sea clone skimmer question

[lkpatterson]

Hello,
I have a seaclone 100 skimmer that has been running in my sump since Dec. 24th 2003. I have never had to empty the cup. I have checked all the connections, pump, adjusted the air valve, ect. Should I be more patient or get rid of it?

 

[gregvabch]

if it's been running since december and has not produced yet, then something is wrong. do you have the instruction manuel? i had one of those skimmers a while ago, so i can't remember how much air you're supposed to be injecting, but before you give up on it i would tinker with it some more. call the company and ask them what they would recommend. i can tell you that i got rid of mine though. some people like them, i wasn't impressed with mine, and it was "working".

 

[lkpatterson]

Thanks for the reply. I'll call their customer service number today. Thanks

 

[lkpatterson]

no luck with the customer service dept. out to lunch all day today.

 

[saltwaterdave]

You need to lower the tube inside that hunk of junk. The small one.They are a pain to get out but wiggle it around and get it out and cut it down a few inches.If I remember right I cut my down to about a 6" height from I think they are around 11 or 12" high.After you do that drill a hole through the top of it and add a air stone to it with a good high powered air pump then she should work a little better.These skimmers are ok on a 30 gallon tank I would'nt use them on anything bigger.This is a paste from where I got the information from.From what I understand this ONLY WORKS ON THE OLDER SEACLONES not the newer ones.
Introduction
The Seaclone is not that bad of a skimmer. Considering its price and power consumption it is one of the better low-end models. Many reefers say it is useless and doesn't skim (if at all) as much as their Turboflotor,etc but that's like comparing apples to oranges. This is an unfair comparison since the Seaclone only uses a Maxi-Jet 1000 for both water flow and bubble generation and is about 1/4 the cost.
If you are reading this then you probably have a Seaclone already. So I won't elaborate on its description or the nature of its design (counter current). In an effort to avoid any confusion the terminology used in this write-up is as follows. The inner tube is the 1" diameter riser at the centre of the skimmer. The intermediate tube is the 2-3/4" +/- diameter tube that separates the reaction chamber from the outflow channel.
The Basic Tasks of Modification
There are three basic tasks that can individually enhance a Seaclone's performance.
1) Replace the stock air flow adjustment end cap and replace with a air adjustment valve.
2) Reduce the inner most riser tube's length to approximately 2-1/2" to 3" in length.
This can be accomplished by pulling out the inner tube with a pair of needle nose pliers after you have gently rock the tube back and forth with your fingers. It should come loose without breaking. Take your time with this task because if you do break the inner tube you will have a very tough time clearing the base of broken acrylic. Unless you have very small hands that can fit in the skimmer.
3) Seal the base of the collection cup to the top of the intermediate tube. The simplest method I came up with is by cutting an O-ring out of a sheet of compressible non-porous foam. The best type of material is similar to the large foam O-rings you find from an old Magnum canister filter. This should give you an idea of what is needed. I trimmed the tip off a foam gasket that is normally used to seal a reservoir tank to a toilet.
The Purpose of Each Task
1) The air flow adjustment endcap that the Seaclone comes with is the item that frustrates many hobbyists. It is not meant to be used the way it needs to be and is obviously a cost saving measure by the manufacturer. Opened too wide the Maxi-Jet generates too much bubbles and inadequate flowrate. There is also a point where too much air will decrease the suction of the water pump hence reducing both the water flow rate and bubble generation to nearly zero. Don't open the cap enough and the water flow becomes too high and flushes the bubbles down to the outflow channel and into your display tank. Hence a good air adjustment valve is needed to control the bubble generation and water flow rate.
2) Reaction time is one of the main factors in protein skimming and the stock Seaclone has very little of this. The inner tube extends too high and is too narrow in diameter offering very little bubble and water mixing and contact time. Cutting this inner tube down in length effectively utililizes the volume of the intermediate tube as a reaction chamber. The intermediate tube has a much larger diameter hence cross sectional area and inversely the flow rate. The flow of water through the reaction chamber is greatly reduced, allowing for a greater contact time.
The Modified SeaClone in action:
In operation
Collection cup
3) A portion of the air from the bubble generation does not exit the skimmer via the foam collection cup. Sealing the base of the cup to the top flange of the intermediate tube forces all the air to flow through the cup. This increased air flow helps push the foam up to be collected.
Another Modification Worth Considering
4) Reduce the height of the riser tube in the collection cup. The skimmate that the Seaclone generates is quite dark when compared to that produced by high-end skimmers. The main reason for this is the difference in height between the water column/foam interface and the top of the skimmate overflow tube in the collection cup. This distance is far too much for the foam to travel for this low power skimmer. The Maxi-Jet simply doesn't generate enough foam and air to blow the skimmate up such a tall dry column. I haven't figured out a way to cut this inner tube with minimal effort. The only solution is with the use of a hand held rotary tool (Dremel) but this may generate too much heat and bind the blade as the acrylic melts. The quality of the cut is also questionable since there is no guide available to make such a cut.
The Results
I have claimed this modification to be worthwhile based on a comparison of my current observation of the modified Seaclone's performance and that of the stock Seaclone from my recollection. I really don't have any prove that the modifications work. Fortunately (and many thanks to) Larry has acquired two Seaclone skimmers and is currently putting them to the test. He is running a modified and a stock Seaclone simultaneously on one of his reef tanks. His initial response has been good but the final verdict has yet to be given.
Clint Y.