Anyone know about Red Sea fish pHarm Berlin tripple pass skimmers

fish.freak · 10-10-2006, 03:57 PM

I have tried everything to get these 2 skimmer running better.
I cleaned the air intake hose with hot water and cleaned the venturi intake.
They are making bubbles now but the water level is too low to produce skimm. They are being run by AZOO 2500 power heads, that I have allready cleaned out. The skimmers are in 10 gal pre sumps that have hob overflows down to two trickel filters and back up to two seperate 120 gal systems that i am now taking care of. The tanks have been sitting empty most of the summer and now have 2 damsels each, but they are being preped for cuttlefish. Are these skimmers worth messing around with?

partobe · 10-10-2006, 04:07 PM

I had a red sea berlin skimmer and it never worked properly for me. I would never own another one. I bought a coralife 220 and it has pulled more junk out in one day then the red sea did in two yrs.

Fly Guy · 10-10-2006, 04:07 PM

They can work ok but if you are going to take on cuttle fish you need a higher quality skimmer anyway......much higher quality IMO

Wiskey · 10-10-2006, 05:22 PM

Ya my friend has a Berlin Turbo and it is awful, I would definitally look into an upgrade. The ASM series have good bang for the buck.

Whiskey

zxcv123 · 10-10-2006, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by partobe

I had a red sea berlin skimmer and it never worked properly for me. I would never own another one. I bought a coralife 220 and it has pulled more junk out in one day then the red sea did in two yrs.

i dont trust red sea as far as I can throw it.
I have friends that have had their wavemakes and fail and their hydrometers are 100000000000 pts off, and their skimmers are trouble some.
Red sea is cheaply made

Wiskey · 10-10-2006, 06:11 PM

I have a red sea wave maker that is very old and working very well.

Let's not forget that back in the 90's that skimmer was concidered awsome, and you didn't have a tank if you didn't have a Berlin skimmer.

But technology has gone a long way, and red sea has not updated their line.

Whiskey

hamslice · 10-10-2006, 06:18 PM

yep i had one before i found this site. needless to say it just wasnt doin the trick.

i did take and drill a hole in the top and placed a wooden airstone inside the body and it helped but still am very glad i upgraded skimmers

fish.freak · 10-11-2006, 01:00 PM

The tanks are in a temp controled lab with air outlets do you think forcing that air into the air intake would help?

What skimmer is the best for insump skimming between 200-300 price range.

I was looking at Aqua C EV on Marine Depot

Fly Guy · 10-11-2006, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish.freak

The tanks are in a temp controled lab with air outlets do you think forcing that air into the air intake would help?

What skimmer is the best for insump skimming between 200-300 price range.

I was looking at Aqua C EV on Marine Depot

For how big of a tank?? Still intending on skimming 2 120 gallon systems with it??? Id go witht the biggest ASM you could fit down there. That would be your most economical option but its gonna cost a little bit more than that

fish.freak · 10-11-2006, 01:09 PM

Each system is a miror: 120 main tank> 10 gal aga pre sump where the skimmer and UV are> mega flow sump with rotating spray bars and bio balls.
So I need to buy 2 identical skimmers on the modest budget of of the department. I will check out ASM thanks.

Oh yea there is currently substrate in the 10 gal pre sumps should i leave this in place?

fish.freak · 10-11-2006, 01:12 PM

Asm is now promoting Octopus skimmers is this what you meant flyguy?
ok found asm g-2 for 273

tdwyatt · 10-11-2006, 01:39 PM

In the 90's I had ne that, as Tim "Binford 5000" Allen said, just needed, "SOME MORE POWER!"

RED SEA BERLIN 50-250 WITH MODS:

Boost input at zero head to a Mag12, I ran it ithout any throttling in the modifiec mode. See more in THE ORIGINL THREAD by clicking this link.

Agree with Whskey's comment that in its time, this was a great skimmer, especialy in view of the other skimmers available at that time. It is certainly not a MRC or Euroreef by any means, but it can be made to work well if kept clean and modified to make more foam. Modifications are cheaper than buying a top-end skimmer, and if you are short on cash and alreay have one of the Red Sea Berlins, it can be sufficient for up to around 135 or so USG, although if you don't own a skimmer, there are other better buys on the market at the state of the art at this time.

HTH

fish.freak · 10-11-2006, 07:45 PM

I have two of these skimmers already, is anything short of your pimp daddy version going to raise the water level ie produce skimm?

If not the school is willing to get new ones, what is the best in sump model arround 300?

tdwyatt · 10-13-2006, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish.freak

I have two of these skimmers already, is anything short of your pimp daddy version going to raise the water level ie produce skimm?

If not the school is willing to get new ones, what is the best in sump model arround 300?

biggest issue is that by the time you spend the money to do these modifications (pipe, time, Kent venturi, JG fittings...) you could more than likely find a good used skimmer (MRC@ or similar skimmer) that will do a much better job and will be easier to use and adjust.My personal coice after using many different skimmers has been The stuff that Andy (My Reef Creations) turns out, you can see these at www.myreefcreations.com and evaluate them. They are well-made, very versitile, upgradable, and come in a variety of sizes for just about any application. The smalest skimmer is the MR-1, and it can be extended in length of the foam riser with the additin of a 10" section for hevy fish population loads to be quite effective for up to 135 gallons, although I use the MR-2 for these apps up to 250 USG Mixed systems, and the MR3 for 180 USG stony coral applications.I am sure that you'll find a number of skimmers that will do well for you now that the technology seems to be developing newer styles and technologies in this area. Out of the many skimmers I've used, these have been the best buy items and allow me to "kick it up a notch" down the road if necessary as Andy makes improvements to the designs. I understand that he does custome applications as well. Try calling Andy at the shop, he's there most week days till 4:30 EST or so except Fridays afternoons, I think you will find him extremely accomodating, especially if this is for a school.HTH