Read About Protein Skimmer

Building a Protein Skimmer on your own can be fun and cheaper than the skimmers available in the market. Here's everything you need to know about it.

Building a Protein Skimmer

1. The Facts:

   Protein skimmers clean the water containing organic waste, before they are converted into nitrates, by forcing air bubbles into the water.

2. Supplies:

   You will need the following materials to build your own protein skimmer. The measurements might vary according to your aquarium: 1 - 25" x 4" pipe, 1 - 3" x 3" pipe, 1 - 3" x 1 1/4" pipe, 1 - 2" x 1 1/2" pipe, 1 - 8" x 8" plate, 3 - 4" x 4" plate, 2 - 1/2" PVC tubes, 1 - 1/2" PVC elbow, Airstone and it's tube. You will also need tools like a power drill and sand paper, silicon sealant, and tubes to connect the skimmer to the aquarium.

3. What to Do:

   Take two 4"x4" plates and drill a hole in the center of the two plates. The hole should be 1 1/2" in diameter. To make the collection cup, glue the 3"x3" pipe to one of the 4"x4" plate with the hole. The pipe should be glued on top of the hole. Fit the 3"x1 1/4" tube into the 2"x1 1/2" tube. A small portion of the 3"x1 1/4" pipe should be sticking out. Fix the above combination into the hole in the plate in such a way that the 3"x1 1/4" portion that sticks out is in the collection cup. Cement the second 4"x4" plate to the bottom of the 3"x1 1/2" pipe and leave it to dry. Drill two holes one on the top and one at the bottom of the 25"x4" pipe. The holes should be large enough to fit eh 1/2" PVC pipe. Fix one 1/2" PVC elbow to the top hole with sealant. This forms the skimmer body. Fix the 1/2" PVC elbow to the bottom hole and fix the other 1/2" PVC pipe to the other end of the elbow. Cement the 3"x2" tube to an 8"x8" plate and cement the plate to the skimmer body in such a way that the 3"x2" body is inside the skimmer body. Take the third 4"x4" plate and make a hole in it. Fix the air stone into the hole. Take the plate and seal the top of the collection cup. Take the collection cup and fix it over the skimmer body. The bottom of the 4" x 4" plate at the end of the 3" x 1 1/2" will be cemented to the top of the skimmer body. Let the whole setup dry for a day or two. After the setup has dried connect the inlet and the outlet to the aquarium.

4. Special Considerations:

   Make sure you get the right measurements of pipes so the skimmer you build is the right one for the size of your aquarium.

5. Other Tips:

   You should test run the whole setup and see if the skimmer is actually working before you use it permanently.

6. Expense:

   The expense varies with the amount of materials and their quality. However, the entire cost will be much cheaper than buying a manufactured skimmer.