Daddy builds a Beckett while baby is sleeping:)

[Canadian Man]

Well here is my new skimmer I made over the past few days off! :cool:
It's 48" tall and is run off of a mak 4 pump.
The pics of the skimmer running are after about 5 min of starting it.
I will post a pic tommorow of the collection cup and gunk! It's all ready skimming like mad after about 2 hours.

Let me know if anyone has any questions.
Oh and Deb, sorry to say but this skimmer eats Euroreefs for a light snack :razz: :lol: :razz:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/133DSC01664-1-med.JPG

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/133DSC01666-1-med.JPG

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/133DSC01671-1-med.JPG

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/133DSC01677-1-med.JPG

[incoma]

Wow nice job. Curious abot how much it cost though

[spikehs]

yes, I would like to know as well!

[StirCrazy]

what made you go so tall? and do you have a design for the becket holder?

Steve

[Canadian Man]

Thanks.

Incoma & spike.
Cost is not entirely possible to say. Reason being that I dismantled my old calcium reactor and old skimmer to make it as well as having all the necessary tools (which I purchased at one time. So all I had to purchase was some acrylic for the bottom and flanges as well as the Beckett and some plumbing. Realistically if I had to buy all the parts to make the skimmer It probably would have cost in the $200 to $350 range, not including the pump and my time. Also I would have not made it so big if I had to buy all the stuff.

Steve.
I made it so tall because I could, as well, I wanted awesome contact time which I am getting.
The Beckett holder came from this page.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=274077
and
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136946&highlight=Beckett+injector+housing

I did make a few changes in PVC size (3/4 instead of 1") as well as my acrylic tube had to be longer because I am using an older style injector.

most of the ideas for the skimmer itself came from Zephrants "monster beckett thread" on RC

[EmilyB]

Oh and Deb, sorry to say but this skimmer eats Euroreefs for a light snack :razz: :lol: :razz:


:mrgreen:

I had a beckett moment when the Euroreef wouldn't fit in the sump, then Christy told me how to get it in there...... :razz:

[Jack]

I agree with Jon on the skimmer comment.

Where is the water hight set in something like that?

[Doug]

Very nice Jon. :mrgreen:

I would imagine the water level is at the first flange? What does the long input pipe do, instead of the usual entrance just into the box or the swirl elbow just into the main tube?

Whatever it is, sure make-um nice foam. Esp. considering its just a Mak 4 driving it.

[Canadian Man]

Your correct Doug. The water height is just below the first flange.

The reason for the long 1.5" pvc pipe;
1. Forces the air/water mixture deep into the tube of the skimmer, increasing contact time.
2. Eliminates bubbles exiting the skimmer. There is basically 0 bubbles exiting the skimmer.
3. The center tube design helps eliminate the burping that skimmers using the bottom as a mixing box tend to suffer from.

[AJ_77]

Nice work...

Shouldn't you be helping your wife or something?
:confused:


:biggrin:

[Canadian Man]

Nice work...

Shouldn't you be helping your wife or something?
:confused:


:biggrin:

Hush Hush, :razz: Notice the Title? I guess I should have said while baby and mom are sleeping :mrgreen:

[Canadian Man]

Just an update. so it's been about 48 hours and I have 1 litre of dark skimmate! Yea! :biggrin: :cool:

[Delphinus]

Cool skimmer. :cool: Not exactly a fit-in-the-stand kind of model though is it? :mrgreen:

Are you using a gate valve on the output?

[Seriak]

What color is dark skimmate. In my old setup I was able to get 1/2 litre of black coffee skimate ever week and now I get a good litre every 2-3 days but more like really light tea. Which is better?

[Canadian Man]

Cool skimmer. :cool: Not exactly a fit-in-the-stand kind of model though is it? :mrgreen:

Are you using a gate valve on the output?

Your correct Tony, You basically have to have the fish room that I have to do this kinda thing.
I am using a 1.5" union ball valve on the output. it has almost no resistance on the lever when adjusting it so its perfect. It was also from my old 75g basement sump setup so it's free. Fine adjustments area easy.

IMO Seriak. Dark skimmate is like coffee and the cup gets "chunkies" in it.

