Hello and welcome to my do it yoursef page. Don't you just hate paying retail for your aquarium hardware. I know I sure do. I am always thinking of ways that I can save money on harware, water additives, inhabitants, etc. This has led me to attempting to build some of my own hardware. This pages contains the projects that i've attempted on my own after alot of planning and have successfully executed. All of the projects listed below I have done myself and can attest to.
If you have any question regarding one of my do it
yourself projects, please do not hesitate to e-mail me your question and I will be happy
to respond. These projects represent my own ideas. Take this information for
what it's worth. If you have attempted and successfully executed your own do it
yourself project, please e-mail me your plans (if you have one) along with a written
description. I will attempt the project and if I am successful, I will post your
project on this page and give you the credit for it.
| This is a picture of the do it yourself home made protein skimmer that I built myself. As you can see, it is a venturi type skimmer and it works great. I am running this skimmer with a Rio 2500 powerhead. |  |
I bought the acrylic at a local plastics dealer. They cut just about all of
the pieces for me prior to starting the project. The acrylic was very inexpensive.
It cost me around $40.00. The pvc pipe and ball valve together ran around
$4.00 You can use this skimmer either inside or outside your sump. What I like
best about this skimmer is that I designed it in a way to prevent tiny air bubbles from
being returned into the aquarium. This is a
very easy project to attempt on your own. A protein skimmer such as this would
normally cost around $180.00 in an aquarium store and can be built on your own for around
$45.00. A huge savings!
If you would like detailed information on how to build this protein skimmer, please refer to my DIY Protein Skimmer page.
Instead of paying the $165.00 + shipping
for another set, I decided to do some of my own research to see if I could buy the parts
separately for less. What I found out is that I could buy all of the parts
separately for less than $100.00 (including reflector). I did so and saved myself
over $70.00. It took me around 1 hour
to assemble the parts and mount the lights within my canopy. The bulbs are Hamilton. It is hard to tell from this picture but I currently am
using 2 daylight and 2 attinic 03 bulbs. Power compact bulbs are less expensive than metal
halide bulbs, last longer than metal halide and flourscent bulbs, and use up very little
electricity.
If you would like to learn how to build your own dual 55 watt power compact retro fit kit (including reflector) for under $100.00 please refer to my Do it Yourself, Power Compact page.
I purchased Goop Marine at my local Home Depot. It cost around $5.00. It is extremely thick and can be spread very sparingly. I can see this glue eventually becoming a standard in the aquarium industry.
This glue cures in around two hours. I use this glue rather sparingly and it serves its purpose. It dries clear which is really nice because it is very inconspicuous and helps to make your home projects look professional.
This is a picture of my power compact light set up
that I am currently using on my 37 gallon reef aquarium. I purchased a dual 55 watt
retro-fit light set up for $165.00 + shipping over the internet. After realizing
that two lights were not enough to keep my S.P.S. corals happy, I decided to upgrade
to 4 55 watt power compact lights.
This is a picture of the Adhesive and Sealant called Goop Marine that I use to seal such things as the overflows that I built for my aquariums, any plumbing that I use, etc. This stuff is extremely durable. It works very well with plastic, glass, and even wood. Believe it or not, I even used this stuff to reglue a leg on my coffee table. That leg would have to be sawed off if I wanted to remove it. 
This is a picture of a tube of Weld On 16, the glue that I use to join pieces of acrylic and plastic together. I purchased this tube at a local plastics dealer. It works extremely well. I have not seen this glue in any hardware store (including home depot).
Please e-mail me your comments/feedback on this site