Tigé21v
11/27/2010, 10:44 AM
I recently picked up a used MRC MR3 with dual becketts and a Mag 24 on the cheap. I've always wondered about Becketts, so I figured what the heck.
I currently have the skimmer in a satellite 15 gallon tank being fed from a reactor containing Warner Marine EcoBak , about 125 gph. (Needless to say, it's reprocessing a good deal of water.) And I'm pretty sure I don't have the skimmer fully dialed in yet.
Even in the less-than-optimum conditions, with the less-than-optimum pump, I'm really impressed with the amount of crud it's pulling out. So much so that I'm really contemplating going with a Beckett on my next tank .
I'm wondering though if there is anything I can do to increase a MR3's performance, beyond the obvious two- a better pump and a reaction chamber extension. A couple of things that come to mind-
The U-tube mod to direct the flow up into the skimmer body. Worth it or not?
The other is increasing the beckett mixing tube height and/or diameter. They're currently entering the skimmer box immediately after the beckett housing through 1" MPT fittings. If I were to lengthen the tubes to 4' (or more) would there be any performance gain?
How about increasing the lenghtened tubes from 1" to 1 1/4" or 1 1/2"? Or would the bottleneck caused by reducing it back to a 1" feed at the skimmer box cause problems?
Thanks for the help.
I currently have the skimmer in a satellite 15 gallon tank being fed from a reactor containing Warner Marine EcoBak , about 125 gph. (Needless to say, it's reprocessing a good deal of water.) And I'm pretty sure I don't have the skimmer fully dialed in yet.
Even in the less-than-optimum conditions, with the less-than-optimum pump, I'm really impressed with the amount of crud it's pulling out. So much so that I'm really contemplating going with a Beckett on my next tank .
I'm wondering though if there is anything I can do to increase a MR3's performance, beyond the obvious two- a better pump and a reaction chamber extension. A couple of things that come to mind-
The U-tube mod to direct the flow up into the skimmer body. Worth it or not?
The other is increasing the beckett mixing tube height and/or diameter. They're currently entering the skimmer box immediately after the beckett housing through 1" MPT fittings. If I were to lengthen the tubes to 4' (or more) would there be any performance gain?
How about increasing the lenghtened tubes from 1" to 1 1/4" or 1 1/2"? Or would the bottleneck caused by reducing it back to a 1" feed at the skimmer box cause problems?
Thanks for the help.