DIY DP Skimmer - about 5 bucks (lots of pics)

[Rollover]

Hi All,
I got a "white fog" bacteria bloom this weekend and figured it was time to start skimming. Reefing on a tight budget and enjoying the DIY aspect of the hobby, I did a little Googling and found a few ppl building skimmers from plastic bottles. I didn't know if it would work or not so I built one to see and thought I'd share the build here.

Parts list:
1.5L bottle of DP - $1.50
wood air stone - $1.45
Nylon right-angle thread to hose barb adapter - $1.49
2ft airline tubing - $0.20
1ft 1/2inch tubing - $0.37
electrical tape - had some
Bottle for collection - old dressing bottle from the fridge
magnet tank scrubber - had a spare
airpump - had a spare

Step One: Empty (drink) a bottle of Doctor Pepper and cut the bottom off.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/8f95ee62.jpg


Step Two: Drill a hole near the bottom just large enough for the air stone nipple to fit through.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/deb72f05.jpg

Step Three: Push the air stone nipple through the hole and attach the air hose.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/b5718767.jpg

Step Four: push the hose barb fitting into the neck of the bottle. use electrical tape to snug it up if necessary.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/dab301fc.jpg

Step Five: Attach the 1/2in output tube to the adapter fitting and tie the air line tube around the neck of the bottle to keep it out of the way.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/8f873e48.jpg

Step Seven: Hook up the air pum and install the skimmer. Use the tank scrubber to keep it in place and adjust the hight.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/b2aac630.jpg

Did it work? It took about 30 minutes to concentrate the DOCs enough to produce good foam...
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/dcf340bf.jpg

...And here is the result of six hours of skimming.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w415/bofh_john/75011bd9.jpg

I think it's at lease as good as a low-end skimmer. What do you guys think?
-John

[reefreak]

Wow dude great job!

[Zen Reef]

Awesome!! Love DIY's!

[Mike]

Cool

[zerreissen]

That's pretty sweet! Great job!

[Louis-210]

Nice, Looks like it works...

[Mr Cob]

looks like a winner to me

[sdunn90fowlr]

Awesome! Looks some pretty dark, nasty stuff to me.

[rrasco]

Who cares how you get there, the end result is what matters. Good job.

[Big_Pun]

I like how you left the label lol

[350gt]

what fish are those in your sump

[Fenker]

Thats an awesome idea, my AIO was built by Mike at precision marine and he basically did the same for the skimmer he made. He just made a chamber real small and made a skimmer cup for it and just use an air pump. I was really skeptical if it actually worked(bought the tank used). He said it worked really well.
Unfortunately I dont have a pump big enough for it to work. But seeing that I know mine will work.
great job! This is perfect for a reefer on a budget.

[Rollover]

Lol, yeah I'm all about the product branding. Thanks for all the comments, guys.
John

[Rollover]

Orange molly fry. Their mom is up in the DT on algae patrol. It's fun watching her play and school with the tomato clown.
John

[reefreak]

Thats hilarious john

[Rollover]

I'll try to get a video of them tomorrow. I can't wait to put the other tomato in there with him.
John