SeaClone 100

[amphitrite]

So I thought I was getting a great deal on a brand new SeaClone 100 for my fish and reef 72 gal tank. It was only $50 to get past the question of why I choose this skimmer.

I set it up to hang off the back because I am not sure how to use it in the sump of my wet/dry filter or even it there is enough room in there. My questions:
1. There are a bunch of microbubbles pouring into the tank. Is this normal?
2. How do I know when I have the right amount of air inflow?
3. Is there a difference in performance for HOB vs in sump?
Thanks!

 

[valgae]

close ur air valve all the way for about one minute then gradually open it till u get good flow w min air in the tube. is it new/used? it might need adjusting till broken in. imo u should have saved ur money and gone w an aqua c urchin 1200. good luck.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by Amphitrite
http:///forum/post/2564035
So I thought I was getting a great deal on a brand new SeaClone 100 for my fish and reef 72 gal tank. It was only $50 to get past the question of why I choose this skimmer.

I set it up to hang off the back because I am not sure how to use it in the sump of my wet/dry filter or even it there is enough room in there. My questions:
1. There are a bunch of microbubbles pouring into the tank. Is this normal?
2. How do I know when I have the right amount of air inflow?
3. Is there a difference in performance for HOB vs in sump?
Thanks!
Great deal on a seaclone.....isnt that an oxymoron?

I had one of these, I tried all the mods I fopund, I tuned it in, then tuned it in then tuned it in .....you get the idea. The thing will allways dump bubbles, you cab try to put a sponge at the end of the drain on it to collect them. It will allways be inconsistant at skimming, and even when it does skim it doesnt do it very well.... Good luck.

 

[amphitrite]

How long does it take to break in? It was never used before. Is any amount of little bubbles ok in a tank?

 

[nordy]

When properly setup and broken in, the Seaclone should have minimal to zero microbubbles in the outflow. Ideally, you don't want any of the microbubbles in the tank, but a little bit of them won't create a problem.
On adjusting the air bleed

[hr]
, per manufacturers instructions and my personal experience, add air to the powerhead until you see the large bubble in the top of the intake tube, then slowly close the valve just until that large bubble goes away. This will insure that you get the maximum amount of air for good foaming and effective skimming, while also allowing enough water into the reaction chamber.
Other things to watch for-keep the foam filter clean for proper operation. Depending on your tank and it's individual conditions, that might mean a couple of times a week or a couple of times a month. You should also take it apart once in awhile and thoroughly clean the reaction chamber and the intake tubes. The twist connectors on the intake tube can leak-if they do clean and dry them and apply some silicone sealant to the joints before reassembling and they will never leak again.
I have run a Seaclone 150 for a couple of years and while it can be finicky to adjust and does require maintenance, mine consistently produces a large amount of very concentrated skimmate. My corals and my fish seem very happy.

 

[amphitrite]

Thanks Nordy! I just did the adjustment and your instruction was great. How do you suggest attaching a piece of sponge to the plastic part the the water drains into my tank from? Will this back up the water flow and cause overflow anywhere?

 

[nordy]

I haven't done that to my Seaclone. Personally, I would hesitate to do that due to the possibility of it backing up but maybe a rubberband over the sponge would work making sure that if it did back up that it would still have room to drain into the tank and not onto the floor.

 

[ecooper]

I've had my seaclone for about 6 months. I hated it at first, but after breaking in, the bubbles are gone and it seems to be doing a fairly decent job of skimming now. I did add a better air valve.

 

[wade163]

i didnt read all of the post...but I have this skimmer as well...and had the bubbles that you were talking about. but they went away after a few days. I got it back in Feb or Jan...i dont remember...but my biggest problem now is that I cant get it to collect that much "stuff" in the cup....I like it other than that!

 

[jaymz]

I had one for about 3 month.. at first it was doing fantastic super thick stinky skimate. then all of a sudden it quit skimming all together and just was a bubble machine. So, i returned it and got a coralife super skimmer, still some bubble issues, but skims 100 times better.

 

[earnit33]

Open air valve a little more so there is not so much water current,I found that it worked for me and it skims ok for me!

 

[tdog7879]

I have a seaclone...that i got about 2 months ago (2008). I was very disapointed at first till i did my mods.
All i did was cut the collection cup about 1/2 inch
add a lime air stone and a new adjustable air vaule
You have to adjust the air vaule to the seaclone to about 1/8 of a inch open
then adjust the air line to the limestone to about the same 1/8 inch open.
My sealone produces about a half a cup a day!
In about 2 days the airline inside the cup for the air stone is cover with black tar like goo.
So you don't get the blackstuff in the cup only brown/dark green . But the black sludge has cover the airline.

 

[nordy]

Originally Posted by tdog7879
http:///forum/post/2603305
I have a seaclone...that i got about 2 months ago (2008). I was very disapointed at first till i did my mods.
All i did was cut the collection cup about 1/2 inch
add a lime air stone and a new adjustable air vaule
You have to adjust the air vaule to the seaclone to about 1/8 of a inch open
then adjust the air line to the limestone to about the same 1/8 inch open.
My sealone produces about a half a cup a day!
In about 2 days the airline inside the cup for the air stone is cover with black tar like goo.
So you don't get the blackstuff in the cup only brown/dark green . But the black sludge has cover the airline.
Trying to get my head around your mods-what part of the collection cup did you cut? the bottom where it fits into the reaction chamber? Also just where did you put the airstone and air line? right down the center of the collection cup? Any chance of posting a pic?

 

[kaingers]

I have had a seaclone 100 for over 2 months (purchased used), was working very poorly until I cleaned it out and turned the powerhead over. This might be difficult to imagine, but after I did that maintenance it skimmed five times better. I have since changed tanks, and it seems to be working poorly again. I will try the technique Nordy recommend and see how that works.

 

[tdog7879]

Nordy....... I cut inside with the collection cup...Shorten where the foam comes up .
I drilled a small hole in the center of the black cap....this is where i installed the airline tube (nice tight fit) ..... then i put the airstone on the airline and push it through the center of the foam collecter. About 6 inches of airline.
Note: airstone is running on a stellar air pump!
I will try to post pic. let me no if this helps you!

 

[wattsupdoc]

Adding an air stone to a skimmer may be effective, but why not just buy a skimmer that uses air stones. It's not an efficient mod. A better skimmer will still out skim it. The point I was trying to make is that for 100 bucks you can get a seaclone, for 129 you can get an octopus. Once you have had a real skimmer you will then understand why the seaclone is just a toy in comparison. It skims, inconsistently, the bubbles went away after a few days because it is producing less of them. The air stones need to be replaced adding to the cost of operating it.