I have an EV-240C with the Iwaki 60 upgrade that I have had running on a 210-gal for almost a year. It has been getting a little skimmate out, maybe a 1/2 cup or so a week max. I thought that was maybe because of the light bio load (5 chromis and a few corals, plus snails and crabs. But even after adding in a few anthias, not much skimmate. The skimmer is outside the sump with the return above the water level, unimpeded. The hose from the pump to the skimmer is about 4 feet long (gonna shorten this tomorrow)

So, I think I figured out I had the water level too high. But....

Yesterday I lowered the water level to about 1/2 inch below the platform per the instructions (with the airvalve closed, and then opened the air valve all the way, plus removed a small plug I had plugging the speed-airlift valve (a suggestion from AquaC to try when I set it up). So now, I have foam again, but pretty much only up to the bottom of the tower (bottom of the tower, not the collection cup). THis morning the foam is a little below half way up the tower.

Does this sound normal and the foam will rise over the next several days up to the collection cup, or does something sound wrong?

Before, with the water level up a couple of inches into the tower, I would get a foam at the top of the tower and up into the collection cup, and I would get a fat ring of thick gunk around the inside top of the tower. But the simmate I would get into the collection cup wasn't much at all. Rarely did I get enough to reach the collection cup overflow outlet.

I hear great things about this skimmer and how it should be producing "cups of skimmate" a week. But mine has never done that. Am I set up right now and just need to wait, or should the foam and water level be up higher nto the tower?

Tnx,
Rick

Sorry for the late reply, but you'll want to contact tech support at AquaC on that. I've worked with Steve over there on a number of different issues and he's always been great.

I just got through spending some time tuning in an EV-120 and on that skimmer, they are now recommending that the water level actually be an inch *above* the internal platform. You may try that while you email their tech support.

One thing the EV series seems to be overly sensitive to is the airvalve intake. To me, there should be a gate valve on that as well as the outflow - it's just as important and a quarter-turn simply isn't precise enough. That being said - if you are having to tune the skimmer via the air valve, that's all wrong. The air valve should be wide open and the if you get a boiling overflow into the collection cup, you've got too much inflow. You'll need to add a gate valve on the pump output to meter that down. (You should've seen mine when I put a 900gph pump on it! Lol.)


If you have the optional JG port open, you'll definetly want to shoot silicone down into a short piece of icemaker line and plug the port with that. It's pretty hard to tune the skimmer with that port open.

Also, are you running any additives? The magnesium supplement I used to use flat takes the legs right out from under the skimmer. Poor thing becomes nothing more than a glorified airstone when I add that stuff. (we're talking zippo foam tower)

Do you run any carbon? You might try that to help pull out any agents that may be preventing the skimmer from working properly.

Anyways - having said all that - you are still running a light bioload. Dump a can of tuna in there and see what happens. :twisted:

Hth!
Dan

I see I never posted a final on this. I got hold of Steve at AquaC and he was great help. He sent me an updated manual that recommends running the water level at the base of the tube now instead of the inside platform. He also suggested a couple of other things to check on.

All in all, after making the adjustments Steve recommended, things seemed to work better. Then, this weekend I removed the air valve and found it was clogged with salt creep. After cleaning that out, the skimmer is working pretty good. Be careful if you do this. It is very easy to crack theskimmer housing if you over tighten the valve thelightest bit.