The dreaded seaclone skimmer

[trido]

So my wife would have killed me if i ha bought the CPR back pack for the extra 40 bucks. Im stuck with the S.C. My question is the micro bubbles.
I dont seem to have any problems at all creating enough bubbles. Even with the air valve all the way open it seems to have to much pump and the bubbles are pumped right into the tank. Ive read about skimmer break in here in the forums a few times. Is this a new or clean skimmer symptom? Any way i cant see cutting down the inner tube as an option out of fear of breaking it, its glued in. Read about mod. any suggetstions?

 

[MelanieF]

I have one and both when it was new and anytime I clean it I have to adjust the air flow to avoid the bubbles in the tank. I adjust it so that the bubbles are only in the top half of the cylinder by allowing more air in than water and I still get a pretty nasty buildup of gunk in the collection cup. Once it has developed the film on the inside of all cleaned parts I usually have to adjust it again, and once in a while the air hose gets a salt buildup on the inside where it's below water level and have to adjust once again. Oh and anytime I feed I have to adjust once again...

IMHO it's a real PITA but not enough of one for me to go spend extra $$ to upgrade at this point. I kinda like being constantly involved w/ the tank as it prompts me to take a good look at everything on a regular basis.

 

[MelanieF]

Also, an FYI...

The O rings on the two connections seem to warp after about a year for me so I buy two O ring packages for like 97 cents at Walmart. Have to buy two as they don't include two of the same size in 1 package... but the other sizes come in handy for plumbing issues around the house.

 

[trido]

thanks..... i read some DYI mods and used some filter mesh in the output.it seems to do the trick also

 

[trido]

Does your skimmer physically foam the bubble over the top of the tube?

 

[MelanieF]

Does your skimmer physically foam the bubble over the top of the tube?

It does physically foam over the top of the tube into the collection cup but it always needs to gradually get there after cleaning. I'm assuming it's because I scrub off the film layer on the inside and the freshly cleaned plastic pops the bubbles until another film layer gets built up... next time I'm going to try just emptying the cup instead of cleaning it all out.

 

[monhall]

I gave up after a few days of trying with the seaclone. Too many bubbles. I was not able to get rid of them, so I went with a Berlin. Works much better....more than twice the price though.

 

[KookyNewky]

I cut the outside connector off of the main body's feeding tube after replacing those rings like 5 times. I now have a hose siliconed in place from the base of the skimmer to the bottom of the U shaped joint on the outside of the tank. I do not get leaks anymore.

If I have the air intake set to nearly full open without choking the flow tube out I get mininmal amounts of the micro bubbles usually. Another variable is how deep the air intake is in relation to the waterline.