AquaC CLUB!

[Waxxiemann]

If you have a small peice of 1/4" tubing like for your Ro/DI unit, you can fill one end with silicone and use that. That's what I did.

If you don't have silicone, you could heat it up with a lighter until it starts to melt and squish it together to seal one end.

 

[chase33]

Thanks, I'll try it now.

 

[Matt Rise]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9695480#post9695480 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaptainCoral
Matt Rise.....Is the skimmer exit gate above the water level in your sump? I would like to hear more about the gate valve issue. It will raise the water line the more it is closed until ultimately it floods as the water coming out has no where else to go. I suspect you mean it won't lower enough. If so, I recommend to take the exit gate off completely, and maybe even the threaded nipple as well. This will allow more water to pass through your skimmer, and still keep the air choked for minimum bubble size. BTW, the more the air is choked, the higher the water line will rise, and the more pressure you get at the injector. In my experience, the ev180 and likely the ev120 as well (never used one) are more sensitive than my ev400. My ev180 (when stock, and now) needed more water through the box than the 1" exit could handle to run it at peek. So I run it without the exit gate. My next modification to my ev180 will be to remove the 1" exit bulkhead, and Install a 1.5" in it's place.

Yes, the gate valve is above the water level. I'm running the skimmer externally. When I shine a flashlight into the skimmer, it always appears as if the water level is just above the box It has been very finicky, I have resorted to shutting it off when I leave the house. Thanx for the help, I'll get it figured out eventually

 

[serum153]

Can you put a mag 5 pump on the remora pro?

 

[Matt Rise]

Here's where I'm at.

 

[spsdude]

I have a mag 7 on my remora pro with the extra tall collection cup works great!

 

[serum153]

What preskimmer box do you have to get if you use a mag 5 pump? Thanks for the quick reply spsdude

 

[CaptainCoral]

Matt Rise... Can you get a pic of the plumbing used behind the skimmer of the exit water? I'd use a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" pvc and downslope it to the sump to ensure that there isn't any back pressure in the mixing box. I would then add a gate valve (not a ball valve) to the pump driving the injector (if there isn't one already) and dial that back until the water lines waves just disappear from sight in the foam tower. This should drive it harder than with a mag5 and allow you to keep it from running too wet and flooding with the mag7 full throttle. This should also allow you to choke more air if needed to get dryer foam.

 

[Matt Rise]

Captain, thanx for the help. I am going to get a Mag 5 impeller tomorrow to try and resolve the flooding issue. All I had on hand was a ball valve to try on the Mag 7 and it didn't work out to well.

Here is a pic of how I had it set up a few weeks ago. I removed the "T" from the end because of the gurgling and splashing. I put a filter sock over the drain to quiet the noise down. The pipe is 1".

 

[chase33]

Waxxiemann, thanks for your help. Sticking the 1/4" tube into the JG fitting now allows me to control the amount of foam the skimmer is producing. Correcting a statement made in an earlier post, the foam was not coming out of the JG fitting, it was coming out of the collection cup drain fitting. The problem was too much foam was coming out into my sump and I couldn't stop it or slow it down. At least now I'm able to control the amount coming out.
Now for my next question. How do I know when my setting is correct? How much foam should the skimmer produce?

 

[Waxxiemann]

Hey, I'm glad that workd out for you. That question is kinda hard to answer. I usually keep my 240 so that when it is fully collapsed (like after you just clean it or just start it up) the foam is steady at about a half way up the reactor tube.

If you are getting way too much foam into the collection cup, you'll know when it's overflowing right away or the skimmate is VERY light color, taper back the air a bit. If you have the air way back (or almost off) you need to open the gate valve and lower the water level inside the skimmer box.

Make sure that the skimmer output is above the water and also that the water level (gate valve) in the sump where you have the skimmer is CONSTANT. This is very important if you want consistent performance.

Good luck!
Waxx

 

[Waxxiemann]

OK. you gotta remember that the actual proteins will take a while to build up and overflow into the cup. You'll know when you see a yellow colored head start to build on top of the foam. Then you're on you way.

