Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

For those of you who wish to know how to make your own skimmer here it is.

Bubbles force water and air up protein etc caught in the bubbles leaves the outlet as water recycles.

This is only for a system running too rich. And the liquid runoff is magic fertiliser for your garden somewhere.

Now you can pay hundreds for a protein skimmer that also provides aeration. Why??!

Waterfalls are much better, and if you really want more air venturi nozzles make perfect sense where pumps are already operating.

A venturi nozzle is simplicity itself.

A small air tube or entry point is plumbed to your water inlet or outlet. The water pressure running through the line draws air in to mix with the water.

If you use Aquariums keep the intake well out of your tank. If you use CO2 enhancement keep the venturi line out of the room.

AA, i was posting for people to look up venturi skimmers for the data on venturies, not so much the skimmer itself

There is probably not much need for a skimmer in aquaponbics, and as i understand it it efficientcy drops dramatically as the salinity drops away from ocean concentration. Its to do with the minimum bubble size and rise time obtainable with salt water versus fresh water.

Venturis can be made more efficient by slotting in a short reducer into the pipe and putting the air intake in the reducer. The velocity increases and the pressure decreases, hence sucking in more air.

Steve

Draw me a diagram please Steve. Good info brain not computing it. Say it's a 13mm to 11 mm reducer. Venturi on which side, 13 or 11?

Skimmers are magic to take the richness out of a noob system that's gone haywire, or a system that has been harvested heavily. Believe me it'll happen (whistles nonchalantly)

AA whats noob?

will draw a diagramlate tongiht, on my way out to dinner.

13mm to 11mm then back out to 13mm.

Fit venturi ON 11 mm pipe

Will also explain velocity Vs pressure. Learnt it first year process control........so long ago now

Ah, it clicks.

noob is web-speak for noobie or newbie.