Andrew Butler
Member
worth adding a photo of your version here JPC?
A bit less material and time to print.
Did you ever experiment with this one Paulo? I liked the look of the adjustability it showed.
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Eheim Skim 350 Modifications review
- Thread starter Hufsa
- Start date
A bit less material and time to print.
LondonDragon
Member
They don't look 3D printed to me, at least the base unit.
Andrew Butler
Member
Can't share the photo but I think it is; likely with smaller layers.
Andrew Butler
Member
Here's the link to the current model
https://greenaqua.hu/en/green-aqua-skim-350-uszo-garnelavedelemmel.html?nosto=frontpage-nosto-5
https://greenaqua.hu/en/green-aqua-skim-350-uszo-garnelavedelemmel.html?nosto=frontpage-nosto-5
LondonDragon
Member
If postage is not a lot, then they are pretty cheap anyway 😉 specially if they will protect your expensive shrimp from their death! 😉
I was just messing around since I have a printer in the house at the moment 😉
Thanks to this topic, I just bought this one for 9€ from aliexpress.
I used to mod my eheim skim 350, but even with an 3d printed guard, doesn't seem to work properly...and without it has managed to kill one otocinclus and 3 corydoras habrosus. 😕
G
Guest
Guest
May have a far simpler solution to the problem. So far it's working just fine and has less of an impact on tank aesthetics...
G
Guest
Guest
Yes I've just removed the top section etc, it's been running a couple of days like that. So far it's kept the surface film at bay, but it might be too early to draw any definitive conclusions. I'll keep you posted 😉
Small update on my skimmer guard recommendations. Boraras species (Mosquito etc) can fit through the holes of both the loofah mesh, and the black mesh.
The black mesh has holes approx 2,5 mm diagonally, and apparently this is enough for them to squeeze through.
Sadly I have lost one boraras with each of these 🙁
Right now the skimmer has been removed from the tank, but I have designed a 3D printed top with 1,2 mm slots that should hopefully keep them out.
I will report back later with the results, and if the skimmer replacement is successful, also the 3D file so people can print it themselves.
Aqua sobriquet
Member
I’ve used stainless mesh on my other skimmer to stop all but the tiniest shrimp being sucked in. It is a problem with any system with a surface intake. I’ve heard of folks having the same problem with a weir filter.
Without wishing to bang the same old drum - for a tenner delivered, the APS skimmer is a far better solution than then Eheim unit. I lined mine with mine mesh which fish (I have a shoal of Boraras too) definitely can't get through:
Very small shrimp can occasionally get through, but there is enough room, and enough water, in the main body that they survive in there just fine if you have the main skimmer body deep enough in the water.
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jameson_uk
Member
I just stuck a spong in the top of mine. This seems to not affect flow and shrimps don't seem to find their way in any more. Not as nice looking as your mesh
I just stuck a spong in the top of mine. This seems to not affect flow and shrimps don't seem to find their way in any more. Not as nice looking as your mesh
Good idea that - does it still draw water through the sponge then?
jameson_uk
Member
Yes, seems to without any noticeable impact on the flow.
Yeah this off brand skimmer looks pretty good. Is apparently 2 centimeters taller and a teensy bit wider, but not that much bigger really.
I might get one just because the square head looks easier to modify.. 🤔
I remember being in the LFS, picking the Eheim Skim off the shelf and trying to remember if I hadnt read something about some people having problems with some kind of skimmer..
Then I thought, "Nah, how could I possibly go wrong with Eheim." And bought it
It doesnt seem to be shrimp thats the huge problem, they may get in but they can take some time being just partially submerged.
But I think the fish that enter exhaust themselves to death flailing and flopping around down there.
I tried adding sponge to the top of the Eheim, but it added too much weight/resistance to the skimmer, so the entire thing was sucked underwater.
A custom 3D print with more bouyancy should make it possible. Having the sponge at the top is my plan B if 1,2 mm slots dont keep the poor suicidal fish out.
I realise im playing on Hardcore Difficulty mode with trying to keep the tiniest fish out of it while still trying to get the skimmer functioning well.
I saw the tip of removing the entire upper part of the Skim, but this makes it super sensitive to water level changes, and the pump will run dry very quickly if the water level drops.
Hi @Wookii
I have an Eheim skim350 and am therefore interested in what you are using. Does the APS skimmer run from an airline? How often do you need to clean the sponge filter? And, finally, what is the width of the inlet slots?
TIA.
JPC
Hi Jay,
No, it doesn’t run on an airline, it has an electric pump like the Eheim. If you are thinking of the airline you can see in @jameson_uk’s photo above, that is just an optional bubbler tube you can fit to the little removable outlet pipe.
As far as the sponge, this doesn’t come with it - it comes with a bit of filter floss - I just swapped it out for some black filter foam so I could clean and reuse it easily.
You can clean it as often as you like. I did mine weekly, but have left it a fortnight with no I’ll effects. Because the floating weir section has such a large area it’s very difficult to clog up also, even if you have a lot of loose leaves. Unlike the Eheim one which seems to clog daily and start spitting out air bubbles.
It’s also a lot easier to maintain than the Eheim, as you can lift the sponge out from the top with a pair of tweezers easily without having to remove the whole unit.
The inlet slots are 2mm wide. Without the mesh, larger shrimp can get in fairly easily, and they do try hard to get in - let’s face it that sponge is a shrimp buffet - so the mesh I added stops them, and I only got the odd juvenile in there after the modification, who happily reside in there until cleaning day.
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jameson_uk
Member
Indeed I have the Venturi installed but it is optional.
I run mine with filter floss in (and the sponge on top). I clean it weekly (and normally replace the floss every other week).
I was regularly getting shrimp in there before I added the sponge but I haven't found a single one in there since. Not sure if the sponge gives them something to cling onto so they can save up their energy and escape it whether it is just luck but the fact I have had zero shrimp in several months suggests it works
I run mine with filter floss in (and the sponge on top). I clean it weekly (and normally replace the floss every other week).
I was regularly getting shrimp in there before I added the sponge but I haven't found a single one in there since. Not sure if the sponge gives them something to cling onto so they can save up their energy and escape it whether it is just luck but the fact I have had zero shrimp in several months suggests it works
Hi @Wookii
I forgot to ask if it's quiet in operation.
Thanks a lot.
JPC
Ah, that's good news.
No problem there then.
Yes, the Eheim skim350 drives me nuts. It clogs up within a few days and that's when it's just removing the oily film that can develop on the water surface. And then it's a challenge to position it to prevent it behaving like a soda stream drinks mixer!
Yes, and what could be easier than that? Great!
Excellent!
I forgot to ask if it's quiet in operation.
Thanks a lot.
JPC
