MRC Club

[JohnL]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=8943323#post8943323

[jmaneyapanda]

Skimmers do work in freshwater, they are not as near as effecient, though. Many high end koi dealers will run skimmers with ozone, and it will pull out skimmate. Freshwater does not have the same biochemical properties as saltwater, so the hydrophylic/hydrophobis aspects of the foam is not as strong.

[Mark NJ]

Thanks for the response fishdoc . I'll search the previous threads.

[TexasPete]

I here these are the best skimmers around. I'm lreally trying to join the MRC club.

[TexasPete]

What are better mrc or cac ?

[Aquaticman74]

Anyone have one of Andy's tanks? I'm a big fan of his work and might look to him for a tank next year.

[jmaneyapanda]

I dont own one, but I was at his shop, and he has one in the waiting room. Very nice. Wicked overflow.

[Biggie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8954967#post8954967 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TexasPete
What are better mrc or cac ? This is a debatable subject and a highly touchy one with the Deltec owners lol.
Actually look at the Barr Aquatics skimmers, they got some great stuff but they mimic the MRC line pretty closely. The beckett styles at least.

[stony_corals]

Does anyone have a recirculating model? I have a MRC 2R and was wondering if the recirc users still use the U-tube mod? These recircs seems different, they don't have a bulkhead off the becketts but a 90 degree 1" PVC elbow. Couldn't I just plumb into that or will it create too much back pressure on the becketts?

[bkv1997]

I have the MR-2R and don't need the U tube mod... are you having bubbles getting back to the tank?

[stony_corals]

No, I was just plumbing it and thought I might do that while I plumb it. I have one of the becketts that is shooting water out of the side of the beckett (within the chamber it's not leaking), and the other is not, do you have this? Is it normal?

[bkv1997]

nope I don't have that problem...

However I have found that if i completely remove the air adjustments from the becketts to allow as much air as possible in my skimmer works much better. Think the normal MR users get to big of bubbles when doing this, but the recirc pump acts like a needlewheel in a way i guess..

Just something you might want to try... works for me, but i didn't need the U tube mod.

Brandon

[Lo0seR]

bkv1997 I'm sitting on my brothers MRC-R3 till he comes and picks it up, and while using it thats what I noticed was that this skimmer acts like a needlewheel. My air is wide open, adjust the gate valve to the right sweet spot, and this thing is wicked. I want to keep it after using it, one thing though.... do you get lots of dry foam instead of the wet stuff? I do and thats what makes me say it skims like a needlewheel. I'm thinking of putting a higher GPH pump on it and maybe getting a little more skimmate on the wet side.

[bkv1997]

I put some extension pieces to raise my becketts up a higher so that way i could raise the water level in the skimmer above the wholes in the becketts where the air comes in. You can do this without raising the becketts but if the recirc pump was to ever a dirt nap water would start pouring out all in the floor.

Brandon

[stony_corals]

bkv1997, so you take out the cotton in the silencer? Anything else? What are you using to drive your 2R? I"ve got a BlueLine 55 and am feeding with a Mag 5.

[bkv1997]

I use a blueline 55 as well... no i actually removed the whole air adjment piece. So there isn't anything sticking off the side of the becket housing, just a hole.

Brandon

[stony_corals]

Brandon,

What are you using to feed the skimmer?

Thanks,

Matt

[bkv1997]

I just have a T off of an iwaski 70 that I use for my tank return with a gate valve on each side of the T so I can adjust how much flow goes to the tank and how much goes into the skimmer.

[bkv1997]

I run about 3x my tank volume an hour through the skimmer.. if thats what your looking for.

Brandon

[chriscobb]

I gravity feed my MRC3R off one of my drains from the main tank and use the Blueline 70 for the recirc.......I tried the Coralife pressure pump but wasn't pleased......Alot more quiet, but not the same skimmer without the Blueline......

[brad23]

I'm looking at a skimmer for 280g SPS tank with a 100g stock tank and two 40g plumed off of it.

Would a MR-3 work for me or should I look at the 4?

Also how air does a MR-3 pull with duel injectors?

[RGibson]

brad23 you need to ask Andy for how much air the skimmer pulls in and this a very good thing to ask before you buy a skimmer.Will you post what Andy tells you about the air flow so every one can see it.

[stony_corals]

I bought a couple of the Dwyer air meters, but haven't figured out how to connect them yet - MRC 2R.

[RGibson]

stony corals the top air intake on the Dwyer goes to the beckett ,the lower one on the Dwyer is the air intake .The air intake on my one beckett is 24 SCFH. I have a Dwyer R M B 53 D air gage.

[stony_corals]

Do you use air tubing to connect them? Or is there a different piece of hardware.

[RGibson]

tubing and a hose barb fitting

[stony_corals]

What size tubing? Have a picture?

[RGibson]

I will need to know what size Dwyer air meter you have for the size hose it will need.

[stony_corals]

I have two RMB 53Ds, I believe they are the same ones that you have, and bought that model as it was recommended on a different thread.

[RGibson]

5/8 outside dia-1/2 inside dia tubing.

[jackson6745]

Anyone have any extra becketts laying around they would sell? I dropped a beckett to my MR-2:(

[maro1]

Are you looking for the whole thing or just the insert? I have the whole thing. Old style.

Mar

[jgsensor]

Any one who runs the Gen-X pumps, I am looking for an opinion. I am going to be switching out my MR-2 skimmers running off the Mag-18s to a MR-3 running an external pump. I was planning on running either a Gen-X 55 or 70. My question is how loud are these pumps? It will be plumbed under the tank which is in the middle of my living room so the quieter the better.

If it matters the sump and pump will be in the stand under the tank and the skimmer will be about 4 feet away next to the tank.

[fishdoc11]

If you run one beckett on the MR3 a 55 would be great (that's what I run). If you run 2 becketts the 70 would be better. For your size tank I would opt for the 2 becketts and the 70 but the 70, from what i have read, is a bit louder than the 55. What is loud is very relative but they are similar to other external pumps IME.
JMO, Chris

[jgsensor]

Thanks fishdoc11. I am going to try running with 2 becketts to start with, but may opt for only 1. The electricity here in Ca. kills me as it is. Hopefully switching to the external pumps will save me a bit in that matter. I already have both a 55 and a 70 so what pump i run all depends on the number of becketts I use. I guess I will try the Gen-X 70 with the 2 becketts and if the wife thinks it's too loud, I will have to come up with another plan.