Skimmer - Question help me please.

~One i would like to know your other ideas too if you have time post them please tomorrow i think i'll go to the shop to supply my self with PCV pipes ;P and 1" = how many cm's? if it will work i'll make bigger version because in this summer im starting 40G reef so i'll need skimmer too

 

1" is about 25mm or 2.5CM. The actual conversion is 2.54cm per inch but I never pay attention to the 4, just use the 2.5 and you will be good to go. The 2" would be 50mm PVC.

If you tried an air driven skimmer before and it didn't work, then this one may not work for you. It takes a pretty strong air pump and, as mentioned, wooden air diffusers. I call them air stones because I don't use the other ones that the stores sell as air stones. My apologies for that one. The main advantage to this design (mine) is that it will sit in the tank and won't take up space outside the tank. The main disadvantage is that it sits in the tank and won't be outside the tank. Its a matter of which is more important to you.

You said you were in Poland so I don't know what kind of bottles things come in so bear with me.
Do they sell 2 or 3 liter drinks in plastic bottles? I have made one from a drink bottle that works pretty well if you have a powerhead, an air pump, and some patience to build it. It was as ugly as Methusala but it worked.

Any other kind of container that you can get that has a cone shape to the top of it?

 

Lol we're normal country and we have all things whitch you have ofc. We have 2,3,4,5+ liters plastic bootles i have panel(i dont know how to name it in english ) in my tank and it have 4 rooms 11cmx6cm each room , i dont know what is cone shape but i think we have it on top of bootles

 

A typical cone shape on a skimmer does look like the top of a soda bottle. Depending on the bottle but the basic shape is an upside down funnel. Whether the sides are curved or straight its still called a cone. Some 2 and 3 liter bottles have had straight sides (Pepsi most commonly) a while back but not sure what shape they have in Poland. Can you post a picture of a 2 or 3 liter bottle? I think I can get 2 and build one to show you how to make one with soda bottles. Ugly as Methusala but they can be made to work.

 

Hehe ok but you need to wait i need to buy one and drink ;] and what is "Methusala"? at the back you can see my tank ;P but i need to clean glass

 

Methusala is the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. 970 years old or so. Although Medusa is who I was thinking about as Medusa was in Greek Mythology and was so ugly that if you looked her in the face, you would turn to stone. The only way anybody could look at her was in a mirror, otherwise they turned to stone. For the most part, its just an expression that means its gonna be ugly.

The only one in the picture that looks like it might work right is the 2L bottle. The other three have what I call "hourglass" shapes where they start big, get small, then get bigger again. The second one from the left looks like it might have straight sides on it but I can't tell for sure.

If you look at the two bottles on the ends, and the shape at the neck of it. Where is long and tapered, that is the best shape but the rest of the bottle needs to be straight. When it is big, then small, then big again it causes the bubbles to collapse when going through the restriction way before the foam head is ready to build.

If you take the bottle on the left and cut the threaded part off of it. Then take a piece of 25mm PVC pipe and trace it out on the bottle top, and cut inside the lines. What you want to do is put the PVC pipe in the top of the bottle and make a new neck, but you want the hole a little small. You then take a hair dryer (or any other method to heat it) and heat the bottle so that it gets soft and you can stretch it around the PVC pipe and basically melt it on there. Then you reverse it to do the top of it. Then you cut the bottom of the top bottle and you end up with a basic skimmer. Then you cut a hole in the bottom to stick the air stones in and you are good to go.

Last few days my back hasn't let me get outside and do a lot but as soon as it stops hurting as bad, I will get some bottles and make one, with pics so you can see what I am talking about doing if it doesn't make sense.

 

Ok i'll wait for pic's and i'll try in few days build first project if i'll get pipes