Need a little help with modified Berlin skimmer...

[MiniReef]

Just found this forum tonight and I can see it's gonna be lots of help!
Anyway, I have a small (approx 35 gal water volume) completely homemade system with some live rock and many assorted creatures. I've been neglecting it for too long now (just changed water after 8 months!) and decided recently I needed to get it under control.
I found a used Berlin skimmer at the pet shop the other day for $20 but no skimmer cup. For lack of anything better, I bought a PVC adapter and drilled it a bit to fit over 2-1/4" black tube on top of berlin. Used o-ring to seal and no leaks the way it's pictured below. Now that it's hooked up with a 500gph powerhead, getting lots of small bubbles and no bubbles in outflow water, but not getting any foam into my modded cup. The original berlin cup looked to have a smaller clear tube that seemed to go into the 2-1/4" black one. Is that necessary to make it collect foam or am I not doing something right? I downloaded the setup instructions for this, but that didn't help. Maybe just need to let it run? Thanks for any help you can provide!

[mnreefgeek]

Reef - without a riser tube in the collection cup, although skimmate may be made, it will not collect because there is nothing keeping it up in the cup. Does this make sense?

Note how green/ brown the water in your skimmer looks? If the skimmer were functioning properly this water would/ should be milky white as a result of the micro bubbles caused by the venturi. I would almost bet my tank that once you add some sort of riser tube in the collection cup, your water quality will improve and you will start to see skimmate in the cup.

[MiniReef]

Originally Posted by mnreefgeek

Reef - without a riser tube in the collection cup, although skimmate may be made, it will not collect because there is nothing keeping it up in the cup. Does this make sense?
Note how green/ brown the water in your skimmer looks? If the skimmer were functioning properly this water would/ should be milky white as a result of the micro bubbles caused by the venturi. I would almost bet my tank that once you add some sort of riser tube in the collection cup, your water quality will improve and you will start to see skimmate in the cup.

When I got up this morning the unit is working (guess I wasn't patient enough), although I think it does need that tube. It looks as if a column of foam builds to 3 or 4 inches then falls over into the cup. The brown you mentioned is a bit deceiving due to the fact that the larger of the two removable tubes is brown and almost opaque from use by the previous owner. Any tips on what that riser tube looks like and how/where to place if I were to make my own? Thanks!

[Geoff]

Welcome to TRT!!!



is the black tube stuck through the PVC adaptor higher than the bottom of the adaptor? it needs to be at least 2" higher. this distance is the amount of skimmate that can be collected until it needs to be emptied. most people drill drain holes at the bottom of the collection cup in order to drain the skimmate into a larger vessel.

G~

[mnreefgeek]

Originally Posted by MiniReef

When I got up this morning the unit is working (guess I wasn't patient enough), although I think it does need that tube. It looks as if a column of foam builds to 3 or 4 inches then falls over into the cup. The brown you mentioned is a bit deceiving due to the fact that the larger of the two removable tubes is brown and almost opaque from use by the previous owner. Any tips on what that riser tube looks like and how/where to place if I were to make my own? Thanks!

See if this makes sense.

[MiniReef]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Welcome to TRT!!!
is the black tube stuck through the PVC adaptor higher than the bottom of the adaptor? it needs to be at least 2" higher. this distance is the amount of skimmate that can be collected until it needs to be emptied. most people drill drain holes at the bottom of the collection cup in order to drain the skimmate into a larger vessel.
G~

The black tube is about 2" above the bottom of the pvc part. Since the PVC is angled, it wouldn't hold much though. Not much in the cup and has a crest of foam that seems to move up and down. Below is a picture of what's happening as of tonight (foam actually went down right before this picture taken probably due to feeding). The question I have is with the stock Berlin catch cup. I can't find a picture of what it's supposed to look like, but there appears to be a clear plastic tube the extends up through the black tube and to the lid of the catch cup. Think that tube may cause foam to travel up and into the cup?

If I can get it working properly, I plan on putting in a fitting and run a hose to a catch container. I figure if I have a sealed external catch container with a vent hose that's higher than the outflow of the skimmer, even if the skimmer freaks out, it won't be a problem! Thanks to all for all the help so far!

[MiniReef]

I think this problem should have been posted in general discussion so I did that tonight. Thanks to all for all the help and tips so far!

[Krux]

it appears to be working properly. under normal operation, the foam will rise in the black pipe, and then spill over into the white portion. what will effect how much comes out is the effeciency with which you match your pump with the skimmer, the water level at which you run it within the skimmer, and how good of a venturi you have running on it.

to make more skimmate, you want to dial up the water level the skimmer, andjusting the air intake to the point that foam is created, but not spilling madly over the lip. to make less foam, but drier, tone down the water flowing into the skimmer. depending on the design, you wither close off the outlet to raise and lower the water level, or you crank up and down the input. there is either a ball valve one side or the other, or there is a riser tube...

i guess to be more helpful i will either need some pics of the whole unit, or i need to get less lazy and research how your skimmer is supposed to work.