Aqua-C EV-90/120 Users....

nisom88 · 05-30-2002, 10:51 AM

I just bought a used EV-90 for my 55g softie tank and I'm having trouble getting this thing adjusted. It's really inconsistent at producing foam. Last week the water level was too high and the cup was overflowing....I've got it turned down now and at best I get good foam and green water in the cup...i never really get the slimy thick stuff though and a lot of the time i get no foam in the column at all.........is this normal for a downdraft skimmer or do I need to adjust this further? anyone else use an EV-90 with some advice?? I have to say I'm a little dissappointed.....

Rick O · 05-30-2002, 11:00 AM

I have an EV-150 so they should be the same as far as adjustments go. Start with the water level about 3/4" below the platform that's inside the black box. The box is heavily tinted so you may need a flashlight or some bright light to see it. Closing off the gate valve (turning it clockwise) raises the water level and the reverse lowers it. Let it stay that way for a while and see what happens. Any adjustments should be small and you should give the unit several hours between adjustments to see what happens. I have found that the skimmer doesn't work as well if the riser tube is dirty so keep it clean.

HTH

nisom88 · 05-30-2002, 11:17 AM

Rick-O...
that's about where i'm at right now...about 3/4 of an inch below the top of the inner chamber...just to clarify, when you say the water level you are referring to the point where the actual solid water meets the foam on top of it, right...not the top of the foam? i was a bit higher last week and was getting way too much good water in the cup. do you get consistent thick foam with yours without overflowing the cup?

Wrasse Man · 05-30-2002, 11:33 AM

nisom,
How do you have the skimmer set up? Is it in-line or in-sump? If in-sump, is the outlet for the skimmer above the water line?
The water should be 3/4" below the platform, but that might be for new models that don't have the funk film.
It took a few days of fine tuning to get my 180 set just right, but after that it just chugged out brown goop. I don't know if the 90's will take a collection cup, but I hooked one up to mine to keep it from overflowing in the night.

HTH

nisom88 · 05-30-2002, 11:47 AM

Wrasse man-the skimmer is set up in-sump powered by a Mag-5. I had to raise the entire thing on a platform so that the outlet would be above the water-line like you said. The only problem with this is that i get a lot of splashing and more evaporation and salt deposits everywhere...Not the end of the world i guess. The collection cup does have a drain that I have running into a plastic 1 gallon milk container in case of overflow. Give me the low down on the funk film...what do you mean?? You're able to get thick brown goo out of yours??

Wrasse Man · 05-30-2002, 05:30 PM

New skimmers have a slight oil film on the plastic from the manufacture of the plastic. This film will keep the skimmer from functioning 'properly' for the first few days or so, since the oil is causing the protein not to bond with the air bubble. After the first few days, the inside of the skimmer begins to collect a film of
'funk' from the tank water. My understanding is that this film covers the oil film, and allows the skimmer to function more efficiently.

Maybe someone can elaborate/correct me on the above.

As for splashing, my skimmer came with an elbow that I could point down toward the water (if not, it is just a 90* elbow made of PVC). I attached a small length of PVC to the output of the elbow so that the skimmer outputs under the water.

Yes, I was getting the nasty brown stuff. My tank was pretty heavily stocked, that is why I went super-size on the skimmer.

Hope that helps some.

Rick O · 05-30-2002, 06:25 PM

Sounds like you just about have it right. Like Wrasse Man I have a PVC elbow and a short piece of pipe attached to the outlet so that there is no splash. If you're getting a wet foam and the cup is filling too quickly then open the gate valve a little bit. You will have to give it some time between adjustments to stabilize so don't make too many adjustments too quickly. I don't use the overflow on mine cause it forces me to keep the collection cup and riser tube clean. If mine were to overflow it would all go back into the sump. I've had mine for a couple years and once I got it dialed in I haven't had to touch it since.