Sharkey Posted January 8, 2006 Report Share Posted January 8, 2006 well I have a redsea Berlin protein skimmer it a standard model that I run with a via Aqua 2500 L Pump. I have been happy withs it performance but after looking at the newer skimmers felt they were out performing it. But its doing a good job I have a low load and just cant justify spending the money on a new skimmer. (Because I want a bigger tank ) I felt it could be improved. So I did a bit of reading and come up with a plan. The biggest problem I had running a small pump was the waste collected would stay at the base of the neck. So I would have to clean with a tooth brush to reach down there and it was hard to clean. First I wanted to put gate valves on it so I could adjust the height of the water flow in the neck. I could have gone with ball valves that would have been a big mistake. With the gate valves you can adjust to perfection its amazing how much of a difference a small turn makes. It would be to hard with ball valves And secondly I wanted more bubbles. To achieve this I run a air pump on the intake. I only have a small bio Load in the tank and I thought that the skimmer was pulling the maximum amount out. But the mods have doubled the output I'm sure you could do the same Mods on other skimmers. Hope this helps some of you like it has helped me Part List Hose clear 23mm 71 cents Later Nut & Tail 25mm* 25mm BSP $4.40c 25mm*15mm Threaded Reducing Bush $3.10 Plastic Angle Seat valve 15mm $37.90 Ratchet clips 25mm (Plastic type) $1.60 Total 53.67 Inc GST (Money well spent) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 8, 2006 Report Share Posted January 8, 2006 foamtastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 its just a matter of faith with the old berlin, great job Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Any chance of a clearer pic or drawing? I have a couple of berlins as well, have you played with the venturi yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Oh and how many litres is your tank? I have 1 running on a system a little under 400l, and one in my new 800l system, was thinking about running them both in the new system. Have a 7000lph pump running the one in the 800l system now was going to have a go at connecting both to the same pump. The other currently has a 3500lph pump but its getting a bit tired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Hi Suphew I pulled the whole thing apart and cleaned it with white vinager. I want to replace the valve I think it could run better. I got the skimmer secound hand. One thing that I like about it is with the air pump on the infeed it still has small sized bubbles just more of them. 8) Cookie has one and he swears the larger pump makes it go well and looking at his tank he will get no arguments its amazing and large I think his pump is around 5000L/Hour? (Is that right Cookie/)My tanks 360 Liters / 95 Gallons That includes sump volume. I will get a clearer picture for you. I had my heater and a bag of rowaphos near the out feed. So I will tidy it up and take another tonight. I know there are reefers that run two linked inline with each other the first wet and second dry. And they swear by it. But I would prefer one skimmer with a low running cost for me its the power bill that's the killer Cost saving without compromising my coral and fishes well being.Thats my first priority. Are you thinking of running them inline with each other or as two stand alone units?Theres some great information here. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... did=723744 I see they split the thread theres alot of good information in the early part of the thread but still a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 lol, both mine are secondhand, I think people use pumps that are to small and don't think they work. I have compared my output to pies and %skimmate vs water volume I reckon they output about the same amount. not that this really means much but is interesting. I clean mine in vinager every 9 months or so, and a good clean every few months (just to clear the build up from the air inlet and check the venturi isn't getting blocked). I haven't tried using an air pump yet, I don't really have problems with the amount of air, I have put air valves on the air in takes and have to turn the air down some times. I hadn't really considered running the two inline, it would be a pain to set up cause of the way the output comes out the same side as the input, I would have to put 300mm of plumbing on the output to get it into another chamber plus would have to run two pumps. I was going to build a manifold and try running both skimmers of the same pump, if the pump has enough grunt. That post is a monster, do they talk about berlin mods etc at all? I only read a couple of pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey Posted January 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 Not so much on the berlins but more of a skimmers in general. They really are a good skimmer. I do find ive been tinkering with it getting the flow right but I put a lot of it down to the Big clean. It will be interesting to see how it settles after a couple of days. I think getting the water directly from the over flow has also helped. I've noticed nuisance algae on the wall of the tank slowly disappearing. I've been cleaning the neck /. Cup every day. It really has been a big improvement. Keep us posted with which way you go it will be very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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