How do you know if you have your protien skimmer set right

I bought a sea clone 100 and of course the instructions are written in Sanscrit. how much air flow should I set it at to collect the most protien?

Well...Seaclones are pretty much the crap level of skimmer. most of them work best placed in the garbage and replaced by something better. There's about a million tricks out there that are supposed to improve their output but I've only heard of a couple that actually did a decent job, not a great one but ok. If you search google you can probably find instrucions for it online, I used to have one way back but never got it to work so I threw it away after reading some reviews on it. It will need to break in so normally you get a couple weeks of low production anyways, then it's fiddling with the air to find what works best in your tank. Small adjustments.

GoingPostal wrote:Well...Seaclones are pretty much the crap level of skimmer. most of them work best placed in the garbage and replaced by something better. There's about a million tricks out there that are supposed to improve their output but I've only heard of a couple that actually did a decent job, not a great one but ok. If you search google you can probably find instrucions for it online, I used to have one way back but never got it to work so I threw it away after reading some reviews on it. It will need to break in so normally you get a couple weeks of low production anyways, then it's fiddling with the air to find what works best in your tank. Small adjustments.

+1 with the google for mods for that skimmer. Its not the best skimmer out there but mods will help intill you can replace it. What size tank do you have? and do you have a sump?

I have a 55 gal long with no sump...that is going to be my next project.

get rid of it I just replaced mie I have been having water problems for a wile now, I just upgraded to a aquamedic 1000 with in 2 day my water is crystal clear

MSX 200 here Baby....

Okay I will bite... I have a small Oceanic Skimmer that has a bit of skimmate morning and more in the evening. I have diddled the air and it does not seem to change the out put. I try to change the air stone (wood) monthly and I think I am okay. But again with the original question. How do you know you have it adjusted correctly and should I also adjust mine to the trash can? My water is sparkling clear, but I have algae growth which means I must have nitrates correct? I will ask that question on a new thread and leave this discussion to skimmers.

Adjustment is going to be different for each different skimmer out there. There are some main areas though that you can control. Those are:
1. Water level in the sump where the skimmer sits (use a PVC/Eggcrate stand if the skimmer is sitting too deep in the water)
2. Water level inside the skimer (gate valve is more exact but the wedge pipes are ok)
3. Air flow (more is usualy better)

Al the different settings are dependent on the skimer. Check to see what others have done with the same skimmer for best performance.

FYI I have to tinker with my MSX160 meshwheel all the time so tuning isn't a set it and forget it on some models..