Protein Skimmer

mikef8289 · 12-27-2006, 01:41 AM

I jnever had a protein skimmer before So i dont really know much about them. I bought one today it is a Red Sea Berlin Air-lift 60, i got it with an air pump. The problem i have concerning it is thatim not really sure if it is working because there is a line on the main tube that says Water line, But when it is full submerged in water there is no way to conrol that and also there isnt foam falling into the cap it just looks like there is water is in there but there is faom on the top and bubble coming out. If anyone can help me figure this out that would be awesome.

WhoDey · 12-28-2006, 02:45 AM

Hey Mike,

What your skimmer is doing is very typical... Lots of skimmers right out of the box just keep filling up with water for about a month or so. There is a break-in period with all skimmers. You might want to try to raise the skimmer/collection cup out of the water as much as possible. If there is some kind of adjustment to raise the skimmer then try that. I'm not sure with the water line thing, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Mine kept filling my collection cup just about every hour for the first week. It sucks but eventually it will calm down.

-Nate

Tommy Gun · 12-28-2006, 01:41 PM

Whodey is right, most skimmers take a while to break in and act the way in which we would expect them to or like to....

However, even though I am not familiar with your exact type of skimmer, keep in mind that you should have some method of changing the amount of air or water that is taken into the skimmer either via a knob, like on my skimmer, or by positioning the pump higher or lower in the water. The amount of water that is above the pump will have a big influence on how much water is taken in and how quickly this happens. I am searching for a website that explains this, even though I know it is pretty complicated, it should help you out a little bit. I will get back to you on that hopefully soon.

Salty B · 01-01-2007, 11:05 PM

Hey, nowadays, it takes my skimmer WEEKS to even fill up at all.. Normally its actually only after water-changes or stirring up the tank where you notice your collection cup start to fill. Eventually, as Tommy stated, it will take its own course eventually!

mikef8289 · 01-02-2007, 10:29 PM

The collection cup is filling up but the stuff its fillin up with is also on the top of it

mikef8289 · 01-10-2007, 02:08 PM

is this a problem

ahill3780 · 01-10-2007, 02:34 PM

Hey Mike,

A picture of your skimmer may help clear up some guesswork here as far as the waterline issue goes, but as far as your collection cup question I think it has been answered several times in this thread. The skimmer will need to get through its break-in period, which varies from skimmer to skimmer, not maodel to model meaning that the same model skimmer that broke in fine in 3 days for one person may take a month to break in for another. It took my skimmer a full year before it really started pumping out the sludge, and didn't pull anything out for the first few months.

Give it some time, make small adjustments if needed, but don't worry excessively over it, everything will fall right in the end. Red Sea Berlin skimmers are very efficient skimmers by what I hear so you made a good choice, just be a little more patient.

HTH,
Aaron