No Skimmate

[seagem]

I have a 20H AGA wannabe reef tank. I have about 15# of live rock with lots of pods and two small maroon clowns. I also have five hermit crabs, two tiger snails, and just purchased a colony of zoas from an LFS last Sunday. I have a Seaclone 100 that I ran on the tank for a couple of days. I turned it off today because it was h&!!a noisy and it was not producing anything except for lots of fine bubbles. Does this mean that my nutrient level in the tank is low or close to nil? I know that the Seaclone has been dissed as one of those P.O.S. (point of sale? :lol skimmers. I think of myself as an overfeeder so for the skimmer to produce no skimmate is puzzling to me. There is foam but there is not enough to overflow into the collection cup. The cup remains dry..... I don't want to turn the skimmer on again - it's a dadgum noise factory - but now that I am starting to acquire some corals, I would like to keep the water quality good without resorting to a crazy water change routine. Any suggestions on a nano skimmer? I am upgrading to a 40 breeder as soon an I get a stand for it. Waiting for an anniversary sale at an LFS this April to acquire one, and maybe some other equipment. Thanks for the help!

 

[ac7av]

Im sure others will chime in but if it is noise there is something wrong with it or something is not set up correctly with it. What is the noise is it a motor noise like something in the pump or is a sucking noise like the air going into the unit?
After only 2 days of operation you ma not get any waist in the cup. Some skimmer say they can take up to a week to start producing anything at all.

 

[seagem]

Up to a week! Whoa! I can't listen to this skimmer anymore! I'm sure you're familiar with how these seaclowns are set up! The tube that goes up from the MJ 1200 over the back of the tank to the bottom of the skimmer is not completely full. There is a section that is almost void of water and I think that this is the source of the noise - a slurping, vibrating kind of noise. Is going without a skimmer an option? I would rather skim than do more frequent WCs.... I will consider getting a new-to-me skimmer that would work better. I CAN"T STAND THE NOISE OF THE SKIMMER anymore!

 

[seagem]

a sucking noise like the air going into the unit?

It is exactly this!

 

[ac7av]

I am not familiar with your skimmer but I had a guy over the house the other day saying the same thing and I think it was the same brand you have. Turned out the vent tube was not connected to the correct connection or something to do with where and how the tube is connected. Is there more then one connections or an adjustment to the amount of air you can inject into that skimmer?

 

[baseballkid5]

Get a Valve for the Air tube and adjust it should calm the noise down the valve it comes with is a pos. That might help I had one on a 20 gallon Reef for 4 months it did better than nothing. But definetly upgrade it if possible.

 

[dailydriven911]

Please just buy a new skimmer

 

[seagem]

There is a vinyl airline tube with an air intake adjuster. I have it turned all the way closed or as closed as I can get it but the air bubbles are just ridiculous! There is a tornado in the chamber! I used to be able to make the tornado bigger or smaller but now it is a one size fits all funnel! :evil: I think I seriously need to get a different PS. It will be a while, though. I first need to get a better light for my zoas. Or are my priorities wrong?

 

[seagem]

Please just buy a new skimmer

What would you recommend?

 

[Skimmy]

yep, sea clown is a total crap skimmer. any way you slice it, even if you mesh modded the pump, the body design is crap...

for a 20g reef,
for cheap, a mesh modded back pack would be decent,
but the skimmer of choice for that size would be a Warner Marine H1,
they are releasing a newer version of this skimmer in a month.
imo, probably the best designed hob skimmer for 20g.