As some may remember, i've been asking around about making a diy skimmer. I've finally put it all together, it looks incredibly similair to a pipe bomb and it works probably just as well. (p.s- there's a diagram attatched below)
That's actually a lie, for the most part the concept is pretty workable and the sealing/plumbing is doing really well, but because i've never owned...or even really seen a skimmer in action i have been encountering some problems. The water comes in from the tank via a 201 powerhead and is fed into the lower of the two valves, the water then rises until it reaches the higher of the two valves in which it is released back into the tank through the higher of the two valves. (these are reversable, eg. The water can be fed into the tank via the higher or lower inlet, and exit through the lower or higher. I've got it entering through the lower because in my understanding the water level needs to be higher than the intake). There is a elite802 airpump that has a wooden airstone connected to it, that creates the cc air bubbles.
My problem is, it's creating WAY too many bubbles. They're flooding the collection cup in seconds, and the bubbles (once in the collection cup) then turn back into water and make a mess. Another issue, is that the exit water is very bubbly, and is polluting my tank with a flurry of bubbles.
Does anyone know how i can fix either of these problems, or perhaps where my logic is lacking?
Diagram:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/DustinKeating/Skimmer.bmp
That's actually a lie, for the most part the concept is pretty workable and the sealing/plumbing is doing really well, but because i've never owned...or even really seen a skimmer in action i have been encountering some problems. The water comes in from the tank via a 201 powerhead and is fed into the lower of the two valves, the water then rises until it reaches the higher of the two valves in which it is released back into the tank through the higher of the two valves. (these are reversable, eg. The water can be fed into the tank via the higher or lower inlet, and exit through the lower or higher. I've got it entering through the lower because in my understanding the water level needs to be higher than the intake). There is a elite802 airpump that has a wooden airstone connected to it, that creates the cc air bubbles.
My problem is, it's creating WAY too many bubbles. They're flooding the collection cup in seconds, and the bubbles (once in the collection cup) then turn back into water and make a mess. Another issue, is that the exit water is very bubbly, and is polluting my tank with a flurry of bubbles.
Does anyone know how i can fix either of these problems, or perhaps where my logic is lacking?
Diagram:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/DustinKeating/Skimmer.bmp
