only one with this question but wasn't able to find a review on this project in any other thread...so please forgive me and point me in the right direction if there is a separate thread exactly like this one!

 

[Colin]

Hey Jimmy

have you ever used a skimmer before? They can be a real pain in the ar$e to set up and get going properly, even top of the range models require a certain amount of tinkering, and every one i have used always ends up slightly modified in one way or another.

I'd say that if you have skimmer experience then by all means have a go at building one.

If not then buy one and go to a shop where they can hopefully show you one in action. Also have a good Google at some models before you by them for reviews.

hope that helps?

cheers
Colin

 

[Paradox]

I agree with colin. Skimmers are pretty much the heart of a ceph system and as Colin mentioned, they take a lot of tinkering to get it to work efficiently. The acrylic and materials to make a skimmer can add up, so its probably worth it to jsut spend a little more and get a good skimmer.

 

[JimmyTheKid]

I do know how they work but, nope, I've never used one or seen one in action.
Sounds good to me, I'll just have to go buy one.

I'll still get some fun out of building my sump...I think that should be a bit simpler...hopefully
Thanks a lot!

 

[Colin]

I have seen some great DIY skimmers and some really bad bought skimmers... LOL

But feel free to post here for an opinion on models. I prefer Aquamedic but right now i have set up a tank with a via aqua multiskimmer which came as part of a deal on a 2nd hand system. its okay but really is one of those 'must be tinkered with' models

 

[JimmyTheKid]

Thanks Colin!

The one that I am looking at is the Aquamedic Turbofloater T1000 with the Ocean Runner 2700 pump
Almost all of the reviews that I've seen on this skimmer have been fantastic...I think that's what I'll go with.

Any objections...?

 

[Colin]

Not at all I have a 1000 and a 5000, both good buys