ETSS Evolution 500 - IT SUCKS!!

[keman]

I hate to take this tone, but this skimmer takes nothing from my tank but money.

I switched from a home built beckett to it, splurging. I've used a pump within their specs, I've dialed that damn valve for 4 months now, tried fewer and more bio-balls, tried everything. It's junk, it's great at making a small amount of dry foam in the first 24 hours and then stopping mysteriously. And doing nothing more for weeks, until I touch it again and try a new setting.

I thought it was an adjustment thing. Maybe I was waaay too high or waaay too low in the skimmer chamber. So I tried extremes. Nothing.

I emailed them. Multiple times. Giving them looong discriptions of what has gone wrong, and asking questions.

Things like.. "What do your instructions say next to the bioballs? I can't read them, it's blurry and your website PDF is just as blurry." and "What is this piece of foam for? Your instructions don't list it as a part, is it supposed to go somewhere?" and "What are mini-bio balls? You guys say to use the included mini bioballs for the 500 and normal sized ones for the 800. These bioballs look normal sized, they are black. Did you give me the wrong sized ones on accident?"

NOTHING! No response! Not for weeks!

I ask them "What is the initial water level in the skimmer that I should use? I'm not sure if it should be below or above the halfway point."

Nothing! Zero support.

I want to express mail this unsupported piece of GARBAGE back to them and just go buy a Petco $70 special. I'm sure THAT will skim better than this!

Worst $400 spent -ever- ... and did I mention how downhill my tank has gone? It was beautiful. And now .. it sucks. 4 months of no skimming will kinda do that. :(

Very frustrated,
Keman

[Ebisan]

I'm sure someone with this skimmer could help you. I recently got an ASM G2 and I like it. Maybe you can sell it and get a Deltec.

[hopper]

I have the same exact skimmer and have had no problems. What type of pump do you have it hooked up to? I have heard that this plays a large role in the efficiency of this skimmer. Also, mine performs best when it has been cleaned really well. Make sure your air vent is not clogged and is getting enough air. I have the water level in mine about 1-2" below the halfway level of the skimmer. I have heard that this is the sweet spot for most of them. But then again, each skimmer probably has it's own sweet spot. Another thing to check, make sure the o-ring that sits between the waste collector and the bottom canister is seated properly. My bioballs are blue and they are the small ones. Maybe they changed the color of them. They reportedly need to be changed once a year, but mine are 3 years old. I just clean them real well every so often.

I'm sure you have probably tried all these things, I'm just trying to make sure you covered it all. These skimmers are a little fincky to get dialed in, but once you get them set, they are supposed to be one of the best.

[eross13]

I also feel your pain, except I bought one used. I have something like a 600 and I expereiced the same results with my skimmer.

I finally read a tread here on the board that helped me improve the performance of the skimmer. You could search if your lucky enough to get through, but here is what I did.

Since the ETSS design is a downdraft skimmer, we can pressurize the collection cup. I did this with a waste container similar to this link. http://www.myreefcreations.com/psaccessories.htm. I started to limit the amount of air being released from the waste container and did not restrict the air intake at all. Then I brought the water level in the skimmer up to just the top of the box. Eventually this allowed me to get smaller bubbles and and get more consistant results. You might want to also add a valve on the imput of the skimmer to control the water depending.

What pump are you using?

[eross13]

In the end, if you still hate it. You might want to consider changing it over to a becket type skimmer.

[gcarroll]

Originally posted by keman
I want to express mail this unsupported piece of GARBAGE back to them and just go buy a Petco $70 special.
Please don't send it back to them. If you want, I will send you the $70 for the ETS skimmer that way it doesn't cost you any more to get the Petco Speecial. All kidding aside, are you running this skimmer with an external collection chamber? If not, does the skimmer skim better if you remove the lid off of the skimmer cup?

[David Grigor]

Need to know the pump your using.

A good pressure rated pump such as a Mak4 should do the trick......

[Reeforbust]

I just bought a used 500 Evo and ordered mini bio balls off of Ebay. The performance wasn't very good so I called ETSS and the said I needed "Their" bio balls.....SO, I ordered them! I got the same thing from them as I got on Ebay only it cost twice as much. Black balls that are 3/4" with little needles sticking out on two sides........

I run it with a Mag 9.5 and it skim's ok, but it only skim's wet.....Just seems like it doesn't get enough air to be a dry skimmate.
I have to adjust it several times between cleanings (every 4-5 days)


I've been wanting to buy a pressure rated pump but would it help that much........AND why would it make a difference??

[fishpimp69]

Buy the an ASM i just got rid of my etss as well. Performance sucks. I have been fooling with it for 5 months as well.

[keman]

I'm running an Aquamedic 3000 pump (900gph) .. it's not pressure rated. I didn't realize pressure rated pumps were that different. Is it that the injector nozzle isn't producing a sharp enough jet of water?

Time to get an Iwaki 20 RLT -- the "best" pump that ETSS recommends. $105 .. whee... cheaper than a new skimmer and from what I can tell this pump will work on anything else I buy. So. It's a fair enough attempt to get this thing working. While I'm buying a new pump, are there any other suggestions in this price category? A 30 RLT instead? Anyone?

Bueler? Bueler?

[David Grigor]

Mak4 $125.

Yes you want pressure rated. More force colliding with the bio-balls will improve foam.

Pressure rated and will also work great if you converted or upgraded to a beckett injector.

[keman]

So I noticed that there are no submersible pressure pumps.

Do I have to drill a hole in the side of the sump to install a bulkhead fitting, or .. can I get away with making an upside down U shape for the water intake if the pump is placed on the floor ?

[eross13]

I run a Mak4 external pump with a U shape intake. I made it huge, like a 2 inch pipe so that the water would have enough weight. I also added a air bleed to make sure that all the air was out. If this does not work for you, make some sort of a reservor at the end of the U to create even more suction.

[Reeforbust]

I made a new injector for my 500 that has a 1" inlet and a 3/4" outlet nozzle.....The original is 3/4" inlet and 3/8" injector.

Running with the Mag9.5 it lets too much in......The gate valve has to be all the way open. I'm going to make a new one that is 1" inlet and 1/2" injector which should perform better.

More volume from the 9.5 = close to pressure rated pump?????

[keman]

I'm not sure that's the solution. It's not flow that's needed to create the small bubbles. It's a sharp jet of water hitting the bioballs with sufficient force to drive the backpressure down and intake air during the process. Pressure is needed to make that sharp jet, not flow.

Just my opinion on it. Untested as yet. Tell us how your 1/2" injector works.

[Reeforbust]

Well.....The problem with the 3/4" injector was that the water would "back up" up the tube and spill over into the cup.......SO...I guess I just need to buy a pressure rated pump and quit trying to reinvent the wheel!! :p