Pprotien skimmer "break in"???

Sea Clone 100 skimmer -

I have had this skimmer up-and-running for about 18 hours and have yet to see any foam in the waste cup, or any area of the skimmer for that matter. If I remove the air control stem, i get the desired foam, yet the manual says nothing about removing the "valve/stem" to create desired affect.

The manual does mention that as a possible cause of no foam is the fact that there is a possible "breaking in period", or a bio-load issue....this tank is cycled, has maintained fish, lr, and anemones for more than 60 days, which was on the safe side...

"Breaking in period" or remove the air control valve????????? Breaking in period to create foam..which is created via filter design seems like rubbish to me...am I crazy?

 

it is mounted as a hang-on, not in-sump...thanks 4 any help

 

used a sea clone myself some years ago
you dont want to remove that plastic air control valve totally - (they may have changed since I had one, but they used to have a plastic adaptor on the end of the air line and this had a foam piece inside?) you open it slightly to change the amount of air that gets in, and create wetter or drier foam as a result (more air more bubbles = wetter foam as I remember it)

they do take a few days to break in sometimes, they have oils , residue on the plastic and this takes a while to clean off (Its safe so dont worry) and these residues can prevent foam building up

if your skimmer chamber is milky white, full of small bubbles - I think your OK and it will start producing in time (How much time ?, well that varies to a degree)


Steve

 

Thanks Steve, this question does not seem to elicit many responses...!

 

Cannot see any foam inside the adaptor/valve, but your input is much appreciated....your description seemps to be right on...I'll give it a few days and see what happens.

 

not many sea clone users on the site, from what I can gather
they are not the most efficient models available but a member here R Horton
modified his - see link below

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/how-mod-sea-clone-55998.html

I dont believe he is on site at present otherwise I am sure he would have offered some guidance ( Im working from memory on what I said above)

Steve

 

Only because I just now saw it or would have answered it sooner

It can take anywhere from 1 day to a month to break in a skimmer. Depending on size of the skimmer, manufacturing procedures, to the method used to break it in.

Take a 5 gallon salt bucket and fill it about half full of saltwater. Sit the skimmer in the bottom of the bucket and adjust it so that its actually flowing water into the collection cup and overflowing back into the bucket. Let it run like that for a day. Then start adjusting it back down to where its just barely reaching the cup. Let it run another day. Then clean the unit on the outside (mostly dry it off), then hang it back on the tank. Then you can start trying to adjust the skimmate level with the air. Start out wherever it needs to be in order to produce foam and skimmate, then as it breaks in you will have to adjust it down to get the skimmate right.

Mostly, its just a patience and waiting game. It takes a few days or so to break it in. Until it breaks in, adjust it to break in, not to produce foam. Getting it broken in is the key right now, not producing skimmate.

 

foam - it was not foam as in water foam - it was a small block of dry sponge type foam, and was there to filter out impurities from the air - but as I said, that was what they where like maybe 12 - 13 years ago, they may not be like that anymore

Steve

 

thanks again, Steve...I figured you meant a sponge/cartridge, I can't see it in there, but with your input and the others, I realize that I may have forgotten the cardinal rule...PATIENCE! Thanks a lot, Nick

 

Yes, patience is the key. The only thing that comes fast in a reef tank is disaster..