Red Sea Berlin Triple Pass Skimmer

specialk · Aug 13, 2013

Hey All .. honored to be amongst saltwater brilliance! :bigsmile: I am sorry if this belongs in another area as I looked around the sticky skimmer thread but this skimmer was not reviewed. I was thinking about purchasing a used Red Sea Berlin triple Pass Skimmer... it is an older model but can handle up to 250 gallons and I am in the process of upgrading to a 180 gallon tank, from a 90.Would an older model like this be recommended, or would any of you recommend I just pay a little more and get a newer model? Im just trying to figure out if this would be a smart purchase or not?

specialk · Aug 13, 2013

revhtree · Aug 13, 2013

Welcome to R2R!

I have no experience with that skimmer but from my experience you should really buy a skimmer that is overrated for your size tank. Those ratings are not normally very good for the type of corals, fish, etc. that we add to our tanks. Are you going to be doing a full mixed reef?

mainereefer · Aug 13, 2013

never liked the berlin skimmers they work as well as a seaclone...... you can get a nice cone skimmer for around $130

specialk · Aug 14, 2013

Awesome.. great to know and I appreciate the replies!!

specialk · Aug 14, 2013

Oh yah and sorry, YES I am doing a mixed reef tank. A good combination of sps and lps corals. Another reason why I wanted to make sure that I get the right one and don't risk it and end up losing valuable stuff!

johnanddawn · Aug 14, 2013

I just threw one of those away
Bought it back when they first came out and used it for a few years but it never really worked very well
A skimmer is a pretty important piece of equipment, I would get the best one you can afford
You don't need to spend a small fortune because most newer models would outperform that one hands down
For 250 - 350 you can get an octopus from BRS which may seem like a lot but they are nice

Ron Reefman · Aug 14, 2013

I used that skimmer for a couple of years on my old 75g DT. It works OK, but it's a major PITA to clean when stuff starts to build up inside the main body. I ended up soaking it in a 5g bucket full of vinegar. And there is no way that is good enough for a 180g DT (IMHO). It was barely enough for my 75g.

specialk · Aug 15, 2013

yah thanks to you all I am def opting for something else... I would have wasted my money on it and ended up being ticked off in the end and back to square one so thanks thanks thanks!! You guys rock!

mcarroll · Aug 15, 2013

I'd say its a good skimmer (even if it is old) but probably undersized for a 180, depending what you are doing with the tank. If you keep a light bio load and large drain bucket for the skimmer cup it might be fine.

FWIW, it's the earliest needle wheel skimmer available in the US AFAIK. (The skimmer can be set up 2 or 3 different ways IIRC, needing just a pump change: Venturi, needle wheel and maybe air-power as well.)

If you decide to buy a new skimmer, just remember not to pay extra for gimmicks like colored plastics or funny shapes like cones, etc.

For used, I think I'd keep my eyes open for a used AquaC EV180 or EV240 to come up for sale. They are popular for good reason, so there's usually a good after-market. If you put a little effort into shopping I don't think it would take long to find one for sale.

There're lots of good used skimmers out there, I'd just pick a bigger one.

-Matt

mcarroll · Aug 15, 2013

Another thought after looking at pics again:

If you could get that for free and/or couldn't get another (bigger) skimmer for some reason, I'd replace the contraption they have on the inlet, take off the Venturi fitting. Then get a brand new Berlin needle wheel pump to run it. The pumps are inexpensive, and still for sale last time I checked.

-Matt

kes · Aug 16, 2013

yeah, that's good you're looking for something else. even eshopps have some decent skimmers that work well, great price range also

specialk · Aug 16, 2013

awesome awesome info guys -- thanks a ton!!

specialk · Aug 17, 2013

In fact, how does this sound.......thanks to all you geniuses and all your advice, I found a used AquaC for $75 with pump....I think i may have to jump on that one!

mcarroll · Aug 17, 2013

Sounds like the Remora, maybe Urchin.

Excellent skimmer and good deal, but still probably on the small side by about half.

A Remora Pro with an over-sized pump is the smallest of their skimmers I'd recommend for a 180...even that's a little borderline. Ev120 is similarly sized to the Pro models. The ev180 or 240 would be what I'd look for.

-Matt