Skimmer question

[alkataz]

I am going to purchase a AquaC EV180 and a dolphin 800 to run it. It runs in sump if i'm not mistaken, but I'm slightly confused. I don't believe that the gph rating of the skimmer is the same as that of the gph of the system which is about 600 gph.

So do I just sit the thing in the sump and attach the dolphin with a valve to control how much flow is sent to the skimmer and just let it skim as much as it can and let the whatever water it can't handle pass on through to the return pump to be caught and skimmed on the next go around?

How do I attach the pump? With PVC?

[moonpod]

It can be in or out of sump. One of the beauties of the aquac skimmer. If you use the dolphin pump, you gotta put a gate/ball valve on the pump and cut the flow back so you don't flood the skimmer. No flow gets "diverted" the output of the skimmer gets restricted. Honestly, I had an EV180, and it worked GREAT w/the mag7. I tried the sen as well and was happier w/the mag personally, but when I sold it, they dude took the sen. Why did I sell? So I could get an EV240 instead. :) You can plumb easiest w/flex tube, cause the skimmer has a barb for an input. Currently my EV240 is fed by a GRI 510 and plumbed semiexternally. If you put it in the sump, get some one inch PVC and threadedxslip elbows so you can "direct" the skimmer return into the sump and keep the splash noise down.

[brocco]

any suggestions on a skimmer for 180??? please help not sure what to get now im not going with aqua c

[moonpod]

Personally, I like the aquac ev series and that's what I'm gonna use on the 180 that I'm setting up. An EV240. Other good options, euroreef (or the knock offs ASM, southbay), Aerofoamer, My Reef Creations, Precision Marine, MTC.....Are you going in sump or out? Is noise a factor. Do you care about using big pumps or is energy consumption an issue?

[brocco]

i have emailed jason at aqua c 6 times and left 2 messages and no one has got back with me in over 2 weeks. if he doesnt wanna return my messages i will take my business elsewhere not very good customer service it was good before but it looks like that has stopped. all im trying to do is get ahold of him to send him a payment for a custom ev 240 & refugium i guess he doesnt need my business now . if this is how he is gonna do business now i wouldnt recommend him to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[brocco]

what do you think of the aerofoamer 824?

[alkataz]

Okay i'm still a little confused. I can place the skimmer outside the sump and then use the dolphin 800 to bring water to it and then some pvc on the oulet with and elbow and direct the skimmed water back into the sump?

[PilotNY]

Guys,
have you looked at Life Reef skimmers? I have a VS3 using a littlegiant 3 pump. I have been floored by what it pulls out. Check it out

http://lifereef.com

CYA
Carl

[moonpod]

Originally posted by brocco
i have emailed jason at aqua c 6 times and left 2 messages and no one has got back with me in over 2 weeks. if he doesnt wanna return my messages i will take my business elsewhere not very good customer service it was good before but it looks like that has stopped. all im trying to do is get ahold of him to send him a payment for a custom ev 240 & refugium i guess he doesnt need my business now . if this is how he is gonna do business now i wouldnt recommend him to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that is singularly weird. Everytime I've emailed him I've gotten a response in 1-2 days.

[moonpod]

Originally posted by brocco
what do you think of the aerofoamer 824?
Good unit, but loud like all beckett's, uses a big pump like all becketts, and b/c they put the gate valve on the bottom of the unit you gotta raise up what already is a pretty tall unit. Can make for cumbersome setup.

[moonpod]

Originally posted by alkataz
Okay i'm still a little confused. I can place the skimmer outside the sump and then use the dolphin 800 to bring water to it and then some pvc on the oulet with and elbow and direct the skimmed water back into the sump?
Uh yeah sure if you want to. I've got a dedicated external pump to my ev 240 (a GRI 510), so my plumbing goes, bulkhead to pump to skimmer back to sump via some PVC. Sump is reserved for refugium space.

[moonpod]

Originally posted by PilotNY
Guys,
have you looked at Life Reef skimmers? I have a VS3 using a littlegiant 3 pump. I have been floored by what it pulls out. Check it out

http://lifereef.com

CYA
Carl
Do they run wait lists on their skimmers like for their sumps? And talk about pricey--though granted he does a good job--I think the delivery date for a sump I tried to get through him recently was July/August. I'm sure the skimmers a good unit though.

