AquaC EV owners please advise.

[CooL_anakin]

Erm.. I've been running the EV-120 for quite a while and its doing well.

But, the skimmate its producing is watery. I've noticed about 1-2mm of water above the internal platform. Is it ok, or is water above the internal platform a strict NO.? Thanks.

[KingFish]

Despite AquaC's recommendation, I find of keeping the water level slightly above the internal platform produce better results for the simple reason that the foam level is closer in range to the foam tower.

Wet skimmate basically meant that you are skimming a lot faster -pushing the foam higher, faster and lessening contact time between the microbubbles & the DOM).

Assuming your EV has already broken in, try this:

1) Open the air valve completely

2) Open the gate valve completely.

3) Slowly close the gate valve in half turn and adjust the foam level until its slightly within the foam tower.

It takes a couple of minutes for the foam level to stablilise in its new setting, so be patient and tune until you get a stable foam level.

Monitor over the next few days.

TIP: Do not fiddle with the setting too often as the skimmer struggles to reach its equilibrium.

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

no adjustments needed for Red Sea Berlin Venturi Skimmer...just attached correct pump and your're done for life...he..he..

[reefer guy]

bro, save ur words.... aqua c is far more effective than berlin.....

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

bro, save ur words.... aqua c is far more effective than berlin.....

nahhhhhhhhhhhhhh....don't know what you're talking about in the first place.....been in reefing when you were in diapers...... Protien Skimmers should be less of a headache when you have to adjust water level like that as it clearly goes to show. Cost so expensive is another thing.....

[reefer guy]

yeah......i can see that......

[dr evil]

oh gosh.....clash between skimmers...

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

oh gosh.....clash between skimmers...

HE...HE... no clashes , most reefers believe in Aqua C EV so it's good that they have faith in that product

[dr evil]

oh god...just bought myself a H&S skimmer.....better keep to myself....if not, kenna also...

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

oh god...just bought myself a H&S skimmer.....better keep to myself....if not, kenna also...  

I know you bought one....he....he...but I'm not going to say that it's not good. You're most welcome to share your views and I'm also interested to know if you run into any problems...nice guy like you always have an open ear....

[reefer guy]

oh god...just bought myself a H&S skimmer.....better keep to myself....if not, kenna also...

one of the best skimmers.... u can share ur piece of advice dr. evil, worth showing off...

[terryansimon]

I'm having a little bit of a problem tweaking my EV-180 as well. whenever I push the water level up to half of the column, it tends to overfoam a bit. sickening.

I just did what Rumor said just now...releasing the gate valve fully and then turning it half a knob.

I would think that the foam will eventually find its way up by the sheer amount of foam being produced. its way up to the overflow compartment on the top of the water column that is.

[reefer guy]

terryansimon, how's ur cycling?

[terryansimon]

yah man show off your H&S leh. I wanted to get that if not for the fact that the literage for a 150 skimmer was so tall, it couldn't fit into my cabinet. =\

[terryansimon]

my cycling? I don't know if I'm doing the testing of water parameters alright. but I'm detecting bare amounts of ammonia. I was expecting sky rocketing figures, like my freshwater one. maybe because the liverocks I got were in the shop for around two weeks liao. =\

yeah. off topic. still dare ask.

[reefer guy]

just some words i've heard and read, cycling period need not run protein skimmer.... good thing u haven't tweaked ur ev-180 yet to full function...

[terryansimon]

nah I'm running my skimmer because I didn't wash my sand. I just threw the whole thing in there. you don't know what sorta waste they have in there. so the skimmer is an additional prevention of sorts.

and since my rocks are semi un-cured, having the skimmer on. I don't know, my school of thought is that it'll clear of whatever waste is generated by the still living things that are not killed of by the sudden immersion into a foreign body of water.

[KingFish]

Try to stay on topic guys.

Terry, the length of time your EV takes to break-in differs from tank to tank. Salinity plays a part too so water temperature is also related, surface tension, et cetera ... et cetera ...

Perhaps Acanthurus pyroferus with his years of experience can fill you in.

It takes time for the foam tower surface to achieve a specific charge that allows the foam to rise up the column. So getting a reliable pump to drive the spray-inductor and keep a stable foam production is also essential.

Keep the fiddling to micro-adjustments and it'll be fine.

[reefer guy]

rumor, just need ur expertise... can u enlighten me with the difference between the original aquac models as compared to the 2002 series? any siginificant development? and replacing the old models, with the new series, does it necessarily mean that the old models are not good performers?

thanks!

[terryansimon]

no it just means that their R&D department is working. having new products of the line to replace the older models doesn't mean that the older models weren't working well. (=

Toyota replaces the Corolla evey four to five years. it doesn't mean that the previous Corolla sucked. it just meant that whatever lessons were learn from the previous Corolla was implemented *hopefully* into the new Corolla. (=

[terryansimon]

Victor..

so back to point. the water level in the tower itself..half way there? or further up? I just went to check mine with the gate valve closed to half *I think. I did turn the gate valve two complete rounds* and the water level was somewhere near the halfway mark of the column itself. too high or something? =\

if not, I'll need to drain of the excess skimmage into a Coke bottle for the time being.

[KingFish]

reefer guy,

Here's an extract from AquaC's manual available online.

Skimmer Features

The new EV Series skimmers are a significant advancement over the original design we released in 1998. We’ve listened to customer suggestions and comments and our new EV’s incorporate many of the features hobbyists have been asking for.

The new features include:

• Flanged and locking collection cup and cap - twist and release for super-smooth cleaning.

• Raised gate valve – the skimmer no longer needs to be raised in most sump installations!

• Redesigned exit plumbing virtually eliminates any microbubbles that can return to the sump.

• Larger mixing chamber (40% more volume) means greater contact time and waste removal.

• Side-mounted gate valve saves sump space and requires smaller overall footprint.

• Precision control air flow valve – easy tuning for wet or dry foam.

• John Guest “Super Speed Fit” fitting for quick airline connection on ozone models.

• Sealed foam tower means no more salt creep build-up.

• Auto-waste container compatible. Two and three liter containers are available.

• Redesigned interior baffling system reduces turbulence and increases contact time; the end result is a two-fold increase in foam production and skimming efficiency.

As Terry has pointed out, the older models are definately still performers.

The John Guest fittings are great addition as you can connect the effluent drip from your CA Reactor where the CO2 can be flushed out. I believe Yazid is utilising the feature.

[reefer guy]

terryansimon, rumor, thanks alot for the good informations.....

[KingFish]

Terry,

Preferring more contact time between the bubble and the DOM, I keep a low foam level; where the foam tower meets the dark skimmer body.

However, I note that yours is a EV180, which has a taller tower than the EV120. If you prefer a slightly drier skimmate, I recommend a lower foam level and work your way up until you're happy with the skimmate quality.

[terryansimon]

ah thanks Victor.

just to check. temperature has a co-relation to the skimmer's working abilities?

time to go twiddle with my gate-valve.