inedukated October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 I upgraded my skimmer from a (perfectly working) Aqua-C Remora to an Aqua-C EV-180. I got this off of ebay, so it's used and it's an older model. I originally set it up with a whimpy pump, 500gph. It flat out wasn't doing anything. I posted on here for suggestions, and everyone said what I was thinking all along.... get a stronger pump. Now I have a Mag 12 hooked up to it (with gate valve in case it's too powerful), and I STILL can't get any bubbles in the tower. All the bubbles just form in the base of the skimmer, then go away. Nothing works its way up the tower into the cup. I haven't even gotten 1 bubble to go 1 inch up the tower. Is this broken, or am I completely missing something? I have a gate valve on the pump, and on the return line, so I can adjust the water level inside the pump right up to the tower....still nothing. Help?? -Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 Try running some vinegar through the air intake. You might have some deposits built up that is restricing the air flow into the chamber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 The revolutionary AquaC protein skimmers do not use venturis, downdraft tubes, or air pumps; they employ the patented "Spray Injection System." This innovation allows the protein skimmer to efficiently draw in much more air than any other of the top protein skimmers. This coupled with the superiorly designed compact reaction chamber yields results that will literally blow the waste out of your water. "For its compact size and simple design, The AquaC protein skimmer is able to process a large volume of water and efficiently remove organic pollutants. I'm very happy with it!" I don't know much about spray injection skimmers but i suspect the "spray" pary is broken or clogged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chideloh October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 Aqua C 180 is supposed to run on Mag 7 and you have mag 12 on it. It may be that the pump is way too strong for it. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 17, 2006 Author Share October 17, 2006 I'll give the vinegar a shot... Here's pictures, if that will help at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 Aqua C 180 is supposed to run on Mag 7 and you have mag 12 on it. It may be that the pump is way too strong for it. HTH Yup, I have a Mag 7 on mine, and it runs great. One thing I do periodically is unscrew the elbow "spray injector" and clean it out. I often get macro algae clogging it up. For best results, I have also left the air intake completely open. Oh, I also take a syringe full of DI water and "inject" fresh water into the air intake, just in case it is gummed up with salt. Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phisigs79 October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 looks like something is restricting your flow to the skimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 17, 2006 Author Share October 17, 2006 I just removed both of the intakes (air and water) and both seem to be clear of any debris. Still the same. I have a Mag 7 lying around. Should I try that instead?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 How long has the skimmer been running on the tank? Might take a few days to "break in" again depending on the cleaning agents used. What happens when you have the unused injector covered? Mine was quite sensitive to flow and too much turbulence broke down the foam. From one of the pics, it looks like the bubble spray is coating the upper areas with organics, so it looks like there is definitely something to skim. IMHO, it would not be bad to experiment a bit with the pump size, but every time you feed, put your hands in tank, etc., you are headed backwards a period of time on foam build up from the oils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 17, 2006 Author Share October 17, 2006 How long has the skimmer been running on the tank? Might take a few days to "break in" again depending on the cleaning agents used. About 12 hours... I am going to wait longer, but wanted to know if I should just go with the Mag 7. What happens when you have the unused injector covered? I put my finger over it for a few minutes, but didn't see any difference. I could always try to cover it for a long amount of time. From one of the pics, it looks like the bubble spray is coating the upper areas with organics, so it looks like there is definitely something to skim. Yeah, I haven't had a skimmer hooked up for 2 weeks, so there's definitely something to skim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 About 12 hours... I am going to wait longer, but wanted to know if I should just go with the Mag 7. I put my finger over it for a few minutes, but didn't see any difference. I could always try to cover it for a long amount of time. Yeah, I haven't had a skimmer hooked up for 2 weeks, so there's definitely something to skim! www.protienskimmer.com on there is the email for aqua c, ask jason kim for some advice. hes never failed to help out everyone with an aqua c skimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 October 17, 2006 Share October 17, 2006 About 12 hours... I am going to wait longer, ....Give it a few days. If you have a bypass in place so that you can divert water back to the sump and dialin the rate of flow without putting a huge amount of backpressure on the pump; stay with the 12. Jason Kim at AqauC is definitely helpful, it is good advice to drop him a line. