aqua c ev180

[jonrn]

my frustration with my reef devil deluxe is leading me on to just changing that product, i had it for 7 mos and i could say it had a very bad performance IME. I wanted to go for the octopus skimmer but due to space issues in my sump (i have only a 11X6 space for the skimmer if ill do in sump), i need to go external. ive been reading and reading but i want to hear from you guys who has aqua ev 180. couple of questions...
does it produce lots of microbubles?
is it really worth it?
are there good external skimmers that you can suggest aside from the aqua c?
are there any good in sump skimmers that can fit in my sump(space is L11 in , W 6in) that is rated for 120 gallons.
I really will appreciate any help from you guys. thanks

 

[ca161406]

you might be able to fit an octopus 150 in if you move the pump around

 

[aquaknight]

I have an EV180 on my 90gal, and an EV240 on my 125gal. Very similar skimmers (obviously). The ev180 only has a Mag 9 and the ev240 has a Mag 18. I believe the main difference is that the ev180 only has a 3/4" injector, where as the ev240 has a 1" injector. For the amount of livestock I have in the tanks, the 90gal has 15 fish(4 large fish, 8 medium, 3 small) vs. the 125gal which has 8 (3 large fish, 1 med, 4 small) I'm almost getting the same skimmate out of the Ev240. It a much darker skimmate too. My nitrates are undetectable in my 125, where as they're about 10 in the 90.
As far as the skimmers compared to others they're pretty good. They're are a bit of a pain, they require adjustments every so often, and they required to be clean at least once a week (suggested is every 2-3 days

).
Also, the big thing is, every time you feed, the foam tower collapses from the oils in the food. For an aggressive tank that might get fed every other day, this isn't too much of an issue. But if you're planning on a tank of anthias, that are going to get fed 5 times a day, I would suggest looking at something else.
IMO, an external recirculation skimmer, from Octopus or Reeflo or ORCA, is the best route you can take. If you're not planning on heavy stocking the 120, and just a couple of fish, the AquaC Ev series is a great way to go.

 

[saltn00b]

i have the ev-180 on a 150. its lightly stocked so i have zero trates.
pretty happy with it, but it can be annoying to clean. i clean mine once a week, but it probably could use more.

 

[aquaknight]

Oh, also if you smoke, forget about it. Smoke will cause the tower to collapse as well.

 

[jonrn]

i have a new mag 7, if i decide to go for the ev 180, will that work out. Ill check on the ocotpus 150. anybody has picture of the octopus 150 in their sump so i kinda will have an idea how to set it up and how big it is for my sump. thanks

 

[ca161406]

Originally Posted by jonrn
http:///forum/post/2767874
i have a new mag 7, if i decide to go for the ev 180, will that work out. Ill check on the ocotpus 150. anybody has picture of the octopus 150 in their sump so i kinda will have an idea how to set it up and how big it is for my sump. thanks
not that great of a pic but here it is


i had to cram it in because of the brace on the sump tank and i have about 1/2 inch from the top to the skimmer to the stand so the removal method is awesome. unscrew and slide off, no need to lift up at all

 

[fishy7]

I have great luck with the Aqua C skimmers.
I use the EV180 on my 200 gal frag tank
I use the EV240 on my 215 Show stank
I use the EV1000 on my 561 show tank
The EV180 is really a small unit but it gets the job done. I do not mess with adjustments on any of them after they are running at full capacity. I have the 180 in the refugium where the other 2 are external. I only use external pumps with these skimmers.
i use the Iwaki MD30RLT for the 180/MD40RLT 240/MD70RLT for the1000. My friend uses a mag pump for his 240 but has to clean the sponge all the time since the sponge clogs and hurts the performance of the skimmer.
I would recommend giveing a good cleaning with warm water before install. It did take the skimmer about 2 months to work out the bubbles. I'm not sure why it produced so many but it seem to go away.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[natclanwy]

I have an AquaC EV-180 running with a Mag 9.5 and it has been the best skimmer I have ever used. I set my skimmer up in March it took about two weeks to break in and then another week or so to adjust the air intake and I haven't touched it since other than to clean the collection cup and foam tower about once a week. As far as cleaning the only skimmer I have used that didn't require frequent cleaning didn't work and I don't know of any skimmers that don't have the foam tower collapse when you feed, every skimmer I have ever owned does that because of the oils in the food.