i'm sure it's already been discussed .....AQUA C ev series

[crhis]

i'm sure it's been discussed but since the search function NEVER works :mad2: and not having time to search every post i'll just ask again :D ......
I have done a moderate amount of research and I think I have settled on the ev 400 for my 300 gallon fowlr.

I am looking for any input good or bad....hearsay and rumors and possibly any inuendo that could persuade me not to follow through with this purchase .
thank you in advance.
ccc

[pwilkus]

I own and EV240 and a EV400. They both work great once you get them dialed in. Never had any problems with them and they run very quiet...

Paul

[crhis]

ok well that's one for the "good" column

[gcarroll]

I would say that the majority of complaints will come from those running that skimmer on the Mag18.

[crhis]

ok that's 2 for the good column ........what's the deal w/running a mag 18? that's what I was planning on using .....

[bingoreefer42]

I run an EV180, and it works great, but ... it can be very sensitive to the outlet backpressure. If you let the outlet simply dump into a sump from above, then this won't be a problem, but I have a section of 1" tubing on the outlet that I use to run the outlet water down to the sump, just above the water level. It's hard to explain the layout but the skimmer sits ontop of the sump, and I imagine similar issues would crop up with the skimmer almost anywhere.

What this means (getting to the point) is that even slight changes in the sump water level, such as what happens when the sump pump is turned off for maintenance and water changes, the outlet tube is now under water and hence subject to more back pressure. This causes a slow rise of the water level in the skimmer - kind of a 'duh' for some readers, sorry - and this water can spurt out the air inlet valve (the 3/8" John Guest fitting or whatever your version might have), destroy the existing foam column, and rise the water level up into the collection cup and out through the not-water tight flange gasket, taking any collected skimmate with it, into the sump or onto the floor.

The same thing can happen when you adjust the gate valve on the outlet. It takes a few minutes for the water level to settle after doing this, so if you crank the valve back too much, not much will happen immediately, and if you leave the room for a minute, you might come back to water everywhere if the skimmer level rises as above.

I'm not sure this is really a design issue but maybe the nature of all skimmer beasts, being an open, pressurized system.

Another good point about AquaC skimmers is that they are built very strong, and the designs are simple but precise and refined. The only maintenance they seem to need is the usual cup emptying, wiping down the inside of the riser tower sometimes, and the same pump maintenance all skimmers need (cleaning, replacing o rings and impellors from time to time.) The 'spray injector' can be unscrewed and cleaned if it ever gets clogged, but the larger EVs don't seem to have this as a problem.

[gcarroll]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9283465#post9283465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crhis
ok that's 2 for the good column ........what's the deal w/running a mag 18? that's what I was planning on using ..... All of the AquaC skimmers perform best with the largest recomended pump. I used the Mag 18, it sucked. Then I got the Mag 24, it was great, but then I ordered the 1" injector (replacing the 3/4" injector) for the skimmer and the skimmer turned into a beast. To top it off the Mag 24 only uses 125 watts on the injector because of the head pressure.

[chris4869]

gcarroll, I still can't get over the fact that your AquaC skimmer pulls out 2.5 gallon of skimmate a day, and it's not even on 24/7!

crhis, you can check out the AquaC Club (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=594995&perpage=25&pagenumber=1)

thread for details.

I personally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my AquaC EV180 skimmer. You will get mediocre result if you use the AquaC recommended pump, so follow gcarroll advice and buy the stronger pump. I found out the hard way. :(