AQUA-C EV-180 tips, tricks and how to quiet it??

[goinbroke]

i have a EV-180 with a mag 7 in my 75gallon reef/fish....
i did a search and saw mention on modding skimmers for better performance.....
anyone have any mods for this skimmer? it works well but skimmate is inconsistante!
also, this skimmer is very noisy. the most noise comes from the water spilling out of the skimmer. anyone have any tips on how to quiet this?
TIA....

 

[natclanwy]

I put a T on the gate valve and ran PVC down to the water level to reduce the splashing, be sure and leave the top of the T open or at least drill a 3/8" hole in a cap for a syphon break. My EV-180 is extremely consistant in foam production but whenever we cook or I feed the tank the foam tower collapses but comes back within an hour or so. Can you give some details on how your skimmer is setup and where it is located in your sump? Also do you smoke in your house?

 

[goinbroke]

tank water enters my oceanic 30gallon sumpdirectly under the overflow in the tank. i have a 7 inch filter sock there to catch the crud. my skimmer is on in side of the sump. my sump has 3 chambers. first: water enters sump, filter sock and ev-180 skimmer. middle chamber: this holds the mag 7 pump for the ev-180, i just added a old aqua c ev-90 with a mag 5 to help battle my hair algae. last chamber: mag 9.5 for return pump and a phosphate reactor and heater.
i really thought my 180 wasnt cosistant but compared to the ev-90 it always is making foam! i dont smoke in the house. come to think of it when my wife is cooking dinner i'm usally messing with the tank.
i'm going to try the t thing today. sounds like a good idea!

 

[natclanwy]

I have a mag 9 on my EV-180 and between that and having my skimmer outside the sump I can't close my gate valve at all, the water level in the skimmer box is right at the top of the box and then I have to close the air valve a little to get the skimmate to dry out otherwise it will skim 2g of clear water a day.
Be sure and use 1.5" PVC for the "T" to keep from restricting the flow too much it doesn't take much to increase the height of the water in the skimmer.
Also don't try to adjust the skimmer while your wife is cooking, maybe try first thing in the morning and then don't touch it for 24hrs and then adjust it again if needed the next morning until you get it right. You also might try running your pump in a vinegar and water solution for a couple of hours, just did this on mine and it made a world of difference didn't even realize that the pump was dirty it didn't have any deposits or film to speak of on it.