seaclone worth my time??

[northerncal]

hi all im new on this site. i currently have a 55ga fish only tank. im running it on just a wet dry and it is doing very well. so here is my question. i bought a 135 not long ago for a good price and the guy who sold it threw in a seaclone skimmer. do you think it would help out on my 55g or is it a waste of time (i havent heard many good things about them!). i mean i dont have a skimmer on the tank, so im thinking that it couldnt hurt. it is really dirty though and i dont know how to clean it. i cant find any brushes small enough to get into the outer chamber. if anyone has one, let me know how you clean it (doesnt seem to come apart to give me access). ok thanks for the help and im stoked to be a part of this site.


ps a little more about my tank....like i said 55g, i have 4 green chromis, 2 percula clowns, 1 blue damsel, 1 4 stripe damsel (they get along fine) and a lm blenny. i also have a spider decorator crab, a cbs and a cc starfish.

[Mariner]

Any skimming is better than no skimming, IMO.
I have a Seaclone 100 that I got used for $15, and it has actually worked pretty well, sitting in the sump of my 40g. Produces about 3/4 cup of skimmate per week. I believe these skimmers do work better if you put them in a sump, rather than running them HOB.
As far as cleaning it goes, there is a rubber gasket at the top between the outer chamber that you have to remove to get the inner piece out.
Here's a pic of mine in operation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/stevexpnt/40g/40skimmer.jpg
HTH,
Mariner

[Vacter]

In a word NO. There are so many better (low end) skimmers out there. Just go Ebay'n or better yet check out the sellers forum here and you might just find a higher end skimmer at a great price.

[alphaferret]

if ya have it - give it a try- they are not the best- yet some people get good results from them-&
[welcome]

[Dolfan]

I agree with alphaferret, not the best but you can get some skimmate with them. On a budget I ran one for several years, made a couploe mod and it worked even better. I've upgraded but didn't throw it out. I might want it on a nano or quarentine tank.

The price is right since it's free to you, give it a go.

[alphaferret]

someone told me that you can cut down the tube that the skimmate come sup thru down abit- how do you do that- what other mods are there-
i recently just put a new ph on mine and it works great again

[Psionicdragon]

Bio Ball Modification
Reliable Valve on your air pipe
Sump use of the Seaclone with water pretty high
Something to clog the flow to adjust the level of water level, you can get wet skimming.

[Psionicdragon]

Coralife's skimmer is cheap and seems to be getting good reviews.

[alphaferret]

i have 2 and 3 going what is 1 and 4 -4 especially

[northerncal]

ok thanks a lot for all the help y'all. Hey Mariner, you said that you have to unscrew one of the black caps to get the middle tube out rigtht?!? i tried to unscrew each of those black caps and they all seem to be in place. if you could let me know which one or how to unscrew it (maybe i cold see it in the pic you had) that would be awesome. cuz the main reason i was questioning whether or not to run it was because it is so dirty, if i can get that center tube out i would have access to cleaning it better. Also, i have heard a lot about mods for the seaclone, but never any details on how to do them, could you let me know what those 4 mods are and what they help and how to do them. thanks again, i really appreciate all of your opinions and help, this site is AWESOME so far:)

[dbates]

i have a seaclone running right now that i have had for a while. the best thing to do is put it in a sump, use ro/di water and not amquel or any of that stuff, becuase it somehow interferes with the skimming, and for very good results, drill a hole in the top of the collection cup cover, and drop a limewood airstone down into the chamber and pump some good microbubbles into it, then it really gets out the gunk.
good luck

[Mariner]

No, no... don't try to unscrew it, it's glued solid!
There is a rubber 0-ring or gasket that fits inside of the black part at the top of the outer chamber (it's a lot like the 0-rings in the guts of your kitchen faucet). You can get your fingernail under it and pull it out, then the inner chamber can come out freely and you can clean both.
Hope this makes sense.
Maybe somebody else can 'splain it more better. :rolleyes:
Mariner

[northerncal]

perfectly said mariner! i got it out and now my skimmer is clean and ready to go. i think i will start it up when i wake up tommorow. i will also try that airstone idea, sounds like a great way to get more out of it. ok thanks so much for all the advice, i will let you all know how my skimmer works out for me. if anyone has any other mods they can explain that makes them run better, let me know. thanks all:rollface: