A way to avoid surface scum

[Marc Levenson]

My son's 29g sumpless FOWLR kept getting surface scum, which inhibits gas
exchange. I was sick of it, so I built this little box to help keep the surface
clean.

view from top:
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box.jpg

view in-tank:
http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box1.jpg

The idea was to have the water pour into a chamber that the skimmer's Mag 5
could slurp out, so the surface remains clean.

My goal is to eventually make a box that is slightly bouyant so that it will
automatically adjust as the water level changes (due to evaporation), but for
now I just put together a clear box. It is working perfectly, but topping off
water each day is going to be very important to avoid the pump running dry.

This box is 6 x 4.5 x 7, with a separate hanging bracket that was added
afterwards to fit over the rim of the tank. A Mag 5 fits in there, but because
of the way the Remora Pro is designed, the inlet to the pump is way too close to
the (inner) wall of the box. I didn't want to trim the inlet of the pump
permanently, so I'll make a different box, probably out of black acrylic, later.

Marc

--
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Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Dragon Slayer]

yeah i made one like that a while back and the constant worry about topping
off daily was a PITA. but none the less they work.

kc

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> My son's 29g sumpless FOWLR kept getting surface scum, which inhibits gas
> exchange. I was sick of it, so I built this little box to help keep the
surface
> clean.
>
> view from top:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box.jpg
>
> view in-tank:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box1.jpg
>
> The idea was to have the water pour into a chamber that the skimmer's Mag
5
> could slurp out, so the surface remains clean.
>
> My goal is to eventually make a box that is slightly bouyant so that it
will
> automatically adjust as the water level changes (due to evaporation), but
for
> now I just put together a clear box. It is working perfectly, but topping
off
> water each day is going to be very important to avoid the pump running
dry.
>
> This box is 6 x 4.5 x 7, with a separate hanging bracket that was added
> afterwards to fit over the rim of the tank. A Mag 5 fits in there, but
because
> of the way the Remora Pro is designed, the inlet to the pump is way too
close to
> the (inner) wall of the box. I didn't want to trim the inlet of the pump
> permanently, so I'll make a different box, probably out of black acrylic,
later.
>
> Marc
>
> --
> Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
>
>

[kim gross]

Marc Levenson wrote:
> My son's 29g sumpless FOWLR kept getting surface scum, which inhibits gas
> exchange. I was sick of it, so I built this little box to help keep the surface
> clean.
>
> view from top:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box.jpg
>
> view in-tank:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box1.jpg
>
> The idea was to have the water pour into a chamber that the skimmer's Mag 5
> could slurp out, so the surface remains clean.
>
> My goal is to eventually make a box that is slightly bouyant so that it will
> automatically adjust as the water level changes (due to evaporation), but for
> now I just put together a clear box. It is working perfectly, but topping off
> water each day is going to be very important to avoid the pump running dry.
>
> This box is 6 x 4.5 x 7, with a separate hanging bracket that was added
> afterwards to fit over the rim of the tank. A Mag 5 fits in there, but because
> of the way the Remora Pro is designed, the inlet to the pump is way too close to
> the (inner) wall of the box. I didn't want to trim the inlet of the pump
> permanently, so I'll make a different box, probably out of black acrylic, later.
>
> Marc


Marc,

To keep from burning up the pump, drill a hole in the lower area of the
box so that if the water does not come over the top, you still get
enough water to just keep the pump from overheating and burning up.

with a mag 5 I would guess you could do a 3/8 hole an inch or 2 below
the surface.

Kim

[Marc Levenson]

Thanks Kim!

Marc


kim gross wrote:

> Marc Levenson wrote:
> > My son's 29g sumpless FOWLR kept getting surface scum, which inhibits gas
> > exchange. I was sick of it, so I built this little box to help keep the surface
> > clean.
> >
> > view from top:
> > http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box.jpg
> >
> > view in-tank:
> > http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box1.jpg
> >
> > The idea was to have the water pour into a chamber that the skimmer's Mag 5
> > could slurp out, so the surface remains clean.
> >
> > My goal is to eventually make a box that is slightly bouyant so that it will
> > automatically adjust as the water level changes (due to evaporation), but for
> > now I just put together a clear box. It is working perfectly, but topping off
> > water each day is going to be very important to avoid the pump running dry.
> >
> > This box is 6 x 4.5 x 7, with a separate hanging bracket that was added
> > afterwards to fit over the rim of the tank. A Mag 5 fits in there, but because
> > of the way the Remora Pro is designed, the inlet to the pump is way too close to
> > the (inner) wall of the box. I didn't want to trim the inlet of the pump
> > permanently, so I'll make a different box, probably out of black acrylic, later.
> >
> > Marc
>
> Marc,
>
> To keep from burning up the pump, drill a hole in the lower area of the
> box so that if the water does not come over the top, you still get
> enough water to just keep the pump from overheating and burning up.
>
> with a mag 5 I would guess you could do a 3/8 hole an inch or 2 below
> the surface.
>
> Kim

