NEED HELP aqua c 180 not keeping foam wall

[justforfun]

i have recently purchased a aquac180 with mag 7....it was in system when i took it down i clean with tap water and installed.....took a day or 2 to start bubbling at all....now its been a month and it still is not building a faom wall....the bubble wall is at the top of the black box when i turn the gate valve to close it to get desired hieght all air/mixture turns to water please help if you have had this...
ps sorry if its in the wrong forum

 

[Skimmy]

it's because your trying to power it with a mag 7....
honestly, forget what the manufacturer suggests for a pump,
and go for a mag 12 or other 1200gph pump that is a high pressure pump,
then use a gate valve after the pump to fine tune the amount of water going to the skimmer.
also, have you checked the injector for obstructions??

 

[justforfun]

yea i have heard get rid of mag 7 ...but it was working on his setup is why im curious....checked for debris in both air venturi and water.....clean as can be

 

[Skimmy]

also, how do you have the skimmer set up in your sump?
it might be effecting performance.

 

[returnofsid]

What depth of water is the skimmer sitting in? Is it close to the same depth that the previous owner had?

 

[justforfun]

yes it has 9" same as preivious owner its sits in the fuge where my drain is feeding (55gal sump) it sits in a water area that is 12 gals....my swc160 is right next to it working better then ever( now the 180 is not keeping a faom wall it draws out the extra

 

[returnofsid]

Ummm, you're running an SWC160 and an AquaC 180, in the same sump? If that's the case, it's probably because the SWC is doing all the skimming, not leaving anything for the 180 to skim.

 

[Skimmy]

well, depending upon the size of the system, but yeah, that will kill it's performance as well.
and even still, the aqua c isnt performing properly with 700gph powering it.
it needs over 1,000 gph, and, it needs to be lifted up out of the sump so that the skimmer drain
doesnt work against the back pressure of the sump. most people build a little stand for it so that the drain
is right above the water level.

 

[justforfun]

i think i skimmyur right with the water being drained above the water will try and let ya know...( he had a t on the plumbing right after the gate valve with a pipe going deep in the water and the top 1 about 4 " out of water. i put a 90 on it directly after the valve pointing straight down...submerged about halfway....will make quick spacer......
ps? what is the better skimmer swc160 or aquac180(if i put bigger pump on it)

 

[Skimmy]

well, for $15 you can buy an impeller that will give you a total of 900lph air injection out of your SWC 160 cone:
Modified Atman 2500 Impeller
he is sold out at the moment, but will get more, im sure...
I think it the SWC is the better skimmer... more air injection, less power consumtion, less noise, and more productive.
what size system is this for??
also, you want the T on the skimmer drain outlet for the 180, not an elbow, the T allows air to escape instead of submerging it,
and should be above the water line as well.
and making a stand out of egg crate is probably easiest.

 

[justforfun]

oh yea it sits on same eggcrate stand as the swc160.....my system isconsist of a 75sps display, 40b frag tank 55 deep sand bed/fuge tank, 55sump filter....so in you opion get the better impeller and sell the aqauc180?