My reef creation...

[insanity4224]

Hey guys i am very interested in using a My Reef Creations skimmer for my 250gal SPS tank. It has to go inside my cupboard so the MRC-2 sounds like the way to go. It is rated for 300gal but i will get the second injector upgrade, that makes two becket 1402(or somethin like that) injectors

The price is also very good so this sounds like the right skimmer for my tank I have already looked into Barr Aquatics and Deltec but MRC sounds like the best deal and skimmer.

Any suggestions/approvals??????

-Jason

 

[Krish]

I've heard pretty good things about those skimmers, but never tred one. They are supposed to be real good from what understand though...

 

[DonW]

Dual beckets can be a real pain and do not make that much difference.

Don

 

[IAP Brian]

MRC is a very nice skimmer, so is Barr Aquatics. I think Beckett injectors work great and are still one of the best skimmer types out there. My belief and testing has shown the second injector doesn't make much difference in skimmers shorter than 30" tall. The biggest problem with Becketts is that they are very easy to clog and any debris entering the injector pretty much make the skimmer go to crap right away. Duel injectors help with this problem because if one injector stops working the other will most likely keep going. Since the first one wasn't doing much more than the second anyway ( in a 22 or 24" skimmer) you dont really notice until the second pics up a snail or piece of algae. Be prepared to clean your becketts at least weekly.

Putting a prefilter on your pump will help a lot. I just recently made one of the prefilters pictured below and installed it on my skimmer pump. (A 24" tall single Beckett skimmer I made), I have not had to clean the injector in two weeks now, so I'll see how it goes. I am making several more of these prefilters to retro fit on some skimmers I have installed. I'll post my results as time goes on.

If your looking for a low maintenence skimmer I would suggest a recirc needle wheel type.

 

[IAP Brian]

I forgot another point. Beckett skimmers are also very touchy about back pressure... ie... water level. If you can't install the skimmer external I would add an elbow and a lift pipe to the gate valve to ensure constant back pressure. Check out a related thread and skimmerwhisper's pic of a durso style lift pipe. http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18731

I don't want to chase you away from Becketts. They work very well. They just need a little more understanding and patience. Another really nice feature with Becketts is the ability to shut off when they are full. With a waste collector with auto-shut down ( a ping pong ball float), you no longer have to fear flooding from a missadjusted skimmer. When full, the ball floats up and cuts off the air flow enough to shut the skimmer down, a really nice feature in my opinion.

 

[insanity4224]

Wow thanks VERY much for going to all that trouble I think i will use a pre-filter and skip the second becket head. i'm bussy i will reply more again later...

 

[insanity4224]

I tried to look at that pic but the site would not let me! i'm logged in but every time i try to enlarge that pic the 'sign in' thingy pops up and requests me to log in... so i log in as normal and it wont accept!!!!!!!! i did the whole reset parsword procedure but it didnt change...

Any way, does anyone know how many gallons/litres per hour the MR-2 uses?
And can i run it from one of my overflows (roughly 2000 - 3000litres per hour)?

-jason

 

[insanity4224]

>And can i run it from one of my overflows (roughly 2000 - 3000litres per hour)?<

with a pre-filter of course!

 

[IAP Brian]

That flow rate would make the whole point of using a Beckett skimmer null and void. They rely on high flow. I don't know about the MR-2 but I did talk to the folks at Beckett themselves. The max flow is 1200 gallons per hour (kind of a cop-out since that's the max flow of 1" pipe), anyway you need 3500 - 4500 Litres per hour flow to get the most out of the skimmer. Pumps from 900 to 1200 gallons an hour work the best.

 

[insanity4224]

Well, both overflows together make up the right volume for the skimmer but i don't want to dedicate both. That would be a pain in the ass.

Do you think i should just go with my original plan: Deltec AP-701. This skimmer uses the same water per hour as a single one of my overflows.

 

[IAP Brian]

I think I threw you off track here...
How are you planning on hooking the skimmer up? If you are running it in the sump then your over flows are not an issue. Just feed the skimmer from the input end of your sump and return to the sump. Then it doesn't matter what flow is coming from your tank. You just need a pump in the 3500- 4500 L/hr (900-1200 us gal/hr) range to run a single Beckett.

I don't know about the Deltec skimmer. I have heard good things about Deltec and looking at their web site I like the fact that they give a realistic value for their skimmer rating. ( the standard stock tank vs. heavy stock). But, holy cow are they proud of that puppy. The price listed on their site was really high. I know there are several other recirc needle wheel skimmers available for a lot less. I have set-up and used the Octopus brand skimmers and they work quite well for a lot less money.

Also for that price you could purchase an MRC 7 or 8 with all the bells and whistles.

I am going to put some pics of several Beckett style skimmers in my forum in the next couple days so people can see the tweeks to the set-up I have found that make the Beckett the best skimmer for the money in my opinion.

 

[insanity4224]

hey sorry for the late reply but i'm not sure what you mean... what i want to do is have the skimmer IN the sump and being fed from an overflow pipe. Will this work with a MRC-2? The water can be pre-filtered in the overflow box.

 

[mungus]

You can feed your skimmer from your overflow if you have a recirculating beckett but you will still need to power the beckett itself using a pressure rated pump. I believe with an MRC-2 this would be the recommended pump.

http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=18057&cat=485&page=1

Brian

 

[Skimmy]

\Do you think i should just go with my original plan: Deltec AP-701. This skimmer uses the same water per hour as a single one of my overflows.

that is going to smoke a beckett skimmer, skim circles around it, if you can, then get the deltec ap701 or an h&s 200-1260, or look at the new ati bubble master 250, cheaper than both skimmers and more air per hour.
i dont like beckett skimmers at all.

 

[insanity4224]

so you think the deltec is worth the extra cash?

 

[insanity4224]

Ok i looked into the ati skimmer and not a sing bad thing has been said about it... not to mention the fact that the dimensions are pefect and don't have to be changed! only problem is that i read you can only get one from reefgeek.com and i couldnt find it there

 

[insanity4224]

well appearently the ATI skimmer only comes in american voltage... that buggers me up but i think thats weird/totally retarded considering they are made in Germany! wats with that...