not skimming???

[simon sid james]

hi all,i have a berlin red sea classic skimmer which i have had running 4 about 2 months now and all it has collected is about a quarter of an inch of waste.its obviously isnt doing its job so i started up my old skimmer that is built into my trickle filter,that collected more in a few hours than the red sea did in months.now the obvious questions are is the pump powerfull enough,is it adjusted correctly,is it clean and is there a good collection of fine bubbles in the chamber...the answer to all these questions are yes,any ideas?.

 

[kidafius]

I think one of your questions is answered incorrectly. "is it adjusted correctly" You should adjust it so that you get your maximum skimmate. Does the classic have an airstone? If not, could you add one to help it be more productive?

 

[simon sid james]

i couldnt add an airstone cos the skimmer works with a ventury

 

[reefrunner69]

What size pump are you using on it? Have you opened the venturi completely?

 

[simon sid james]

im using a seltz1 40 pump which im assured it is the right 1,and the venturi is opend fully

 

[reefrunner69]

A seltz L40 pump should pump 728 gph @ 0 foot of head. It should be plenty to drive the venturi. it is also capable of pumping to a height of 2.3 meters, so it should have enough pressure to run the skimmer. I would check the venturi for a blockage or replace the venturi entirely.

 

[simon sid james]

ive checked for blockages and its only 2 months old,ive heard of a needle conversion kit you can get,but i think it should be collecting more than it is without it. :?

 

[reefrunner69]

Iagree, which is why I thought there might be a blockage of the venturi. Manufacturer defects do occur, it is possible, you got a bad one, it sucks, but it happens. I would probably return the skimmer at this point for a replacement.

 

[simon sid james]

yeah,i got it from work so i think ill just get it replaced,thanks for the advice all.