mr-2 protein skimmer

[ddaddy2420]

Does anyone have this skimmer? If so, how does it perform? I have an opportunity to purchase one for 125, is that a good deal? He said it may be the mr-1; if it is, is it still a good deal? Just curious as I need to upgrade my skimmer at some point and this seems like a great deal.

Dale

 

[chris s]

MRC skimmers are beasts. I ran one for a couple of years. The skim very well but they do require a pressure rated pump.

Cons: Pressure rated pumps use more electricity. Beckett style skimmers tend to be louder. Many people have switched to needle wheel skimmers because they use so much less power. That being said the raw skimming power of a beckett style skimmer is hard to beat.

For $125 it's a deal. They are around $400 new depending on if it's a MR1 or MR2. The MR1 is rated for 175 gallons and the MR2 for 300 gallons.

Does the skimmer you are looking at come with a pump? If it does make sure it the proper pump. If not you are looking at around $200 for a pump. A little more if it's a MR2.

 

[ddaddy2420]

Its a MR-1 skimmer with a Mag 12 pump. when you say more electricity, how much more are we really talking about here? $5 a month? $20 a month? How would one tell this?

Dale

 

[chris s]

The cost difference will be a couple of dollars. Mag 12 specs at 110 watts. At current energy prices it might be around $6 a month to operate. Also consider heat. Mag pumps are bulletproof and last a long time but they aren't very efficient. If you run the mag 12 in sump it's like dropping in a 110 watt heater. Probably not an issue in the winter but it could cause problems in the summer.

I'm not trying to scare you away just want to you realize there are a few things to consider.

 

[ddaddy2420]

This would definitely be run outside of my sump, the guy who owns has it outside of his sump and he says he has never had any issues with it. I am also getting a ranco temp controller with a heater for $50 so hopefully i wont have any issues controlling temp either way.

 

[ddaddy2420]

Also I have an OTP 3000 pump on my current skimmer, why can't I use this type of pump on a MRC skimmer?

 

[chris s]

ddaddy2420;840045 wrote: Also I have an OTP 3000 pump on my current skimmer, why can't I use this type of pump on a MRC skimmer?

The OTP pump is a needle wheel pump. It is designed to pull in an air/water mix and create the bubbles by chopping them up. It is not pressure rated.

The MRC skimmers use a beckett injector. As the water passes through the injector it draws in the air and mixes them. Think of it as a modified venturi. The reason they work so well is the amount of water and air they process. The injector creates a lot of resistance to the flow and therefore requires a pressure rated pump to overcome it. I've seen some running without a pressure pump and they work ok at best. But the same skimmer is night and day difference once running with the proper pump.

It's been a while but I seem to remember that each injector needs a pressure rated pump capable of around 1000GPH.