Building on their DIY-kit product line, Avast Marine has introduced their affordable CS1 DIY Cone Skimmer Kit. At $160 + $65 for a Sicce PSK 2500 pump the skimmer is an absolute steal–but it won’t come assembled. That part is up to you. Avast will provide you with literally everything you need to build this [...]
Building on their DIY-kit product line, Avast Marine has introduced their affordable CS1 DIY Cone Skimmer Kit. At $160 + $65 for a Sicce PSK 2500 pump the skimmer is an absolute steal–but it won’t come assembled. That part is up to you.
Avast will provide you with literally everything you need to build this skimmer: Pre-cut CNC’d parts, nylon bolts, even adhesive. By doing this you can knock 30% off the pre-built price. It also allows more daring builders to tweak the design: recirculating designs, custom outputs, pump mounts and bubble plates can easily be done.
Yeah, we know it’s not an ATB or Bubble King. On the flip side, we do know it’s affordable, easily DIY-able, and saves some cash in your pocket.
Here are the specifics:
- Tank Rating: 150-250 gallons
- Footprint with Sicce pump: 11″x14″
- Height: 20″, with Swabbie 22″
- Diameter at Base 7.5″
- Neck diameter: 4″
- Collection Cup Diameter: 6″
- Collection Cup Drain: Standard
- Air Silencer: Standard
- Automatic Air Shutoff: Standard
- Sicce PSK2500 performance (avg): 800-900 lph @ 23w
- For in sump use: 6″-12″ depth
- Optional Pump Warranty: 1 year.
Avast Marine says:
This cone protein skimmer kit is a great way to learn basic acrylic building skills and get a fantastically efficient skimmer at a very affordable price! The kit includes all the parts need to build the skimmer pictured. CNC machined parts fit together with ease and a detailed assembly manual is provided.
This project can be put together in about two hours’ time, and afterwards, you will have a skimmer with efficiency on par with models costing 4-8x as much. Add in an optional Swabbie, our automatic neck cleaner, and watch the performance top even the highest end brands out there
5 Comments
cool idea!
Eric, do you believe this would be effective for a budget conscious reefer like me? Do you think it would be a minimal difference between the DIY'er and say an Octopus cone skimmer rated for the same size? Just curious because it seems like a very real possibility for someone like me, but not worth it if the performance is much lower. Thanks!
@Nick, the proportions on paper look quite good, but performance will really be based on the NW pump. If the body and pump are “balanced” (It may take some additional tuning) there is no reason this skimmer won't outperform those that cost significantly more money.
Hmmm, I guess my follow up question would then be if you thought someone that’s not very well versed in the art of DIY work, like myself, would be able to achieve the good final product it could be with the additional tuning? Thanks so much, Eric!
Hmmm, I guess my follow up question would then be if you thought someone that's not very well versed in the art of DIY work, like myself, would be able to achieve the good final product it could be with the additional tuning? Thanks so much, Eric!