trust cheap from ebay

ok i was wondering on ebay there is a DIY protein skimmer you can make using pvc and lime wood air stone, and then there is the 30-40 dollar range protein skimmer i was wondering if anyone had exp with using any type of DIY skimmer or the 40 dollar one's

 

What are you trying to keep and how big is your tank.

 

55 gallon with 40 gallon sump and just fish no coral, mainly fish like damsels clowns wrasse or something along those lines

 

IMO for FO tanks, PS is not necessary.

 

ive been told that but i do plan on keeping invert like a clean up crew and want to do all things possible to keep trates down

 

I wouldnt trust the 40 dollar one, it could go south in a week or it could last a long time. If you want to run a skimmer I would at least get the cheap on from petco, ive had mine for 4 years and once I upgraded im using the pump off of it to stir my wc bucket. Ive never tried a diy but im not thinking an air stone would do much, I could be wrong though. Best way to keep trates down is not over feed, good clean up crew, clean any sock filters once a week and water changes. The skimmer will help some just make sure the water level around the skimmer stays constent, too high it will overflow, too little it cant do its job.

 

yes but what about the DIY one.

 

Im not sure an air stone driven would do much on a 55. It might be good for a 5 gallon with one fish, but you could alwasy try. If it were me I would save my money unless you have everything laying around to make one. You will need a pretty good size air pump to actually make foam. If you do try it post some pics and let us know how it goes, im interested.

 

Save your 40 dollars and wait to get something of quality. YOu can find name brand skimmers for decent money. For example:

Eshopps PSK 75 In Sump Protein Skimmer, 10-75 gal. tank - AquaCave.com

or maybe ebay would have a decent deal on a brand name skimmer, or craigslist.

 

i only ask about diy, i only ask cause a co-worker of mine showed me his and i thought ahead and got pic's of the collection and foam/bubbles at top. its has a 3" diameter reaction section and is about 2-3 feet tall using a 500gph pump and 2 lime wood airstones with a decent airpump from petco on it, said it costed about 50