why does everyone hate this skimmer???

[king_nothing_]

I got a seaclone 75 from my LFS and as soon as I got it, I started noticing that everyone has NOTHING good to say about it, and most people say stuff like "dont waste your money on that mediocre at BEST product".
WHY?
I set it up, and I'll admit, it was hard to adjust to get the water level right in the skimmer because I have a pretty high level in my sump. I'm ASSSUMING this is where everyone gives up, stops thinking for themselves, and lables the skimmer as "trash" for being impossible to set the water level in the skimmer low enough to actually do it's job instead of just pouring water into the collection cup.
All you have to do is set the skimmer on top of somethign in the water......
Problem solved. I got a flat rock about 3 inches thick, rinsed it off, sat it in the corner of the sump, sat the skimmer on top of it.....and what do ya know....water level is right at the line. so I let it run overnight, and this morning I woke up with about half an inch of syrupy-brown gunk that it's already started removing. I've heard a million times that it takes skimmers a couple days to start working or even as much as a week or whatever....I had it working in 9 hours.
So why do people not like this thing? It can't be because it "breaks" because the only thing on it that can mess up at ALL is the pump, the rest is just non-moving plastic parts. And you can replace the pump for like 20 bucks. So whats so bad about this skimmer? It seems to me like its perfect.

 

[apos]

Once you get a better skimmer, you'll know. Seaclones are the least efficient type of design (not counting the old airstone skimmers), and they generally work sort of on and off rather than being hard core all the time. They are notoriously finicky about having to adjust the air and level so they are just right (and that ideal level will change).
Now, don't get me wrong: I have a SeaClone. But only because I got my system second hand and can't afford to upgrade yet.

 

[king_nothing_]

I could be wrong, but I don't think i CAN adjust my air level.....the only thing I can adjust is the water level inside the reaction chamber by raising or lowering the PVC pipe that the water cycles out of.
There is a little tube that comes up with a little head thing on the end that lets it take in air, but it doesn't twist or come off or anything that I know of, and it didn't say anything in the instructions about it, I don't think.
After I posted my thread, i read some more peoples complaints in this forum, and realized that 95% of them sounded like they were complaining about hang on skimmers by seaclone. Mine sits in my sump. I couldn't find a single person that said or implied that theirs was an in-sump skimmer. Just hang ons. *shrugs* I should have read that before i posted my thread, but whatever

 

[wattsupdoc]

I dont think that you have a seaclone.

I had one, It could be either in sump or hang on. But there was no level riser on it...at all. If yours has that, and IS a seaclone, I wanna see a pic of it, cause they,ve changed the design recently. Only the little spill over lip.Leaving you only with being able to adjust the level by playing with the air intake. The little black thing on the airline with the top that turns. I did all the mods on it, and it did skim pretty well in sump....when it skimmed. Which wasnt very often. Really for the price, you can get a pretty dang good skimmer for just a lil more cash. I mean, the octopuss skimmers are more than twice, heck, probably 10x the skimmer for twice the price. Do the math.
Is this your skimmer?

 

[apos]

Yeah Seaclones can be hang on or in sump, they have this J tube attachment thingie. Mine does at least.
Get a better air intake valve that DOES allow you to adjust it.

 

[zman1]

Originally Posted by king_nothing_
http:///forum/post/2477911
So whats so bad about this skimmer? It seems to me like its perfect.

Originally Posted by Apos
http:///forum/post/2478178
Once you get a better skimmer, you'll know.
Ditto - I am not one that likes to spend a lot of money for an item. However, there are things, you get what you pay for, and one is skimmers. This doctrine has cost me more money down the road, a few times. I have a seaclone and ASM skimmer, no comparison in both performance and unfortunately price...