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[CapFusion]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> My son's 29g sumpless FOWLR kept getting surface scum, which inhibits gas
> exchange. I was sick of it, so I built this little box to help keep the
surface
> clean.
>
> view from top:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box.jpg
>
> view in-tank:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box1.jpg
>
> The idea was to have the water pour into a chamber that the skimmer's Mag
5
> could slurp out, so the surface remains clean.
>
> My goal is to eventually make a box that is slightly bouyant so that it
will
> automatically adjust as the water level changes (due to evaporation), but
for
> now I just put together a clear box. It is working perfectly, but topping
off
> water each day is going to be very important to avoid the pump running
dry.
>
> This box is 6 x 4.5 x 7, with a separate hanging bracket that was added
> afterwards to fit over the rim of the tank. A Mag 5 fits in there, but
because
> of the way the Remora Pro is designed, the inlet to the pump is way too
close to
> the (inner) wall of the box. I didn't want to trim the inlet of the pump
> permanently, so I'll make a different box, probably out of black acrylic,
later.
>
I do not get it, Marc. Since you have tools to make SUMP and Tank, why don't
you just make a grill on upper portion of that box as a overflow filter
method? This way, it will skim the surface and fall down to the filter and
no need to worry about evaporation of the water level that you set to.

CapFusion,...

[Marc Levenson]

So basically you are suggesting an entire box/sump on the outside of the tank to
hang the skimmer on? This is a sumpless tank, and I'm not going to drain the
tank to install a permanent overflow box in the corner either.

Marc


CapFusion wrote:

> I do not get it, Marc. Since you have tools to make SUMP and Tank, why don't
> you just make a grill on upper portion of that box as a overflow filter
> method? This way, it will skim the surface and fall down to the filter and
> no need to worry about evaporation of the water level that you set to.
>
> CapFusion,...

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[CapFusion]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> So basically you are suggesting an entire box/sump on the outside of the
tank to
> hang the skimmer on? This is a sumpless tank, and I'm not going to
drain the
> tank to install a permanent overflow box in the corner either.
>
> Marc
Noop.... Not an entire box / sump outside of your tank. According to your
pic.... It located inside your tank and from what I can tell, the water flow
over the top of the wall box and the pump push it out. Am I see the pic
correctly or my eye-ball need to be check-up? I assumed that box was meant
to be use as surface skim / clean. If I understand correctly from your pic,
why not create a grill so that the water will flow through / between the
grill to the box.

Ok.... Let me ask in another angle.
What this box do? My impression was... this box clean the surface of that
tank by flowing over the box wall and into the box, right? If so, why not
make a grill for the water pass through and go into your box. This way, it
will skim the surface and prevent critter that might get pull over the
surface and into the box.

CapFusion,...

[Marc Levenson]

All this box does is force water to enter from the top surface of the tank,
which in turn is skimmed.

Using a grill (or teeth) vs a smooth edge is somewhat in a debate right now.
Apparently things get trapped in the teeth and it actually lures fish into the
area more than a smooth overflow, so I didn't add teeth.

Marc


CapFusion wrote:

> Noop.... Not an entire box / sump outside of your tank. According to your
> pic.... It located inside your tank and from what I can tell, the water flow
> over the top of the wall box and the pump push it out. Am I see the pic
> correctly or my eye-ball need to be check-up? I assumed that box was meant
> to be use as surface skim / clean. If I understand correctly from your pic,
> why not create a grill so that the water will flow through / between the
> grill to the box.
>
> Ok.... Let me ask in another angle.
> What this box do? My impression was... this box clean the surface of that
> tank by flowing over the box wall and into the box, right? If so, why not
> make a grill for the water pass through and go into your box. This way, it
> will skim the surface and prevent critter that might get pull over the
> surface and into the box.
>
> CapFusion,...

