Red Sea Classic adjustment

[Birdlady]

I have the Red Sea Berlin Classic Hang on skimmer. Tricked out (I like that phrase ) with a Mag 9.5 (or 950 gallons per hour) no problems with too much flow, it just goes through. I get lots of gunk. If I open the venturi line all the way, I do get overflow water. 0 ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 0 phospates

Oh, and it is VERY quiet. I can hear the air going through the skimmer more so than the pump. It is in my living room.

I have an auto top off in my sump hooked directly to my RO/DI unit.

I copied Da-Colts ' setup. He likes his too!

[Birdlady]

Oh yeah, the original question.

I do have a ball valve in between the pump and the skimmer to adjust flow, but I have it wide open.

The only adjustment I do is to the venturi screw. It is just a thumb screw, and I just turn it a little every day until I get the consistency of skimmate wanted, then leave it. That's it!

In 4 months, I have not cleaned it yet, however, I do plan on cleaning all pumps, venturi, skimmer, etc. every 6 months or so. Just normal maintenance recommended with any products.

[Matt Rogers]

Thanks Birdlady.
I am adding this to my favorites list for next time this question comes up.
(Ever use the favorites feature? [smiley=wink3.gif] )

[Scoffer]

About water level, my skimmer is in my wet/dry, and the water levels changes the water/bubble line in my skimmer dramaticly!! I also have a ball valve on the output of mine to help control the water level inside the skimmer.

I don't have any kind of auto- top off. Don't even have a RO/DI filter yet. Yet!

Santa, O Santa!!!!



But I do have to adjust mine alot I feel. But that the thing of a SW tank I guess...

good luck on yours!

Scoffer

[skennelly]

Thanks all the input here. I had mine running since Friday with the 3100 hooked directly up to the skimmer. I'm not getting much skimmate since its a new tank, but so far I'm pretty happy. I have a rio 2500hp laying around that I might swap in to see if the noise reduces any.

Sean

[Birdlady]

I have a dirty little secret to share about the noise.... [smiley=uhoh2.gif]

I actually cut the input hose to my skimmer a little short so the pump is not exactly touching the bottom of the tank...I know you are not supposed to do that but,....works for me!

[da colts]

my berlin has a surge 6000 pump running it(870gph) and it works like a champ. i did put a bigger airhose on it but the pump is running full blast, i do have the air turned down a little because if not it would overflow. the secret with berlins is to over pump them, i would never even think of changing mine, i love it. as a side note, before i went to a bigger pump, i was cleaning out the venturi about every month because the venturi on a berlin is kinda small. since i added the bigger pump, i have not cleaned out the venturi once, the larger pump seems to keep the venturi clean. now that i said that, i will probably have to clean it tonight, hahahahaha. i get a full cup of nasty skimate every week without fail. so for my book, a berlin is a great skimmer when tricked out(i kinda like that phrase too)

[fletch]

Hi da_colts do you have a Berlin turbo or a Berlin classic? I have a Turbo and I have been having a problem with the vent tube that goes to the pump plugging up, Is this the tube that you are talking about that you changed to a larger tubing? if so how did you do it as the nipple for the tubing is part of the adjusting knob on the pump. I am using the pump that came with the skimmer............. John

This is the skimmer I have.

[da colts]

no i have the classic non turbo as the turbo pump ain't exactly the greatest pump in the world. the turbo is an aspirating skimmer as it pulls air through the impeller and the impeller chops the air up to smaller bubbles kinda like the kent marine skimmers except the kent skimmers suck. if your turbo still has the venturi on it i would ditch the turbo pump, up the pump to a surge 6000 or a mag drive 9.5 or some such pump that pumps a lot of water.(here is another little trick,take off the knob on the turbo pump that adjusts the flow and let the pump run full out, it makes the turbo pump more water because of no restrictions at the back of the pump, i used a turbo pump like that for a while and it did ok)

[fletch]

Thank's da_colts I'll give that a try ............ John