Seaclone Skimmer & Micro Bubbles

[luckycharm]

I've got a seaclone skimmer on my 20G tank. Its creating all kinds of microbubbles in my tank. I originally thought it was the skimmer itself but when I turned the lights out I noticed the bubbles are mainly coming from the maxi-jet that is part of the skimmer unit. It looks like the bubbles are coming out from the seam of the maxi-jet's casing...if that makes any sense?? I'd really like to minimize these bubbles if it's possible. My tank is so full of bubbles it looks like its full of pop instead of water! Anybody know if I can fix this problem?

[LoneWolf345]

I have the same problem with my mine. I dont think that it comes from the casing though. What I do to fix the problem is to turn down the amount of air entering the skimmer. The skimmer maintains its efficiency and it reduces the micro bubbles dramatically.

[luckycharm]

Thanks very much for the reply! I'm going to try your suggestion and see if adjusting the air valve will help the bubble level at all. *Fingers crossed*

[Big B]

Seaclones are notorious for this. This should be an item on your upgrade list.

[fishfanactic23]

What would be an upgrade? I have the same skimmer and the same problem, but I also have had it shut off for about a month now and it still hasn't gotten rid of the bubbles. Any other ideas?

[Samper]

The fact that you have the same skimmer with the same problem could be an indicator. A lot of reefers have fallen into the Seaclone trap... myself included. Do a search here and you may be surprised what others have to say about them.

[Bryant]

I've heard that putting a mechanical filter pad at the output of the skimmer greatly reduces the microbubbles. The hard part may be packing in the pad without backing up the output water.

Try that out and tell me how it works ... I don't have the problem, but i've read about it and heard that that might work.

[Bryant]

It looks like the bubbles are coming out from the seam of the maxi-jet's casing...if that makes any sense??

OH sorry, I misread that. Not sure if the filter pad method will work, but you can try. My bet is that the air doesn't go directly to the output of the maxijet. Maybe some epoxy on the seam that is leaky would help?