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Marco Qualizza]

Actually, Marc, Hagen sells a product which does this exact thing (for
their canister filters). My wife's oscar tank was getting pretty filmy,
so I bought one a few months ago. It's a cool device which combines both
Kim's idea (the perforation to ensure there is always water present) and
your idea to make it buoyant... I'll try to describe it (I apologize
before-hand for my complete ignorance when it comes to plumbing terms...)

The slightly-simplified version is 2 main parts. The whole concept is a
vertical tube with a t-connector half-way down, open bottom and a small
"cup" (open, with teeth) at the top. The canister's intake attaches to
the 't', so that it draws water only from this widget. The two main parts
are the bottom portion of the tube, with the 't', and the top portion with
the cup. The top part slides into the bottom part, and is free to move up
and down. It floats.

Now, what my description doesn't have that the actual product does is a
shaft that goes from the bottom of the tube up through the top of the cup.
It's used to control the ratio of water coming from the bottom of the tube
as opposed to the top of the cup. It's neat because when you force the
intake to be cup-only, the cup is actually sucked down a bit (although
this might just be an artifact of the amount of water now entering the cup
in this closed loop).

The only thing I don't know is why the cup, which is free-floating, sits
neither too high nor too low in the water. :-)

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 04:25:39 +0000, Marc Levenson wrote:

> My son's 29g sumpless FOWLR kept getting surface scum, which inhibits gas
> exchange. I was sick of it, so I built this little box to help keep the surface
> clean.
>
> view from top:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box.jpg
>
> view in-tank:
> http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/1203/skimmer_box1.jpg
>
> The idea was to have the water pour into a chamber that the skimmer's Mag 5
> could slurp out, so the surface remains clean.
>
> My goal is to eventually make a box that is slightly bouyant so that it will
> automatically adjust as the water level changes (due to evaporation), but for
> now I just put together a clear box. It is working perfectly, but topping off
> water each day is going to be very important to avoid the pump running dry.
>
> This box is 6 x 4.5 x 7, with a separate hanging bracket that was added
> afterwards to fit over the rim of the tank. A Mag 5 fits in there, but because
> of the way the Remora Pro is designed, the inlet to the pump is way too close to
> the (inner) wall of the box. I didn't want to trim the inlet of the pump
> permanently, so I'll make a different box, probably out of black acrylic, later.
>
> Marc

[Marc Levenson]

That's the trick, getting the right balancing point. I can make a box, and make a
pocket of air, and test it, then adjust things and test it again, etc. Sounds like a
lot of trial and error.

Can you send me a link to the cup you bought for your system? I'd like to see it.
Visuals are great!

Marc


Marco Qualizza wrote:

>
> The only thing I don't know is why the cup, which is free-floating, sits
> neither too high nor too low in the water. :-)
>

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Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Marco Qualizza]

I guess that would have been easier than trying to describe it, huh?

I'm sorry that the pictures are so crappy, nobody seems to have a good
picture up. The second one is better than the first, and the third is
probably best of all.

Hagen's
http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=107&PROD_ID=01002400010101

TOM/Oscar Enterprise's (it's the exact same thing...)
http://www.oscarent.com/productspages/surfaceskimmer.html

And, finally, another unhelpful picture (half-way down, on the right) :-)
http://www.nature-aquarium.com/tank.htm



On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 06:27:35 +0000, Marc Levenson wrote:

> That's the trick, getting the right balancing point. I can make a box,
> and make a pocket of air, and test it, then adjust things and test it
> again, etc. Sounds like a lot of trial and error.
>
> Can you send me a link to the cup you bought for your system? I'd like to
> see it. Visuals are great!
>
> Marc
>
>
> Marco Qualizza wrote:
>
>
>> The only thing I don't know is why the cup, which is free-floating, sits
>> neither too high nor too low in the water. :-)
>>
>>

[Marc Levenson]

I've seen that before. I'll give it some thought....

Marc


Marco Qualizza wrote:

> I guess that would have been easier than trying to describe it, huh?
>
> I'm sorry that the pictures are so crappy, nobody seems to have a good
> picture up. The second one is better than the first, and the third is
> probably best of all.
>
> Hagen's
> http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=107&PROD_ID=01002400010101
>
> TOM/Oscar Enterprise's (it's the exact same thing...)
> http://www.oscarent.com/productspages/surfaceskimmer.html
>
> And, finally, another unhelpful picture (half-way down, on the right) :-)
> http://www.nature-aquarium.com/tank.htm
>
>

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