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chideloh October 18, 2006 Share October 18, 2006 Where is your air valve? It looks like it does not have the air valve that should come with it. If it does not have the proper air valve for it, I would get it. Also, I would change it to mag 7 and I would wait few days to break in, but usually the Aqua C's work almost immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 October 18, 2006 Share October 18, 2006 Where is your air valve?It looks like an older model or the original owner skipped the option for the JG fitting. The old style countersunk holes are there though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 18, 2006 Author Share October 18, 2006 Give it a few days. If you have a bypass in place so that you can divert water back to the sump and dialin the rate of flow without putting a huge amount of backpressure on the pump; stay with the 12. Jason Kim at AqauC is definitely helpful, it is good advice to drop him a line. Cheers. Currently, I don't have a bypass. Running it w/ a gate valve, which is putting pressure on the pump. Should I have a bypass (T intersection?) placed before the gate valve? I'll send an email to Jason and see what he says. Should I purchase the JG fitting? In my previous experiences, I'd agree w/ chideloh that AquaC's tend to work immediately, so I didn't see what waiting a few days would really do. -Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller7 October 18, 2006 Share October 18, 2006 Currently, I don't have a bypass. Running it w/ a gate valve, which is putting pressure on the pump. Should I have a bypass (T intersection?) placed before the gate valve? I'll send an email to Jason and see what he says. Should I purchase the JG fitting? In my previous experiences, I'd agree w/ chideloh that AquaC's tend to work immediately, so I didn't see what waiting a few days would really do. -Ben Depends on what the previous owner cleaned the skimmer with, it might take days to dilute some cleaners, plasticizers, etc. Adding a JG does allow some fine tuning, a place to inject calcium reactor effluent, etc. Get the sucker working as best as possible before investing more in it. Personally, I prefer to have my pump on full and either run 100% to skimmer or 100% back to sump. Typically I tee off pump output with a gate or a ball on both ends of the T fitting. This allows you to disconnect the skimmer, but never shut off the pump. It also allows for fully variable flow control at all times. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 18, 2006 Author Share October 18, 2006 Sent an email to Aqua-C's support line and asked for Jason. I will keep the post updated with any results. Thanks again -Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit October 18, 2006 Share October 18, 2006 From your pics one other thing springs to mind. Your effluent from the skimmer should not be submerged in the sump. By submerging it you put backpressure on the skimmer. if you can try taking the pipe after the elbow off and see if that helps. If it does you can cut the pipe down so that it is just a little above the normal water level in your sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 18, 2006 Author Share October 18, 2006 From your pics one other thing springs to mind. Your effluent from the skimmer should not be submerged in the sump. By submerging it you put backpressure on the skimmer. if you can try taking the pipe after the elbow off and see if that helps. If it does you can cut the pipe down so that it is just a little above the normal water level in your sump. Problem existed before that was installed... I just put it on because it was a little noisy. I can take it off though, since it sounds like it could cause a problem. Thanks for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal October 18, 2006 Share October 18, 2006 Add a 45 degree bend at the very end with 1/3 to 1/2 of the fitting submerged. This will cut down on the noise without restricting the outflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 20, 2006 Author Share October 20, 2006 Ok, I never got an email from AquaC. :( But it's been running for 3 days now, and its looking a little better. It's bubbling about 1-2 inches now. Still 4 inches away from the cup! Will it just take longer? What do you guys think? -Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier October 21, 2006 Share October 21, 2006 From your pics one other thing springs to mind. Your effluent from the skimmer should not be submerged in the sump. By submerging it you put backpressure on the skimmer. if you can try taking the pipe after the elbow off and see if that helps. If it does you can cut the pipe down so that it is just a little above the normal water level in your sump. I agree with beltwaybandit. I was using an almost identical skimmer with a mag 12 but It would work very in-efficiently if the outflow was submerged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbashaw October 21, 2006 Share October 21, 2006 Based on the pics your skimmer is probably an EV-150 (Still a great skimmer) The 180 is similar in size but they moved the gate valve higher and to the side. You need to get the proper air intake valve this is probably a large part of yout problem. for now you can take out the second injector and leave it open it will probably work but will make a little whistling noise. Another problem is the way you have the skimmer above the sump. when water drains into the sump it creats a siphon and lowers the water level in the skimmer then it refills and siphons again and again. I had this same problem because my skimmer is mounted on a shelf about a foot above my sump. I put a hole in the top of the drain pipe and stuck some rigid tubing in the hole to prevent siphoning. http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c172/cwb...start=#imgAnch1 Another common issue with this type of skimmer is that the foam tower will collapse whenever you feed or add any supplements to the tank. If you want to come by and see my setup or want me to take more pics let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unninair October 21, 2006 Share October 21, 2006 Have you checked your salinity lately? If it is low, you may not get too much bubbles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inedukated October 22, 2006 Author Share October 22, 2006 Good news.... Don't know what happened, but I came home tonight after having a lil' birthday celebration, and low and behold, this is what I saw.... Looks like it just took an entire week.... cwbashaw, thanks for the pics. I will try to mod the return pipe sometime within the next week. Any final comments/ suggestions before I consider this finally a success?? -Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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