Got my 1A Cone up and running...

[sjm817]

FedEx delivered it today without any damage!

The build quality is very nice just as the MSX250 was.

Some random observations

-The lid is thicker which is nice
-The airline is usable ;)
-Holy cr@p that rubber hose that connects the pump fits tight! I had to really work at it to get in on. I cut it shorter so the pump and the body fitting are tight together.
-The neck is 5" not 5.5" like I thought it would be
-I forgot how huge the MSX250 is. The 1A seems "svelte" in comparison.
-I like that the outlet height and 8" depth match. Makes for a nice clean splash free water entry.
-Definitely less turbulence in the body than the MSX had.

I gave it a brief bath in a water/vinegar tub, and installed it. The platform I made wound up with a 7 3/4" running depth. I may take a row off the eggcrate and drop it down to 8 1/4". Right now, I have to have the wedge pipe closed pretty far to get the level up near the neck. I assume that will get better. The pump is already broken in. I had this pump running on my MSX250. I had ~ 26 LPM on the MSX, 30 LPM on the 1A.

Thats it for now.

[MSX-Jeff]

Great to hear that it arrived in good condition. I would be VERY careful setting the water level too high....once the cone breaks in there will be a 8-10" tall foam head. Personally, I would leave the wedge open until you start seeing a foam head develop./..then start raising the water level slowly. On the 1A we are running, the water/foam level is only about 3-4" above the sump water line.

POST SOME PICS :lol::lol:

[sjm817]

Thanks Jeff. I was planning on opening it up before bed so I didn't wake up the the inevitable overflowing cup. :o

Since you must see pics....here is the first one!

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a370/Cheerleader555240/DSC_3591.jpg

[DarG]

Out of curiosity, What is the diameter of the output of the Laguna pump/volute? It looks like the input on the skimmer that the pump connects to with the tubing is the same stem that is used on the sicce based skimmers, minus the union fitting. Is that the case or is it larger?

Thanks

[sjm817]

The output of the Askoll that I have looks to be a standard 3/4" sched 80 pipe. 1" OD, 3/4" ID. The input fitting on the body is smaller than the Askoll volute fitting. I think it was a little smaller than 3/4" OD. Not sure exactly. A metric size I'm sure.

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14347481#post14347481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
The output of the Askoll that I have looks to be a standard 3/4" sched 80 pipe. 1" OD, 3/4" ID. The input fitting on the body is smaller than the Askoll volute fitting. I think it was a little smaller than 3/4" OD. Not sure exactly. A metric size I'm sure.

Thats about what I figured. The unions on the skimmers look about 3/4" in size or whatever the closest metric size is to 3/4". So I assume then, like I mentioned, that they use the same input "stem" on the 1A as they do on the sicce skimmers, minus the union.

Thanks SJM

[sjm817]

The 1A union is higher up on the body to match up the pump height, and the bubble plate is also mounted higher.

http://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/catalog/images/MSX1SL.jpghttp://www.marinesolutionsinc.com/catalog/images/MSX1AL.jpg

[DarG]

Yep, I see now. Thanks SJM.
Still looks easily workable if one wanted to use the Laguna on one of Sicce cones. If I burned out a Sicce pump past warranty I would atleast consider it. Other than that, dual Sicces with pinwheels pull great air on the cone body. Between the two pumps Im getting better than 65 SCFH. So as long as the pumps hold up, I wouldnt spend the money.

[sjm817]

From what I can see, 2x Sicce PW or 1 Askoll are very close in air draw. It was super simple to connect up the Askoll to the MSX250. All I needed was a 3/4" T*S adapter. The same would hold true for the cone, but nothing wrong with running the Sicces.

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14349687#post14349687 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
From what I can see, 2x Sicce PW or 1 Askoll are very close in air draw. It was super simple to connect up the Askoll to the MSX250. All I needed was a 3/4" T*S adapter. The same would hold true for the cone, but nothing wrong with running the Sicces.

Agreed. The Sicces with PW's work great on the cone. Like I mentioned, if I had issues with a Sicce out of warranty, I would consider spending the money on the Laguna and custom volute and PW. I think it's the more durable pump from everything I have read. Otherwise, it runs great with the Sicces and PW's. Amazing amount of air with those two Sicces at a total of all of 40 watts. Plus, no mesh to mess with.