[alkataz]

doesn't the strong flow from the skimmer return and water passing through the system in general distrub the refugium

[alkataz]

Right now I have a marineland tidepool 2 with the SOS overflow, but I am going to build my own sump using a 30 gallon tank I have laying around, because the tidepool only supports up to 600gph flow rate and I want to turn the water over at least 6 times an hour. Do u suggest that I upgrade to the EV240 which is rated for higher flow?

[Riotfishdude]

"what do you think of the aerofoamer 824?"...

best line o' skimmers out there,not sure about the cause for noise,mine dont make a peep unless you restrict the air intake,you get a whistle,but with it wide open,no sound from the skimmer or the Mag i use,running mine along side my sump,have it sitting on a rubbermaid foot stool to elevate it a little for the return line into the sump,a purchase you would not regret,and Frank at reefconcepts.com is awesome....Riot.....

[moonpod]

Originally posted by alkataz
doesn't the strong flow from the skimmer return and water passing through the system in general distrub the refugium
No, but I run the EV240's return tangential to the surface to avoid kicking a big divot up in the sand bed

[moonpod]

Originally posted by alkataz
Right now I have a marineland tidepool 2 with the SOS overflow, but I am going to build my own sump using a 30 gallon tank I have laying around, because the tidepool only supports up to 600gph flow rate and I want to turn the water over at least 6 times an hour. Do u suggest that I upgrade to the EV240 which is rated for higher flow?
this one I don't really understand. Skimmers should be sized to the tank. The turn over isn't really that relevant.

The thing about sitting the aerofoamer up on the rubbermaid basin is what I was talking about....doesn't make sense that something as pricey as these skimmers would have a silly engineering defect that forces you to raise the skimmer up--additionally these units are relatively tall, so if you have to raise 'em up then you may have trouble fitting it under the stand. I'm glad that riotdude's unit is quiet, cause other ones I've seen hiss a lot through the beckett injector. And uh, maybe minor to you but not to me, an aerofoamer824 on a mag 24=265watts. Thats' more than double the electrical consumption of my GRI driven EV240.

[alkataz]

I'm a little confused about how they post the tank ratings. The EV180 is rated for 60-200 gallons and the EV240 80-350 gallons and the EV400 100-450 gallons.

So for my 125 which is best?

[moonpod]

An EV180 will work, an EV240 is better. The tank size ratings kinda depend on bioload, feeding etc...so if you feed like crazy you're on the low end. If you run a sterile SPS setup w/a fuge and macro filter, you're on the other end.

[bulldale]

I have an ev-180 on my 100 Gallon, I couldnt get it to foam at first when I setup the tank. During the cycle I added 35lbs of uncured LR -- then I couldnt get it to stop foaming, and it produced so much gunk it was amazing. I think it is more than adequate for my 100 Gallon, I have completely cycled the tank, and I still clean it out at least once a week. I would get the same skimmer if I had the chance..

[alkataz]

Okay here is what I have in my tank currently.

1 Pump Xenia 8"
1 Green Eyed Cup Coral 4"
1 Toadstool Mushroom Leather 6"
2 Branched Montipora 4-5" ea.
1 Starburst Poly 9"

I will be adding a turbinaria cup and orange tube coral.

As far as other livestock I have

2 ocellaris clowns
1 Gramma Basslet
2 Carpenters Wrasse
1 Anthias parvirostris
2 Red head Gobies
1 Clown Goby
2 Golden Neon Gobies
1 Blue Flavivertex Pseudochromis

Will be adding 2 Black and white Clowns

1 Blue Tuxcedo Pincushin Urchin
1 Dwarf Colored Feather Duster
And a assorted clean up crew of crabs, snails, a marble star fish, and shrimp.

Will be adding a tiger tail cucumber and BTAs

I have a hang on fuge but right now all I'm using it for is to grow some red alge to see how my fish like it. But later would like it to grow some microalgea.

I have about 350 lbs of live sand and about 150 lbs of live rock.

So which skimmer should I get?

[moonpod]

If you're gonna go the aquac route, I'd guess an EV180 will work just fine. You can power it w/an assortment of relatively small pumps.