64Ivy
Well-known member
As many of you know, for years I've been living with a woefully inadequate sump. This is because it was originally designed for the 'LPS/Softie' system I had planned to maintain. But as my interests shifted more toward 'the sticks' (nearly 7 years ago), it soon became apparent that the demands I was placing on it, such as increased flow and a steady influx of auxiliary equipment, was asking far too much. The water volume was pathetic and also, it began to look a might messy.
With well over 6000g an hour pouring through a single filter sock, I had also relegated myself to the life of a reef slave as it had to be changed a minimum of every two days or it would fill up and kick back water into the sump. This would cause a massive amount of micro bubbles which, in turn, would cause many of the corals to slime copiously, thereby setting forth a very annoying cycle that only my constant intervention (read: sock washing) could resolve. Try explaining THAT to a seven year old with a Frisbee in her hand.
So by the fall of last year, I had had enough. I contacted Brent Barr of Barr Aquatic Systems and explained my list of somewhat unique needs: I needed a sump that would have to stay within a certain footprint as it not only had to fit in the room, it also had to fit through the door, be able to handle a tremendous volume of water without causing microbubbles, and, if possible, give me an inclusive refugium area so I could get rid of my current remote 'fuge. I kind of expected him to hang up on me. But Brent must like a challenge because after a few weeks of going back and forth, he finally came up with this:
The first thing you'll notice is that now instead of one filter sock, the sump can utilize as many as FOUR! This is to minimize the bubble problem by spreading the volume of incoming water through twice as many intakes as I had before (two going into the one sock). Then, in the series of baffles, I have room to add a couple filter sponges if need be, again to cut down on any stray bubbles. Doubtful that I'll need these though.
I realize, by the way, that the use of ANY socks at all is becoming more and more controversial in terms of their propensity to add unwanted nutrients to the tank. But in this case, their employ is mainly to cut down on the microbubbles and as such, they'll still be changed at regular intervals. However, if I should find I don't need them anymore, I now have the option of discontinuing them without the worry of coming down to a nearly opaque tank every now and then.
So I gave Brent the go ahead, but also told him he could take his time as winter was approaching and the last thing I needed was a 200lb sump delivered in the middle of a snowstorm. It WAS during this time that yet another problem began to rear its head though: The venturis on my skimmer (it has four) were getting clogged much more frequently. Not sure why but even after we'd take the thing apart and soak it in vinegar there weren't too many days when at least one of the vernturis weren't clogged thereby severely reducing the unit's effectiveness. Perhaps it was simply getting old (an educated guess on my part as the clogging seems strangely familiar). Anyway, as fellow hobbyists have been touting the virtues of Beckett skimmers for some time now, I started to really look into them and, once convinced, I gave Andy at Myreef Creations a call. I told him that I was a fan of overfeeding which is why I'm also a fan of 'overskimming'. With a tank the size of mine, I needed a monster. And before long, he came up with this:
This is the MRC-MR-7. It is a dual Beckett model rated at over 1500g and hour and, when driven with a Sequence 4300, it might possibly double as my household air cleaner. Bottom line, so far so good.
When spring came, so did the sump. Here it is, in my garage, being water tested.
And here is a close-up of the four intakes .
These flow directly into four filter socks underneath. By the way, the lower drawer does slide out, giving easy access when changing the socks.
edited to fix html tag on photo. Maxx
With well over 6000g an hour pouring through a single filter sock, I had also relegated myself to the life of a reef slave as it had to be changed a minimum of every two days or it would fill up and kick back water into the sump. This would cause a massive amount of micro bubbles which, in turn, would cause many of the corals to slime copiously, thereby setting forth a very annoying cycle that only my constant intervention (read: sock washing) could resolve. Try explaining THAT to a seven year old with a Frisbee in her hand.
So by the fall of last year, I had had enough. I contacted Brent Barr of Barr Aquatic Systems and explained my list of somewhat unique needs: I needed a sump that would have to stay within a certain footprint as it not only had to fit in the room, it also had to fit through the door, be able to handle a tremendous volume of water without causing microbubbles, and, if possible, give me an inclusive refugium area so I could get rid of my current remote 'fuge. I kind of expected him to hang up on me. But Brent must like a challenge because after a few weeks of going back and forth, he finally came up with this:
The first thing you'll notice is that now instead of one filter sock, the sump can utilize as many as FOUR! This is to minimize the bubble problem by spreading the volume of incoming water through twice as many intakes as I had before (two going into the one sock). Then, in the series of baffles, I have room to add a couple filter sponges if need be, again to cut down on any stray bubbles. Doubtful that I'll need these though.
I realize, by the way, that the use of ANY socks at all is becoming more and more controversial in terms of their propensity to add unwanted nutrients to the tank. But in this case, their employ is mainly to cut down on the microbubbles and as such, they'll still be changed at regular intervals. However, if I should find I don't need them anymore, I now have the option of discontinuing them without the worry of coming down to a nearly opaque tank every now and then.
So I gave Brent the go ahead, but also told him he could take his time as winter was approaching and the last thing I needed was a 200lb sump delivered in the middle of a snowstorm. It WAS during this time that yet another problem began to rear its head though: The venturis on my skimmer (it has four) were getting clogged much more frequently. Not sure why but even after we'd take the thing apart and soak it in vinegar there weren't too many days when at least one of the vernturis weren't clogged thereby severely reducing the unit's effectiveness. Perhaps it was simply getting old (an educated guess on my part as the clogging seems strangely familiar). Anyway, as fellow hobbyists have been touting the virtues of Beckett skimmers for some time now, I started to really look into them and, once convinced, I gave Andy at Myreef Creations a call. I told him that I was a fan of overfeeding which is why I'm also a fan of 'overskimming'. With a tank the size of mine, I needed a monster. And before long, he came up with this:
This is the MRC-MR-7. It is a dual Beckett model rated at over 1500g and hour and, when driven with a Sequence 4300, it might possibly double as my household air cleaner. Bottom line, so far so good.
When spring came, so did the sump. Here it is, in my garage, being water tested.
And here is a close-up of the four intakes .
These flow directly into four filter socks underneath. By the way, the lower drawer does slide out, giving easy access when changing the socks.
edited to fix html tag on photo. Maxx