It's impossible to say which is better. light skimmate means you have to add and pay for more salt for top up. As well you will skim out more things from the tank which may be a benifit for the tank, I think :confused: .
I like darker skimmate myself. :cool:

[Seriak]

Well that is one impressive skimmer then.

Great Job :exclaim:

[Chad]

Hey Jon,

Got any diagrams for a skimmer that would be suitable for a 20gal heavily stocked tank? I want to build one but cannot find nice schematics. And I need one thats is fairly compact but gets good skimmate. Does not use a air pump. I am thinking the injector type.. can be in sump or external.. not a hang on.. Your thoughts and opinions are welcome and appreciated..

Thanks

Chad

[Canadian Man]

Hey Chad.
I don't have any specific diagrams in front of me. Sorry.
Most skimmers are very easy in theory and I had no plan on paper when building this skimmer as well as everything else I do. :rolleyes:

Most of my plans are mulled over in my head over and over again till I come up with, what I think is a design that will work and then I build it.

You just have to do some research about skimmer basics and you can easily build one out of acrylic,pvc,5g water jug, IO bucket.....etc....Just about anything.

[andestang]

I like it, I like it meesterr :mrgreen: Good job Jon

[StirCrazy]

Jon, now that you have run it for a bit is there anything that you would have done different? did you think about trying a spray type injection?

Steve

[Canadian Man]

I tried a spray type injector skimmer earlier this year. I was thinking about that making my Monster skimmer a spray injection type but the Beckett intrigued me more. :biggrin:

The only thing I wish I would have done diffrent is not reuse my original flange from my calcium reactor. It was attached a bit crooked because the 6" tube wasn't cut perfectly square. I didn't notice this before attaching the 4" riser. It works perfect even though it's a degree or two off, just not pleasing to my eye.

I did manage to use my dremal and make that flange into a keyhole flange by hand. :cool: That part I like about reusing the old flange.

Other than that I am extremely happy with this design. I am at the 5 day mark now and I have 2 litres of dark stinky skimmate and the collection cup is nasty :evil:

[Doug]

Jon, I have a modified MR3, thats so big a Mak 4 does not do it justice. I started on modifications this morning, to the inside feed pipe from the injector. Hoping that making it similar to yours, running up into the skimmer, will get the desired results from the Mak 4.

I had to run the water level to high before, and could not get the body to fill with white out type bubble like yours or like my 28in. Saltwater Connection beckett.

Did you not put a 45 degree on the top, to achieve some swirling motion for a reason? Here is the original pic of mine. I will have another of it after the mods. I guess its now called a modified MR3-Jon beckett skimmer. :biggrin:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/507/8MR3.jpg?2460

[Canadian Man]

Hey Doug,
It was asked earlier in this thread where I run my water height. I said I run it at the bottom of the lower riser and I think that's incorrect.
When I feed my tank it shuts the foam production down in the skimmer. When this happens the water height in the skimmer is just above my inner pvc pipe. So I guess this would be my correct water height.

I don't have an elbow on the pipe. I find that there is alot of swirling motion inside the 6" acrylic tube. I don't think an elbow would help anything. When the skimmer shut's down after feeding the motion in the 6" riser tube is extremely violent and swirly :mrgreen: . The water doesn't come out of the tube evenly.

Let me know how the Modification works! :cool:

[Delphinus]

The water level may appear lower though because of the air pressure in the vessel. If you turn your air off the water level might rise a little. I don't know if this is the accepted practise, but I consider the water level where it's at when the air is off. Which is generally where the interface between water and foam is as well when it's producing foam, but when it's not producing foam (feed tank or whatever) the water level is considerably lower.

Not that I have the same skimmer mind you, take into account I'm speaking about my wee little bullet-1 skimmer.

[Canadian Man]

I checked what you said for water height Tony and with the skimmer working and me turning off the air supply the water level is 8 inches from the 2nd riser.

[Doug]

Jon, if your driving foam all the way from the pipe, then it sure is working well. I wont add the elbow for now either.

Thats the one thing I dont like about becketts compared with the Euroreef. How easy the foam production is shut down and its recovery time.