Hi everybody, joey here again and welcome back.
In todays video, Im going to show you how to build a protein skimmer for a saltwater
aquarium. A protein skimmer removes waste products or
basically any decaying organic matter in a fish tank before it has the opportunity to
break down and lower water quality. It does this by passing water through a skimmer,
dissolved organic compounds in the water attach to the bubbles the skimmer produces. As the
air bubbles rise, so do the organics now attached to the bubbles. The organics are then collected
in a cup at the top of the skimmer and removed from the system.
Why does this happen? Simply put, the organic protein molecules
are attracted to the bubbles surface. As these air bubbles rise, they bring the
protein molecules with them to the water�s surface. As more and more proteins collect
at the surface, the longer and longer the foam it creates takes to burst. (As the surface
of the bubble is now covered in proteins). We can take advantage of this with protein
skimmer because these bubbles take so much longer to burst and it starts to form a foam.
With a protein skimmer we can guide this buildup of foam into a collection cup to be removed.
Before we get to the build, Why can�t this be used on a freshwater tank?
Well, we know that a skimmer works based on the proteins being attracted to bubbles. BUT
we need a LOT of bubbles to make this work. In this example, The air pump, air stone,
air pressure, aquarium and temperature are all the same. The only one difference in these
2 tanks is the salinity. The tank on the left is freshwater. The tank
on the right has a salinity of 1.025 (a pretty common salinity for most saltwater tanks).
So why is the freshwater producing regular bubbles you would expect to see and the saltwater
tank producing a massive cloud of tiny bubbles? Surface tension.
The surface tension on the bubbles in the saltwater tank is MUCH higher than in fresh.
Which depicts the size a bubble can be. Bubbles in saltwater can be made to 4-5X�s smaller
than in fresh. Now because we rely on bubbles to remove protein
from the water, a freshwater skimmer is simply not efficient enough to be a useful component
on a freshwater aquarium. Typically speaking most protein skimmers will
be round in shape. This help with the flow of the bubbles.
Most protein skimmers will also be tall and have a narrowing section at the top before
it reaches the collection cup. We don�t need to reinvent the wheel here,
we just need to find a way to mimic the design with cheaper materials.
So here is what I have come up with. While this might not be the most effective�.
It works. All in all, this whole project cost me $15.
You will need A pair of 500ml water bottles can be used
here. Although you can super-size this design and use 2L bottles.
I like to use thin wall PVC for projects not under any real pressure. This is sch 20 PVC.
2� in diameter. IF you super size this skimmer, you can use 4� PVC to match the 2L bottles.
A pair of suction cups. These came from an old heater holder. Notice the nubs on the
ends of each cup. Aquarium safe silicone is all you will need.
Only a very small amount is needed for this project.
The most important aspect to this project is the wooden air stone. I�m a fan of the
2� red sea air stone. We HAVE to use a wooden air stone as it will produce the smallest
bubbles. (The smaller the bubbles, the more efficient this will be). The air pump used
doesn�t have to be huge, but the stronger the better.
A couple of tools that will come in hand is a drill with a drill bit (6mm drill bit).
Although I prefer a step drill so I don�t have to switch bits. You will also need a
pair scissors. Start off by Cutting the bottom of one of
the bottle off. Then cut the top 1/3 off the top of that same
bottle. You will be left with the mid-section of that
bottle. Moving onto the second bottle, cut the top
1/3 off that bottle as well. Slide the mid-section of the first bottle
onto the top half of the second bottle. Silicone the seam closed.
Smooth the silicone seam over with your finger. This doesn�t have to be a strong seam, just
leak proof. Drill 2 holes in the side of the PVC pipe.
The holes should be SLIGHTLY smaller than the nubs on the suctions cups.
Turn the pipe on its side and drill a hole 2� from the bottom.
Insert the suction cups into the first 2 holes. The suction cups should not come loose.
Thread your airline into the last hole on the side of the PVC pipe. If the hole was
made correctly, this will be a snug fit. Attach the wooden air stone on the inside
of the PVC. Insert water bottle onto the top of the PVC
pipe. As an optional addition, you can place some
sponge inside the pipe to stop fish (if this is going in a main tank and not a sump) to
stop fish from swimming up into it. Doing so may make the skimmer less effective
by the foam filtering the water before it can be treated though. So use only as a last
resort. (Or possibly consider siliconing or tying some mesh to the entrance)
Install into your aquarium or sump. Turn the air pump on. At this point there are many
ways to adjust the skimmer height and ability to �tweak it�. First, you can slide the
whole simmer up and down in the water. Second, since the water bottle is not a snug
fit, it too can be slid up and down to adjust the skimmer production.
The skimmer will immediately start to produce the bubbles expected and within a few days,
the collection cup with fill with skim mate. Adjusting to get the perfect skim can be easily
done. It can take several days to even weeks to break a skimmer in though.
To clean the skimmer, simply slide the collection cup off and pour the skim mate down the drain.
As the wooden air stone creates the tiny bubbles and those bubbles rise, proteins attach to
those bubbles and rise up the pipe with them. As they reach the surface, foam begins to
build up. The more and more foam that builds, the higher up the neck of the water bottle
that foam is pushed, only to eventually overflow into the collection cup to be completely removed
from the system. So there you have it. A very cheap and easy
to build skimmer. Obviously not very pretty, but if it�s in
a sump no one is going to see it anyways. Given its price and ease of use, it can also
be used as a back up or for QT tanks. Maybe you take this design and make it much
more appealing an efficient. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the video,
I also want to thank you for watching and we will see you next week for a new project.