AquaC CLUB!
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Adjusting an Aquac EV180 (this thing is frustrating)
I'm running it with the reccomended mag 7 pump, the air valve is wide open (as suggested), and the gate valve is wide open. I placed a 90 off the gate valve which apparently raised the water level 1" up the fixed clear chamber even with the gate valve open. the problem is that it's making bubbles and foam, but none or little of it seems to be making it in the collection cup. only a few spurts here and there will make it even though the chamber is full of bubbles and foam. So, i'm assuming it's not dialed in correctly. My old skimmer [coralife super skimmer] was skimming like crazy before i made the switch, so i know it's not a matter of a "light bioload." When i tried to adjust the water level higher, as with other skimmers I've had, the thing would stop making bubbles all together. Perhaps it needs to sit there for a while???
does anyone have a picture of where their water level is? or, if not, where is the "sweet spot" on yours? I did some searching on google and found that most people leave the water level right where you can no longer see the water in the clear cyclinder--is this the case? cuz that didn't work well for me.
I'm also using 5/8" inside diameter tubing as opposed to 3/4...would this be choking the pump back? i didn't think it was since the lowest i can get the water with the 90 is an inch up the clear cyclinder.
I'm running it with the reccomended mag 7 pump, the air valve is wide open (as suggested), and the gate valve is wide open. I placed a 90 off the gate valve which apparently raised the water level 1" up the fixed clear chamber even with the gate valve open. the problem is that it's making bubbles and foam, but none or little of it seems to be making it in the collection cup. only a few spurts here and there will make it even though the chamber is full of bubbles and foam. So, i'm assuming it's not dialed in correctly. My old skimmer [coralife super skimmer] was skimming like crazy before i made the switch, so i know it's not a matter of a "light bioload." When i tried to adjust the water level higher, as with other skimmers I've had, the thing would stop making bubbles all together. Perhaps it needs to sit there for a while???
does anyone have a picture of where their water level is? or, if not, where is the "sweet spot" on yours? I did some searching on google and found that most people leave the water level right where you can no longer see the water in the clear cyclinder--is this the case? cuz that didn't work well for me.
I'm also using 5/8" inside diameter tubing as opposed to 3/4...would this be choking the pump back? i didn't think it was since the lowest i can get the water with the 90 is an inch up the clear cyclinder.
homebrewdude
Member
I have a EV-180 and never got it to skim good with a mag 7
I use a Eheim 1262 pump (like a mag 9.5)
I would try the gate valve wide open, and close the air valve?
How high is the water then??
How high is the water in your sump, the outlet for the skimmer should be above the water.
I use a Eheim 1262 pump (like a mag 9.5)
I would try the gate valve wide open, and close the air valve?
How high is the water then??
How high is the water in your sump, the outlet for the skimmer should be above the water.
The outlet for the skimmer is about an inch or inch and a half above the water line in the sump. i've tried closing the air valve some and it did drop the water line, but doesn't that make it so it doesn't run as well? i sure hope i don't need a bigger pump cuz i just bought the mag 7 and can't return it.
homebrewdude
Member
The more air the more the water will rise, which is not always good.
With a larger pump I am running the air 3/4 open.
I would try 1/2 to 3/4 open
Let it sit for a few days.
You adjust your water return valve with the air off.
I would guess you will need to close your water valve a little to get the water at the correct height - with the air off.
With a larger pump I am running the air 3/4 open.
I would try 1/2 to 3/4 open
Let it sit for a few days.
You adjust your water return valve with the air off.
I would guess you will need to close your water valve a little to get the water at the correct height - with the air off.
ALEX how new is your 180 it might need to break in a little give it a day or two then make small adjustments.not to change the subject but....is there supposed to be water in the upper "air chamber on an 180 it looks like its from the water shooting into the mixing chamber and backing up into this air area im using a 1262
homebrewdude
Member
With the air off my water level is per the instructions.
I then turn the air to 3/4 with the same pump you are using.
