My skimmer arrived!

[samurai9]

My AquaC EV-150 arrived today! Yes, it is the older version and it is used, but I think it will handle my 100 gallon system with ease.

. Does anybody have any tips for operating it? I have placed it in the sump, and the water level in the sump is halfway between the gate valve and the water level in the skimmer. I'm really impressed with the build quality

 

[samurai9]

ok i have a more important question. Anyone who's used this skimmer, what did it look like when it was breaking in? I am getting really big bubbles,and nothing is rising in the foam tower. This skimmer was last used 6 months ago. Am i experiencing a break-in period or do I have it set-up incorrectly?

 

[jsteinman]

Large bubbles in water column sounds like sonething is not right. You should have very small bubbles, so small in fact that all you should see is a white milky haze in the water column. So many bubble you can't see through the skimmer. If this is not the case, something is wrong with the skimmer...

 

[srbayless]

Howdy,

make sure you pull the spray induction out and clean it. There could be some build-up in it, which would affect the performance.

Also, what pump are you using with the skimmer? The skimmer actually performs better with a bigger pump. I put a mag 7 on mine, and it really kicks butt.

Scott.

 

[samurai9]

I am using a mag 9.5(with ball valve) on the EV-150. Hmmm.. I'm getting a little worried. But i think my skimmer may be going through a break-in period. ACtually, what's happening is that on the side where the water enters through the spray elbow, there are big bubbles running vertical in the water column. These bubbles either stay in the column because of the current from the spray, or they rise up and constitute the top surface of the foam/water. The top layer is not foam, it is rather big bubbles that pop quickly. There ARE microbubbles, lots and lots of them, but they stay inside the water column under the watery foam. They cannot form because of the turbulence. I think the skimmer is fine. My belief is that the large bubbles are forming because the skimmer is breaking-in. Srbayless and 220reefer, how did your skimmer act when it was breaking-in?

 

[Anonymous]

This is a really dumb suggestion, but you are running it in saltwater, right?

 

[samurai9]

lol yes i am

 

[tdrhodes]

Well, I may be new to the discussion, but not to AquaC EV150. I met Jason Kim at MACNA in Louisville,KY the Fall of 99.
I was so excited about getting the skimmer I could not wait........Well, after just over a year of use I have never had what I felt like were the results others and Jason claimed.
Now, in saying that I am hearing more info about the pump recommendation..See my posting from yesterday....about the performance of the AquaC...
This may change everything! Let's hope! But I bought mine new from PA. I never felt like I should have to fiddle with the unit daily to make it work as claimed. Much of the info I have learned is tweeking the unit to increase performance. All I ask was for it to work at the standard Jason told me it would. I have doubts that my skimmer works as it should. I do not own another skimmer to place on my tank and send mine back to see if it meets AquaC standards.
As for your skimmer. Did you get the owners manual.AquaC's website has the owners manuals that are PDF files or some sort of link to the manual. If he no longer has the older models on the site. I can scan mine and attach it to an email. That unit should not have any break-in period. That period is the amount of time it takes for the resins to wash off the unit from the manufacturing process. If the unit is used, then it should be "clean".
I had to really play with the gate to get it to work at all....Infact I run the bubbles above the internal plate in order to make foam. It is the only way I have ever made it "work"
Also, if you have anything clog that injection port and you might as well have a bubble tube for filtration.
I don't mean to sound negative, but after 350+- bucks I expected more.
Rhodes

 

[mosey]

good,now that the important q's are answered,
i proclaim that the skimmer is still breaking in.

 

[mariner]

I bought mine new and it took close to a month to break in. The large bubbles you are experiencing sounds like the water level in the chamber is too low. Take a flashlight and hold it up to the dark plastic towards the top and adjust the water level so it is about a half inch from the top. Once you have done that and you get some gunk in your cup, you can then further adjust it. If the gunk is light green, lower the water level just a little by giving the gate valve a quarter of a turn. Do this over the next couple of days to achieve the corect level. Don't adjust the gate valve any more than a quarter turn at a time when tuning. Small adjustments go a long way on these things,
P.S. I run my ev 150 on a 90 gallon.....you'll love it on your hundo! I run mine on a timer from midnight till 8 am only(not 24/7) because I feel it lowers my calcium/alk levels too fast and strips out the coral's food on the 24/7 deal..

[ January 01, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[tdrhodes]

Mariner,
Want to trade? Maybe I am and idiot....and you can make my unit work great....My 75 gallon with
the skimmer on 24/7 and I have all the problems I have posted....Even more evidence that makes me believe that my unit has some sort of flaw...
Rhodes

 

[samurai9]

Well, well, well...guess what...

It appears as though my skimmer DID in fact have a break-in period. Got back from a party just now, I walked straight over to the aquarium, opened the cabinet and...FOAM CITY! The foam had risen up the foam tower, up the collection cup, and draining out as water at an unbelievable rate. You better believe it when the manual says to run the drain line to the sump for the first few days. I had set the skimmer with the gate valve all the way open, and the mag 9.5 throttled back a little less than a third. Obviously, the foam is way too wet, so I have just now throttled back the pump. But I am happy, because I know this skimmer is capable of producing a solid tower of foam. Hopefully I will get a good, dry foam by tomorrow morning. I'll try to post a pic if it performs to spec

Rhodes..hmm..I think the SEN 900 will help a lot..though I hope you boought a gate valve to throttle it back! When you get the SEN, try doing what I did..open the gate valve all the way, and give the skimmer the most pump flow it can handle.
If the skimmer overflows madly with foam, then it is working. But give it time of course. I think you will like the SEN 900. My initial belief was that too strong a pump would cause too much turbulence to cause a good foam, but I was wrong, as I saw today. The EV-150 can handle much more than a rio 2500 or mag 7! The problem though, is that the foam tower is not tall enough to allow the foam to dry.
Rhodes, if your skimmer is still not working, i would test it on different water. Maybe fill up a rubbermaid tub with fresh saltwater, and see what happens. With all due respect to your reefkeeping abilities, it could be that your water quality is funny..wrong pH, water conditioners, additives..etc. Also, contact Jason, if you have not already done so. I believe he is on vacation right now, but he will reply promptly, and i don't think he is one to give up on others' problems. Oh, another thing: if you can, raise the skimmer so that the gate valve is above the water. This will allow to handle more of the SEN 900's flow. Good luck!

 

[esmithiii]

Mariner:

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

I feel it lowers my calcium/alk levels too fast

How does that happen?

E

 

[mariner]

A protein skimmer removes organic material! All of that stuff is organic. I run it at night so the additives that I put in during the day have a chance to get absorbed by the animals. Throw in a spoonful of kalk into your sump while the skimmer is running and watch the skimmer go nuts. It's working on removing what you just put in.

[ January 02, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>