The Mag 3 fits onto the skimmer with a short length (2") of 3/4" vinyl tubing and some hose clamps. The pump is bigger than the RIO but the performance is much better. The pre-filter box is much larger however.
Tom, how disgustingly much bigger is the skim box?
I installed a skim box on my current RIO 1400 and saw pretty much no increase in performance because the RIO doesn't move enough water quickly enough to suck water into the overflow partition.
I know they frown on this sort of stuff but I'll ask anyway. Doesn't Inland Reef sell the Mag 3? Would it come with a piece of vinyl tubing?
How come some people upgrade to a Mag 5 or Mag 7? Should I? I've only got a 55 gallon tank but there is no other filtration besides skimmer and live rock. No DSB or plenum or such.
Just trying to find a way to get more flow into the skimmate part. The RIO, even with the pre-skim box is doing nothing for the scum on the water surface.
Time to upgrade from my crusty Rio 1400 to a mag3 with preskimmer box.
How much bigger will this Mag 3 be? Is it a valuable upgrade? I've noticed way decreased performance from the RIO in the past year. Also, how does the Mag fit onto the skimmer? Do I need to buy a tube?