I then turn the air to 3/4 with the same pump you are using.
ok, i will try adjusting it with the air off--didn't know that. thanks.
gman: here is what it looked like when it was working at its best, but nothing much made it into the collection cup still.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/alexb518/Aquarium/sumpandskimmer.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
gman: here is what it looked like when it was working at its best, but nothing much made it into the collection cup still.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/alexb518/Aquarium/sumpandskimmer.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>
homebrewdude
Member
It looks like your water level might be a tad too low.
How high are you running it?
How high are you running it?
ThrowinRoost89
New member
im gonna buy a 180 for my 120 im setting up, saltysupply has them on sale, $290 for the skimmer alone. i just cant believe how expensive eheim pumps are lol
what kinda of fittings are needed to hook them together? im going to use this in a 40L sump, its only 11in wide on the inside. will that be wide enough? im thinking if i put the backside of the skimmer to the back of the tank(so the gate valve is flowing out to the front glass) that it should fit, am i right?
what is a good height to have the baffles?
and does it put out alot of micro bubbles?
what kinda of fittings are needed to hook them together? im going to use this in a 40L sump, its only 11in wide on the inside. will that be wide enough? im thinking if i put the backside of the skimmer to the back of the tank(so the gate valve is flowing out to the front glass) that it should fit, am i right?
what is a good height to have the baffles?
and does it put out alot of micro bubbles?
Last edited:
Rippys Big reef
New member
Anyone with EV 2000?
Anyone with EV 2000?
I have had mine for several months and wish I didn't. The recommended pump is Iwaki 100 which I bought. When the 2000 arrived ,the instuctions say it works best with a 2400-2800 gph pressure rated pump, which is way more than the Iwaki at 2000 gph at 4 ft head. I emailed Aqua C and was assured that the Iwaki was the best pump which the instructions contradict.
After an extensive break in period[ 2 months] ,the skimmer settled down. It is running with one air valve open[it has 2 ] and one has to be played with and the gate valve 100% open.
The problem is this. I have a multi tank system with a common sump, a moray tank,community tank and an aqqressive tank[puffers,triggers]. The skimmer reacts totally differently depending on foods fed. If dry pellets are fed it will recover after a few hours and and start collecting foam. If meaty foods or silversides or shrimp are fed, the skimmer may not come back for a day or so,sometimes not at all. Then gate valve adjustments[closing from full open] will have to be made to get foam again, then returned to the previous settings after it has skimmed the tank or it will boil over. If I feed the eels [big morays], I have let it run 3 days to see if it would come back[produce foam] but would not. To get it two foam after an eel feeding[every week], The gate valve has to be closed off 50% plus radical air valve adjustments from the norm. My sump is luckily in the garage. After waiting 2 days for the foam head to come back after an eel feeding, I closed the gate valve 50%, played with the air valves and got it foaming OK. I watched it for a few hours then went to work. When I got home water was pouring out under the garage door. I have auto fill and I lost over 100 gallons. Took a 150 gal bucket of salt to bring my SG back to 1.022.
Basically, diffirent foods take radically diff adjusments. I replaced an ER CS 12-2 with the EV 2000 because I had to many pump failures, but it ran like a champ for 6 years with very few adjustments and minimal cleaning. I clean the EV 2000 ,2-3 times a week. I fed the eels yesterday morning.It has been 30 hrs and the foam is still collapsed,no bubbles in the tower. Now I have to crank shut the gate valve to get foam and hope it doesn't go beserk and flood my garage after I go to bed.
If anyone has any solutions or tips[ i have read this thread 5 times] it is appreciated. By the way,it is set up right,have ckecked the pump,hose, drain hose[not submerged], gate valve above sump water level, air valves and injector clean and it gets fed raw water with no pre filters!
Rip
Anyone with EV 2000?
I have had mine for several months and wish I didn't. The recommended pump is Iwaki 100 which I bought. When the 2000 arrived ,the instuctions say it works best with a 2400-2800 gph pressure rated pump, which is way more than the Iwaki at 2000 gph at 4 ft head. I emailed Aqua C and was assured that the Iwaki was the best pump which the instructions contradict.
After an extensive break in period[ 2 months] ,the skimmer settled down. It is running with one air valve open[it has 2 ] and one has to be played with and the gate valve 100% open.