 

[chase33]

The air valve is almost completely closed. The gate valve is almost completely open and I will open it the rest of the way. When you say skimmer output do you mean the collection cup drain or the water output from the gate valve? The water level in that section of the sump is always constant as it is the section where the overflow drains into the sump. The middle section which houses the return is where evaporation occurs.

 

[Waxxiemann]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9713410#post9713410 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chase33
The air valve is almost completely closed. The gate valve is almost completely open and I will open it the rest of the way. When you say skimmer output do you mean the collection cup drain or the water output from the gate valve? The water level in that section of the sump is always constant as it is the section where the overflow drains into the sump. The middle section which houses the return is where evaporation occurs.

Open the gate the rest of the way. When I say output, I mean from the gate valve. If you can get the foam to stay at a constant height in the reaction tube, your halfway there. Every time you make a change, wait a little while for it to set in before you go ahead with another adjustment.

If you've got to have the air almost all the way closed to keep it from overflowing, then so be it. Have you treated with any meds or anything of the like recently? Seems most people who just get these skimmers have touble gettig it to foam at all.

When you have the air all te way off, and there is NO AIR going into the skimmer, the water level should around the top of the black box. When my skimmer goes nuts or I make some kinda big change that requires me to make big adjustments, I always use this method to get back to "zero" so to speak.

 

[chase33]

Thanks, I'll give it a try. It's a new tank and I haven't used any meds. I did have trouble getting it to foam until I added the base rock. As soon as I did that it started foaming like crazy. I think with the information you've provided I should be able to get it set correctly. I'll keep you informed. Thanks again.

 

[Matt Rise]

I put a Mag 5 back on the EV120, no matter what I do, it seems that the water level is always above the box. I shut the air off completely, and the water was about a half inch above the box with the gate wide open. When I open the air halfway, it drops the water down to about 1/8" above the box.

This is making me a little crazy.

 

[CaptainCoral]

I wonder if the long exit pipe is causing back pressure. I've never run externally, but I suspect that could be suspect. You shouldn't have that high of water using a mag5.

 

[joedirt54]

I used to be a big fan of aqua-c, but my remora has become a big piece of **** latey and seldom skimms....I don't feed any meaty foods and my tank is clear of alae...but the skimmer is skimming 1 day out 7.

 

[chris4869]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9724132#post9724132 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Matt Rise
I put a Mag 5 back on the EV120, no matter what I do, it seems that the water level is always above the box. I shut the air off completely, and the water was about a half inch above the box with the gate wide open. When I open the air halfway, it drops the water down to about 1/8" above the box.

This is making me a little crazy.

Matt,
I have the same setup as yours. I have the bigger EV180 with an Eheim 1262 (upgraded from a Mag7), and my protein skimmer sits outside of my refugium. I "T" off my return line (gate valve) to reduce the splashing, but it was making gurgling noises too. My pump is too much for the skimmer, and my waterline would always be 3+ inches above the black box even when the gate valve is fully open. I thought I was going to get a flood with the way it was.

I installed a valve to throttle back the water from my pump (it's suggested in the manual). I solved the water level problem and the protein skimmer was working great, but I still have that annoying gurgling sound though. I use a pvc cap and capped the open end of the "T". I know the folks from AquaC are against it, and I know why with their recommeded pumps, but it did wonders for me. I was surprised to see the water line dropped below the top of the black box in the protein skimmer. I didn't need to throttle back the water from my pump anymore. The gurgling noise also went away as well. The water level is perfectly at the top of the black box. I've been getting really fine bubbles in the foam tower now and I couldn't be any happier.

 

[chris4869]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9729276#post9729276 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by joedirt54
I used to be a big fan of aqua-c, but my remora has become a big piece of **** latey and seldom skimms....I don't feed any meaty foods and my tank is clear of alae...but the skimmer is skimming 1 day out 7.

Hey joedirt54,
If your tank is clear of algae then I think that "big piece of ****" is doing it's job.

I think you should play it safe and check the amonia, nitrate, etc.. levels in your water to make sure if your protein skimmer is working or needs replacing. Keep in mind that if there is nothing to skim in your water, then your skimmer has nothing to skim.