skimmer and sump, choose a pump!!! - Page 3

Wiskey · 03/01/2007, 11:34 PM

There is no internal baffeling inside these skimmers,.. once they break in for a bit the air coming out the gate valve will mostly go away (At least it did on my MR-2).

The GenX PCX-40 is the ideal pump for that skimmer IMHO, remember that Beckett skimers depend on a huge drive pump to deal with the head of the beckett, and to create the tiny bubles.

There is also a Mod that involves 2 90's to blow the air up the skimmer rather than straight down, but you shouldn't need it.

I say give that skimmer a little time without any new PVC on the system,.. a week should see the problem in the skimmer dissapear.

On my MR-2 I never ran the water level more than half way up the gate valve because it made the skimmer inconsistant,.. I think you should lower the water level in the sump, or raise the skimmer hight to set that gate valve only half way submerged.

HTH,
Whiskey

davidryder · 03/01/2007, 11:38 PM

i think that would help with the bubbles. although, Andy from MRC said that 9" is fine for the MRC-1, and it is now in about 7" of water. my tank is mostly bubble free, have a look:

http://www.phpstory.net/graphics/75/...ow_bubbles.wmv (1.71MB)

i can probably live with the low amount of bubbles coming out now, and i'm hoping after some time they will slow down more or stop all together.

DevilBoy · 03/02/2007, 12:11 AM

thats not bad at all... It may run in 9" of water. But Andy also says to run the water level in the body of the skimmer 1-2" from the top of the black base. And if you want to skim wet like most people do. You will need alot more water in the skimmer body.

davidryder · 03/02/2007, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DevilBoy
thats not bad at all... It may run in 9" of water. But Andy also says to run the water level in the body of the skimmer 1-2" from the top of the black base. And if you want to skim wet like most people do. You will need alot more water in the skimmer body.

couldn't i just close the gate valve a little?

DevilBoy · 03/02/2007, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by davidryder
couldn't i just close the gate valve a little?

if you close the gate valve it will raise the water level in your skimmer body.

davidryder · 03/02/2007, 01:26 AM

So I think the skimmer is finally defeated!!

Ok, moving on. I am going to build a 24" acrylic refugium to sit next to my tank on a stand... my spring break is coming up so I'll have all week to work on it. It will have the same design as my stand, but it will be as low as my counter:

that is my idea right now. just to have it sit flush next to my tank. i think it will offer it's own display qualities...

any suggestions on how to plumb it?

it's going to have 3 compartments, with as little as 200gph going through it. i just want a place to grow caulerpa and pods. this was what was going to be the plans for what is my sump now, but this skimmer has really changed things. but i think a display refugium will be nice.

as far as plumbing goes, i was thinking about cutting a 1" bulkhead in the right compartment to drain the refugium to the sump and have a pump return it back to the fuge. the only problem with this is flooding. i don't think my sump could handle any more back flow... bad design i know... any suggestions?

davidryder · 03/04/2007, 02:54 AM

Ok, update on the skimmer. I am trying to sell the MRC-1. I purchased a AquaC EV-120 and Pan World PX-X... I got the skimmer working great now, though. I split the output on the Gen-X to my tank overflow return. And I took the mag and am using it for a closed loop. Check it out:

^^^ this is the split. the right side goes to one of the three jets (the tank stock overflow return). the left side goes to the simmer.

^^^ this is where the skimmer draw it's water. ideally it would have been from the display tank, but i will change that when i get the new skimmer and pump. something to note here, i used a compression T for the pump intake. this makes parts more interchangeable, preventing being forced to cut pvc to make a change.

^^^ these are the two flex hoses from the pump output. the one in the back is returned to the tank. the one in the front is connected to the skimmer. this allowed me to throttle the pump, and at the same time remove the mag 9.5 from the sump to lower the flow through it

^^^ this is just a shot of the closed loop drain i made for the mag 9.5. it converts to flex hose near the bottom to allow flexibility of moving it.