The problem is this. I have a multi tank system with a common sump, a moray tank,community tank and an aqqressive tank[puffers,triggers]. The skimmer reacts totally differently depending on foods fed. If dry pellets are fed it will recover after a few hours and and start collecting foam. If meaty foods or silversides or shrimp are fed, the skimmer may not come back for a day or so,sometimes not at all. Then gate valve adjustments[closing from full open] will have to be made to get foam again, then returned to the previous settings after it has skimmed the tank or it will boil over. If I feed the eels [big morays], I have let it run 3 days to see if it would come back[produce foam] but would not. To get it two foam after an eel feeding[every week], The gate valve has to be closed off 50% plus radical air valve adjustments from the norm. My sump is luckily in the garage. After waiting 2 days for the foam head to come back after an eel feeding, I closed the gate valve 50%, played with the air valves and got it foaming OK. I watched it for a few hours then went to work. When I got home water was pouring out under the garage door. I have auto fill and I lost over 100 gallons. Took a 150 gal bucket of salt to bring my SG back to 1.022.
Basically, diffirent foods take radically diff adjusments. I replaced an ER CS 12-2 with the EV 2000 because I had to many pump failures, but it ran like a champ for 6 years with very few adjustments and minimal cleaning. I clean the EV 2000 ,2-3 times a week. I fed the eels yesterday morning.It has been 30 hrs and the foam is still collapsed,no bubbles in the tower. Now I have to crank shut the gate valve to get foam and hope it doesn't go beserk and flood my garage after I go to bed.
If anyone has any solutions or tips[ i have read this thread 5 times] it is appreciated. By the way,it is set up right,have ckecked the pump,hose, drain hose[not submerged], gate valve above sump water level, air valves and injector clean and it gets fed raw water with no pre filters!
Rip
Rippys Big reef
New member
Last night even though it was producing skim mate OK I opened the gate 1 full turn for safety. It was working fine at 1 am so i crashed. This morning, a totally collapsed bubble column. Not to be fooled again, before going to work I opened the gate another turn. I just returned home after 9 hours and it has a head of foam in the cup. But I cant leave it set this way because the gate valve is not full open and when it kicks in again it will flood. So several days after feeding the eels I will be back to baseline, gate full open, 1 airvalve full open, 1 anywhere from full open to 1/4 open. And I haven't fed my fish anything in 3 days or it will never work! By tonight i should be back to baseline and feed pellet food. I have even gone two weeks between eel feedings, but since even feeding a few silversides to my puffers screws the skimmer up, I figured whats the diff. Forget feeding twice a day and meaty foods twice a week. My system has been running 6 years, and now have I to check the skimmer after awakening,before leaving,after arriving home, and at 3 am when i head for the john. Total bummer. By the way, Aqua C has good customer service and have answered my emails promptly. What I dont understand is after reading this thread is this. If the Aqua C skimmers are properly engineered, why should so many people have to use bigger than recommended pumps, oversized or modified injectors, worry about closeing off the John Guest fittings so you can get the air adjusted[not in instructions] or adding needle valves because the air valves cannot be fine tuned,or having to remove the gate valve and nipple to get the water level at the correct height. Why should you spend money on a new recomended pump and then after weeks or months of frustration have to turn to other hobbiests to learn you need a bigger pump to get it to work right, but then you may have to add a ball valve between the pump and skimmer so you dont overdrive the skimmer, which now means you have another adjustment to worry about? This thing is history soon. Anyone tried an Orca yet?
Rip
Rip
homebrewdude
Member
When I feed I loose the bubbles for about an hour.
Not a big deal...
I have had mine set the same for months.
I even marked the air valve location, so I always set it the same.
They work with the included pump, they work better with a bigger pump.
Almost all skimmers are the same way, with regards to the pump
Not a big deal...
I have had mine set the same for months.
I even marked the air valve location, so I always set it the same.
They work with the included pump, they work better with a bigger pump.
