How to Make Protein Skimmers for Saltwater Aquariums

Protein skimming, also referred to as "foam separation" or "foam fractionation," is the only form of filtration that completely removes organics from the aquarium before they break down. A protein skimmer in its simplest form, consists of a vertical cylindrical hollow column containing aquarium water into which bubbles are introduced from below. A collection cup, which is positioned on top of the column, holds the foam that has been stripped from the tank's water. A protein skimmer is an essential piece of equipment for saltwater aquariums. The tool can be easily made. This design is rated for a 105-gallon aquarium.

Things You'll Need

  • 23.6-inch Perspex tube or other acrylic tube
  • Air pump
  • Wooden air stone
  • 59-inch air tubing (0.87 inch diameter)
  • 23.6-inch diameter screw cap
  • Small plastic bowl (16 fl. oz.)
  • 1.18-inch PVC pipe (0.87 inch diameter)
  • Plastic clamp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut a hole the size of the PVC pipe in the center of the screw cap. Cut a corresponding hole in the center of the bowl.

    • 2

      Glue the plastic bowl onto the screw cap. The holes should be in line with each other.

    • 3

      Insert the 1.18-inch PVC pipe into the holes. One end should be flush with the screw top. The other end will be positioned within the bowl.

    • 4

      Attach one end of the air tubing onto the wooden air stone. Attach the other end of the air tubing to the air pump. Place this pump above the aquarium, either on a wall ledge or on the aquarium's canopy.

    • 5

      Push the wooden air stone 3 cm to 4 cm into the 60 cm Perspex tube from the bottom.

    • 6

      Place two small rocks on the gravel in one of the rear corners of the aquarium.

    • 7

      Place the skimmer on top of the rocks. The junction between the Perspex tube and the bowl should be about 5 cm above the water surface. The skimmer must "sit" on the rocks in such a way that water can still flow into the tube from around and between the rocks.

    • 8

      Place the plastic clamp onto the air pipe at a position halfway between the pump and the water surface.

    • 9

      Turn on the air pump. Adjust the amount of bubbles that are flowing up the tube toward the plastic bowl, by tightening the clamp as required. Bubbles must not flow into the bowl so quickly that it fills up immediately. Adjust the clamp to take a day or more for the bowl to fill with foam.