Aquac EV-180

[BeltwayBandit]

All I can say is WOW I LOVE THIS SKIMMER!  In the 5 days that I have had this thing running it has already produced more skimmate than my pos Red Sea Berlin Turbo XL did in 3 months.  I'm so glad that got a new skimmer, and sorry to have wasted my money on the Berlin.

 

Just thought I would share!

 

Oh and if anyone is considering the Aquac skimmers.  They are very very easy to setup.  All you need is 2 pieces of tubing and a pump.  You need 3/4" inside diameter tubing for the pump inlet and 1/2" (I think) for the drain.  Very simple installation.

 

BB

[michaelg]

I agree- given that they don't need a monster pump, and are easy to setup and clean, I think they are a great skimmer.  And yes, they can pull a lot of junk out of the water!

[bcjm]

BB, what pump do you have?

[BeltwayBandit]

I am running it with the Mag 7.

[bcjm]

no kidding, mag 7.  what size of tank do you have and how heavy do you feed?

[BeltwayBandit]

I have a 120 w/20 gal sump.  Aquac recomends the following 3 pumps with this model: Rio 3100 (No way is a rio going on my system) Mag 7 or the DP-800.  I feed moderately (I would say)  I feed twice a day with Formula 1 flake w/garlic at 5 followed by either a smaller dose of Formula 1, Sweetwater Zooplankton, or Prime Reef frozen at 9 or 10 (Lights are on Noon to midnight cycle).  Never more than is consumed and gone within about 2-3 minutes.  

 

Water parameters last time I checked (about a week ago)

Ammonia- 0

Nitrite-0

Nitrate-2

Calcium-420

 

BB

[michaelg]

I am running a dolphin dp560 on my skimmer- it is the size down from the EV180.  Works like a charm.

[Lee Stearns]

I bought the EV120 as well and will run the MAG 5 on it. After much looking on these and other sites it seemed correct. It will be on a 150 with 50 sump, but as I garner form many posts it should be shut down for a couple of long periods each week for feeding phytoplankton and rotifers. So I didn't jump to the next EV-180 size. Glad to hear you are happy with yours!

Lee

[michaelg]

if you are concerned about the skimmer pulling out all the plankton, I would do your feedings first.  My skimmer usually "shuts itself" down after a phyto feeding.  Else, just open the gate up.  You will want to keep it running IMO if for nothing else the oxygenation it provides.

[AquariaUSA]

IMO they are hands down the best skimmer out there for the money, size, pump requirements, and skimmate production!

I have been saying this for quite sometime, even if I am biased I have about 45-50 of them on client systems right now, and except for the air inductor getting clogged once and a while, they do run like a charm. Glad you like your skimmer, be sure to send AquaC (Jason) a nice email on how well you like it! He is a good guy that stands behind his extremely fast growing company!

[bcjm]

The pump on my skimmer just went bad.  I am considering to get a new skimmer.  What size would you choice for a 75G?  Where can I get a good deal on-line?

[AquariaUSA]

An EV-120 would do fine on a 75 softy/lps tank. If you plan to go the route with SPS later on, you may want to go with the EV-180. The EV-240 would be serious overkill, and would be hard to work into a small sump.

[michaelg]

Rich- do you have any opinion of the dolphin vs mag pumps?  I have been pretty happy with how the dolphins run (going for 3 years now).  And- you don't need to change the screws if you run it submersed and it comes with hose fittings.

[AquariaUSA]

Hi Michael,

I like the Dolphin pumps, but being as Mags are so easy to find (almost everywhere...especially parts) we usually use them to keep costs inline, and for ease of ordering. I also like the new Rainbow lifeguard pumps (the pressure rated ones), but they are not so easy to find sometimes.

[michaelg]

One last comment that I would like to make on these skimmers is Keep the neck and cup clean.  It makes a huge difference in their performance.  I try to give it a good wiping out every week (usually right after feeding when the foam has dropped so I don't make a mess).

 

Michael