Almost all skimmers are the same way, with regards to the pump
Rippys Big reef
New member
AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!When I started my last post about 20 minutes ago the skimmer had a head of nice foam. After hitting the send button I walked in the garage and it is boiling over!!!!! Just like I said, since this morning it has gone from collapsed bubble column, to nice head of foam, to boiling over without being touched or the tank fed, in about 11 hours or so. No wife or kids home to touch or feed either!!
Rip
Rip
ScottL4619
New member
For those of you having problems with this skimmer:
1) Once you get the water level set, leave it! On mine, if I open the gate valve more than 1/8 turn, it will flood. If you want to adjust it to save yourself from a flood, close the valve, don't open it more. The lower the water level, the more mine floods and skims wet.
2) Mine will stop working (foam collapsed) periodically also. Just leave it alone and it should start cranking again within a few hours. Certain fish foods and household airborne particles really impact these skimmers since they draw so much air.
3) If you cannot get the skimmer working even after leaving it alone where the water level is set correctly, then it may just not be the skimmer for you. If it is near your kitchen and you cook with grease or spill things in the oven often, this skimmer will drive you nuts.
4) The key is to really get it set where it needs to be (this can be very frustrating, believe me) and just leave it be. It will stop working here and there, but when it does work, it really cranks. Mine is never down for more than 24 hours. Although, there are times when I cook something greasy in the kitchen, and feed a certain food where it will not work for 12-18 hours, but this is the max (for me). Results may vary based on your specific circumstances and conditions. The hardest part is to adjust, leave for a day, adjust again, leave for a day. You will eventually find the sweet spot.
Hint: start adjusting by having the water level set too high (as in up in the riser-close gate valve) and then gradually lower the water level (open gate valve) until it is slowly pushing foam into the cup.
1) Once you get the water level set, leave it! On mine, if I open the gate valve more than 1/8 turn, it will flood. If you want to adjust it to save yourself from a flood, close the valve, don't open it more. The lower the water level, the more mine floods and skims wet.
2) Mine will stop working (foam collapsed) periodically also. Just leave it alone and it should start cranking again within a few hours. Certain fish foods and household airborne particles really impact these skimmers since they draw so much air.
3) If you cannot get the skimmer working even after leaving it alone where the water level is set correctly, then it may just not be the skimmer for you. If it is near your kitchen and you cook with grease or spill things in the oven often, this skimmer will drive you nuts.
4) The key is to really get it set where it needs to be (this can be very frustrating, believe me) and just leave it be. It will stop working here and there, but when it does work, it really cranks. Mine is never down for more than 24 hours. Although, there are times when I cook something greasy in the kitchen, and feed a certain food where it will not work for 12-18 hours, but this is the max (for me). Results may vary based on your specific circumstances and conditions. The hardest part is to adjust, leave for a day, adjust again, leave for a day. You will eventually find the sweet spot.
Hint: start adjusting by having the water level set too high (as in up in the riser-close gate valve) and then gradually lower the water level (open gate valve) until it is slowly pushing foam into the cup.
lilred1995vette
New member
ev 240
ev 240
i am considering buying a ev 240 and wanted to know if it would handle my 220g mixed reef tank? I dont mind adjusting it, as long as its not a daily thing.
ev 240
i am considering buying a ev 240 and wanted to know if it would handle my 220g mixed reef tank? I dont mind adjusting it, as long as its not a daily thing.
ScottL4619
New member
Re: ev 240
Re: ev 240
You probably will have to adjust it everyday at first. But once set, you won't ever have to touch it except for cleanings. I haven't touched my gate valve in 6 months and I only adjusted it then because I upgraded pumps.
Do yourself a favor and read through all of this thread and see if any particular situation (smoking, greasy cooking, etc) applies to you and then decide if you want to go with AquaC. If you smoke in the house or fry foods regularly, you may become frustrated with this skimmer.
Re: ev 240
You probably will have to adjust it everyday at first. But once set, you won't ever have to touch it except for cleanings. I haven't touched my gate valve in 6 months and I only adjusted it then because I upgraded pumps.
Do yourself a favor and read through all of this thread and see if any particular situation (smoking, greasy cooking, etc) applies to you and then decide if you want to go with AquaC. If you smoke in the house or fry foods regularly, you may become frustrated with this skimmer.
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