MSX skimmer club

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15358002#post15358002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kstallbe
So I got my MSX200 set up with the help of my brother this weekend. I had to drain most of my tank so that I could slide it out from the wall.

The rubbermaid for the 200 would not fit within my 46g bowfront stand as designed. It was just larger than half of the open rear space and the center vertical support was in my way. So, time for more hobbyist ingenuity!

I cut two 2x4's and placed one just to the side of the center vertical brace. After some screws, I knocked out the center brace. Eeek! No calamities resulted! Then I had to do the same for another piece on the side. With the two 2x4s in place, the bank of the stand was wide open, with my current fuge next to the rubbermaid.

I jerry-rigged the rubbermaid inline with the sump using a u-tube. So, now my overflow runs into the rubbermaid where the skimmer is, which then overflows via the u-tube to my fuge. The fuge then dumps into a second area for return.

As a result, my rubbermaid and fuge level will both always be at the same water height.

Then I slid it all back to the wall (well, a little further from the wall than before because of the new rubbermaid), added water (had to add a new additional 15g of water because of the rubbermaid), and cranked her up.

Viola! Bubble magic. this is what I got after 24 hours, almost all the way closed. It's probably sitting in about 10" of water. I mat make a stand for it to raise it up.

nice work:thumbsup:

 

[Aquarist007]

Not convinced about running a filter sock with the msx250. My display tank is showing signs of red slime algae which it never did before running the filter sock.
I water change every two weeks, and have two refugiums/deep sand beds and have undetectable nitrates and phosphates.
I'm thinking that the skimmer must take out other stuff that the red slime algae is feeding on and passes through the filter sock.

Any thoughts

 

[tangtang clown]

Have any pics of your "Rigineering" KST?

 

[kstallbe]

Ya know, I kick myself all the time for not taking pics WHILE I do the project! I get so wrapped up and worried about not screwing it up! And then, oh boy, this time I clogged the shower up good with about 3 pounds of sand! That'll teach me not to dump my fuge into a shower.

However, I did use a powerhead to unclog the drain after the plunger wouldn't do the trick. So +1 for fish tank 'rigineering!'

All this is a long way of saying, Ill take some pics when I get home from work!

 

[kstallbe]

Okay, so this is the 46g bowfront stand: (sorry for the orientation, they looked normal in Picasa!)

This is the door open, you can see the "center" vertical support is now offcenter.

Basic overview of the setup:

Close up of where the center brace was and the new 2x4:

Close up of where the side brace was:

Shot of the back and side, here you can see the 2x4 that replaced the side piece I removed:

Finally, the key to my "Rigineering," the U tube:

 

[ds4x4]

pictures don't work there bud...

 

[kstallbe]

Okay, so this is the 46g bowfront stand:

This is the door open, you can see the "center" vertical support is now offcenter.

Basic overview of the setup:

Close up of where the center brace was and the new 2x4:

Close up of where the side brace was:

Shot of the back and side, here you can see the 2x4 that replaced the side piece I removed:

Finally, the key to my "Rigineering," the U tube:

Unlike ReefCentral, this baby has been working like a charm since Sunday. Pulls more skimmate in a day then my Remora HOB pulled in a week.

 

[Aquarist007]

for safety you should have the utube draining from a plastic drinking glass(long tumbler). If the power goes off the plastic cup will keep the the u tube primed so when the power comes back on the siphon will continue. Place the cup high enough on the side so that when it drains to the lip of it there is enough space for the overflow in the other tank.

 

[kstallbe]

Not sure if I read you right, cap'n. However, the rubbermaid is what gets drained into from the DT. It is gravity fed form my overflow. So, it will always water in it, even if the power cuts.

From the rubbermaid, the tube feeds into my constant level section of my fuge, so that too is always gonna be at the same water height. So, unless air gets forced into the tube, even if the power goes out, the tube will always be primed

 

[DML08]

I'm joining the club(I think).. I ordered my 160 on Tuesday but haven't heard anything on shipping from MSX since..

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15365850#post15365850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DML08
I'm joining the club(I think).. I ordered my 160 on Tuesday but haven't heard anything on shipping from MSX since..

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central's MSX Skimmer Club</b></i></big></big>

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Got a probelm , maybe you can help.

A little over a week ago my skimmer started going crazy.

Putting tones of bubbles in the tank. Filling up the cup with water.

Tried opening the drain pipe up more, did not help.

Have the drain pipe all the way open, and it still just fills up the cup with water.

Still putting bubbles in the tank.

Shut it off for two days, turned it back on, still doing it.

This is after the skimmer was working well for a couple months.

No changes to the tank.

 

[joncat24]

Have you checked your air lines for clogging?

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

No I have not, but it is getting a ton of bubbles.

Will give it a look.

 

[Amoore311]

Call my paranoid, but that U-Tube Scares me lol.

It looks like you have a little height to play with on that rubbermaid. Can you raise it up a couple inches, and put a standard bulkhead in the side. Then just attach a 90 degree elbow and a piece of pipe and drain it that way, to the rest of the sump.

 

[DGlove904]

Im in the process of building my 75 gallon sump for my MSX 250 ,and wanted to know how much room should I leave between the skimmer and the first baffle?

 

[akindbro4u]

waiting on Fedex to get here. Should have my msx200 soon. Then i will be in the club. Thank you for all the info this thread has provided. Hopefully "if" I have any problems I would already have read of the solution.

 

[akindbro4u]

wow just noticed it's my two year anniversary on RC this month. Hmmm......

 

[boret]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15367801#post15367801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amoore311
Call my paranoid, but that U-Tube Scares me lol.

It looks like you have a little height to play with on that rubbermaid. Can you raise it up a couple inches, and put a standard bulkhead in the side. Then just attach a 90 degree elbow and a piece of pipe and drain it that way, to the rest of the sump.

I agree with Amoore311. I would definitely put a bulkhead on the side of the rubbermaid feeding into the fuge.
Also... it doesn't look like you have a lot of overflow left. have you tried to turn off your return pump to see if your system can handle it?

 

[akindbro4u]

It's here. One step closer to the tank set up. This thing is a beast. It's much bigger than I thought it would be. Very impressed with the quality. You guys(and galls) where right. Very happy with it.