Air pump rec's for DIY protein skimmer

[bmlerner]

Looking for an air pump for my DIY skimmer. The skimmer is using a ceramic airstone and has a 3 ft. water column (the airstone is at the bottom of the skimmer, in case that wasn't obvious

). I've been operating it using scrubbed compressed air (the tank is set up in a lab), but would like to switch to a pump, since the house air pressure fluctuates noticably over a 24hr period.

I tried a TetraTec AP100, which was useless. I'm now considering a TetraTec DW96, which the manufacturer states is designed for deep water applications (thus the DW designation) such as protein skimmers. Anyone use this? How about any other pumps for a similar setup (3' water column of back pressure)?

Thanks!!!

Brian

 

[waterloomarc]

I use that specific pump to run my protein skimmer. My skimmer is only 2 feet tall however. The pump is quite powerful and pushes a good bit of air through my wooden stone. It has a bit of a hum to it though, not as bad as some pumps but definitely louder than the one you tried.

-Marc

 

[bmlerner]

Thanks for the reply!

Does that pump have an adjustable flow? The info on the website didn't seem to indicate that.

 

[waterloomarc]

No. I just bought a brass valve for it, works just as well and only 2 bucks, plus I can put it in a much more convenient place that on the pump itself.

 

[bmlerner]

^bttt

 

[llowwelll]

I recently made a DIY protein skimmer. It is 4 ft tall and 4 in wide. I started out with a TetraTec AP200 and it was also useless. I now use both a DW96-2 and a DW96 on the skimmer. They power a total of 3 airstones. The flow rates are not adjustable (you could use a needle valve if that's what you want). The prices on the DW96 pumps vary quite a bit. I found my DW96-2 for $55 by using mysimon.com. I forget which place it was I actually bought it from but mysimon.com goes and finds a bunch of places on the internet that are selling whatever it is you're looking for along with prices. I've seen the DW96-2 for as much as $95. I think you can get the DW96 for around $35. I bought mine for $49 at the lfs and that was way too much to pay.

 

[fishpoo]

the Supreme Dynamaster piston pump sells for about $50 and is powerful enough for that size skimmer. The drawback is it is noisy. If you can put it in a closet it will do the job.

 

[geo]

Like fishpoo I also like the Danner double piston air pump.