want to make DIY PICO skimmer

Water changes would be easier. But those fish shouldnt be there in my opinion. Not even one should be in there...

 

hmm. well the fishes are there for a reason, gone give it to LFS for other fishes for my big tank, i shifted them coz they were bulying every fish in my tank and plucking up on GSP, they were not touching my seamat so kept them there. well i do 30%WC every week. and asa far as the skimmer is concerned, well i like making pico stuff as its challanging and fun + i have always liked a skimmer in my tanks as they keep my nitrates in check. this is my first ever pico so still learning.

 

Personally, I agree with what others have said about the skimmer/water changes as well as the livestock.

I haven't done it yet, but will be building a DIY biopellet reactor for a pcio tank and will be doing water changes to actually export any remaining nutrients rather than using a skimmer. Perhaps you will pick up on that idea.

 

hey do u need to change biopellets ever? just confused as never used them.

 

i wouldnt skim a tank smaller than 55gal, if ur doing weekly or biweekly water changes there is no need to skim water volume that small..;

with bio balls an occasional rinsing in salt water is good, i just replaced all of mine with red lava rock (more porous than bioballs and live rock)

ur LR will keep ur nitrates in check more than a skimmer will, just make sure you dont understock on your rock and sand, and dont over stock on your bioload like most of us in this hobby seem to do and i think you'll be fine without a skimmer

my 29 biocube has been runnign without a skimmer for 4 months and since i removed the skimmer, my pod population has gone bizerk

 

Biopellets are a polymer media bacteria (bnot an actual 'filter'), which help collect your nitrates/phosphates so they can more easily be exported by water changes and/or the protein skimmer. If you ran these with a skimmer, then you would generally want your output of the reactor to go to the skimmer section of the ump. For small tanks, water changes will be fine. Biopellets, not bioballs, there's a difference) do not need to be changed for a long time...and I've not heard of anyone having to change them out yet, since they started using Warner Marine ecoBAK biopellets. You will need about 5ml of biopellet media for every gallon of actual water volume.

I thought abouut doing a diy reactor when I saw the Reef Builders video about CPR Aquatics nano reactors (not released yet). They have a very simple design with the pump below the reactor chamber, and a cone shape near the bottom. The output of the reactor is pretty much just a 1/2" hole on the top. I love the idea, but I'm sure it might cost a bit of money and I actually don't think there is much there capable of being patented. If they do, they are stupid. lol.

Well why not not go even smaller? This design can be a relatively inexpensive diy. I am thinking about a Rio 1200 submersible pump (the same brand CPR uses) which has a dial on the output of the pump so you can adjust the flow rate.