Red Sea Berlin Skimmer

[adw77380]

I have this skimmer for my tank; got from friend. Skimmer worked fine for a few months. One day stopped producing bubbles except for the very center tube (going to the collection cup); of course no waste product now. Well, last night a strange noise was coming from the sump. I woke up to find the bubbles were like they used to be and the collection cup over full ;the waste was green (like it is supposed to). Well, of course I turned it off to clean the cup and of course, back to only bubbles in the very center.

Any suggestions of how to fix this or what might be the problem?

I am sure most people are going to say to get a new brand, since i have read most people don't think they perform well.

Thank you.

 

[ellisz]

have you tried adjusting the air intake? I know they are finiky and you have to get that air adjustment just right. I have one that I am going to add a Kent venturi to. It is supposed to help with production.

 

[ZoozFishMaster]

Make sure the venturi line is not being pinched off. If you are using their "Turbo" pump, make sure that it is adjusted (turned) to produce the full amount of bubbles.

 

[adw77380]

I have adjusted the air-intake. I had cleaned the unit and accidentally changed that. . .so changed it back. That was about a month ago. Without any change. Then for it to make the weird noises last night and work until I turned it off to clean it. I looked over the manual for troubleshooting, but I will have to try it when I get home.

How frequently are you supposed to change the pump, if at all? The unit is almost 2 years old.

Thank you for your responses.

 

[skennelly]

Berlin skimmers are just crappy skimmers. I had one and did every modification I could and it still didn't produce much skimmate. The thing had to be adjusted everyday. However if you are stuck with it then I would do the following if it isn't a turbo upgrade the pump to something in the range of 900 gph I had a mag 9.5 on mine. Also like someone mentioned adding a Kent Venturi should help but it increases the footprint of the skimmer by 4 or 5 inches. You can also put larger tubing in place of the stock venturi intake tubing.

Its alot of work and money for bad results, purchase a good skimmer and be done with it.

 

[schoeplein]

...or you could disconnect the pump and make sure there isn't any buildup in it...

...2 years without a cleaning -- I'm surprised its still pumping...