^^^this shot and the next two are pictures showing the low bubble content of the sump.

it took a lot of trial and error, but everything works now. i still thing this skimmer would do better in a different setup. my sump is too small, i don't have the clearance under my stand, and the water level is a little too high in the sump. although this is a great setup, the skimmer isn't getting the pressure it deserves and i'm producing probably 70-75% of the skimmate i was before i made this change. it still pulls it's weight but i would like to get the most out of my skimmer. if you are interested in the skimmer or pump, check it out:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1061389

03/01/2007, 11:34 PM	#51
Wiskey Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fallbrook, CA Posts: 3,049	There is no internal baffeling inside these skimmers,.. once they break in for a bit the air coming out the gate valve will mostly go away (At least it did on my MR-2). The GenX PCX-40 is the ideal pump for that skimmer IMHO, remember that Beckett skimers depend on a huge drive pump to deal with the head of the beckett, and to create the tiny bubles. There is also a Mod that involves 2 90's to blow the air up the skimmer rather than straight down, but you shouldn't need it. I say give that skimmer a little time without any new PVC on the system,.. a week should see the problem in the skimmer dissapear. On my MR-2 I never ran the water level more than half way up the gate valve because it made the skimmer inconsistant,.. I think you should lower the water level in the sump, or raise the skimmer hight to set that gate valve only half way submerged. HTH, Whiskey __________________ This video shows 15 months of coral growth in my tank in a 30 second timelapse: https://youtu.be/bF6C57aTDEo

03/01/2007, 11:38 PM	#52
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	i think that would help with the bubbles. although, Andy from MRC said that 9" is fine for the MRC-1, and it is now in about 7" of water. my tank is mostly bubble free, have a look: http://www.phpstory.net/graphics/75/...ow_bubbles.wmv (1.71MB) i can probably live with the low amount of bubbles coming out now, and i'm hoping after some time they will slow down more or stop all together. __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)

03/02/2007, 01:26 AM	#56
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	So I think the skimmer is finally defeated!! Ok, moving on. I am going to build a 24" acrylic refugium to sit next to my tank on a stand... my spring break is coming up so I'll have all week to work on it. It will have the same design as my stand, but it will be as low as my counter: that is my idea right now. just to have it sit flush next to my tank. i think it will offer it's own display qualities... any suggestions on how to plumb it? it's going to have 3 compartments, with as little as 200gph going through it. i just want a place to grow caulerpa and pods. this was what was going to be the plans for what is my sump now, but this skimmer has really changed things. but i think a display refugium will be nice. as far as plumbing goes, i was thinking about cutting a 1" bulkhead in the right compartment to drain the refugium to the sump and have a pump return it back to the fuge. the only problem with this is flooding. i don't think my sump could handle any more back flow... bad design i know... any suggestions? __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)

03/04/2007, 02:54 AM	#57
davidryder Claris or Elliot? Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nightopia Posts: 2,750	Ok, update on the skimmer. I am trying to sell the MRC-1. I purchased a AquaC EV-120 and Pan World PX-X... I got the skimmer working great now, though. I split the output on the Gen-X to my tank overflow return. And I took the mag and am using it for a closed loop. Check it out: ^^^ this is the split. the right side goes to one of the three jets (the tank stock overflow return). the left side goes to the simmer. ^^^ this is where the skimmer draw it's water. ideally it would have been from the display tank, but i will change that when i get the new skimmer and pump. something to note here, i used a compression T for the pump intake. this makes parts more interchangeable, preventing being forced to cut pvc to make a change. ^^^ these are the two flex hoses from the pump output. the one in the back is returned to the tank. the one in the front is connected to the skimmer. this allowed me to throttle the pump, and at the same time remove the mag 9.5 from the sump to lower the flow through it ^^^ this is just a shot of the closed loop drain i made for the mag 9.5. it converts to flex hose near the bottom to allow flexibility of moving it. ^^^this shot and the next two are pictures showing the low bubble content of the sump. it took a lot of trial and error, but everything works now. i still thing this skimmer would do better in a different setup. my sump is too small, i don't have the clearance under my stand, and the water level is a little too high in the sump. although this is a great setup, the skimmer isn't getting the pressure it deserves and i'm producing probably 70-75% of the skimmate i was before i made this change. it still pulls it's weight but i would like to get the most out of my skimmer. if you are interested in the skimmer or pump, check it out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1061389 __________________ A rolling stone gathers no moss... Current Tank Info: 90g mixed reef, corner overflow (Mag 9.5), 25g refugium (Mag 5), 15g refugium, Orbit 260w pc, Pan World 50PX-X (Closed loop), AquaC EV-120 (now skimmerless)

03/02/2007, 12:11 AM	#53
DevilBoy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Wooster, Ohio Posts: 1,724	thats not bad at all... It may run in 9" of water. But Andy also says to run the water level in the body of the skimmer 1-2" from the top of the black base. And if you want to skim wet like most people do. You will need alot more water in the skimmer body.