cbrownfish
New Member
Contrary to all of the prior advice, we purchased a Sea Clone 100 Protein Skimmer (Sea Clown, affectionately)for my 30 Gal Cube aquarium. Initially, we had a heck of a time adjusting it so it would produce skimmate. We heard everything from "Your tank is too new, it may not have a big Bio load" to "the new skimmer takes time to break in" to 20 different/complex modifications that would help out. After reading the instructions :zipped , changing out the stock air valve and trying every setting possible, we got it to work and work very well. It does seem that we need to reset it whenever we empty the cup, so admittedly, this is not the most user friendly product. However, it does work for small applications. I would not recommend it for a 100+ gallon tank but it would work great for most applications ranging from 30-60 gallons!
Here is the trick:
1. First, to provide a more consistent air flow, change the stock valve for a standard air line valve. Once you install it, start the skimmer and open the valve all the way.
2. You will notice that the high air flow creates a bubble at the top of the J Tube, between the powerhead and the vertical drop. Begin to decrease the air flow VERY SLOWLY, with teeny tiny adjustments.
3. Continue the minor tweaks until the bubble releases and goes over the top, down toward the skimmer. Don't do anything further, as long as the bubble is no longer showing at the top of the J tube.
4. If you do another adjustment at this time (even a tiny one), you will not produce any skimmate. If you don't see bubbles forming in the tube within 30 minutes, start the process over again.
5. As one final modification due to undesired micro bubbles, I used a piece of a blue/white filter pad. I folded it in half and slid it over the return slide.....I also attached the pad to itself, at the top, forming the pouch.
The result is a very effective and micro bubble free device. My water now smells great and everything is thriving!
Here is the trick:
1. First, to provide a more consistent air flow, change the stock valve for a standard air line valve. Once you install it, start the skimmer and open the valve all the way.
2. You will notice that the high air flow creates a bubble at the top of the J Tube, between the powerhead and the vertical drop. Begin to decrease the air flow VERY SLOWLY, with teeny tiny adjustments.
3. Continue the minor tweaks until the bubble releases and goes over the top, down toward the skimmer. Don't do anything further, as long as the bubble is no longer showing at the top of the J tube.
4. If you do another adjustment at this time (even a tiny one), you will not produce any skimmate. If you don't see bubbles forming in the tube within 30 minutes, start the process over again.
5. As one final modification due to undesired micro bubbles, I used a piece of a blue/white filter pad. I folded it in half and slid it over the return slide.....I also attached the pad to itself, at the top, forming the pouch.
The result is a very effective and micro bubble free device. My water now smells great and everything is thriving!