berlin classic or general skimmer mods?

[BEERBARON]

hey guys ive searched all over the www for this info, and im sure someone has done this, so if you know of a source for this info, please let me know. i have a berlin turbo which was converted to a berlin classic via the red sea kit the company graciously supplied. the thing is, as my biload is growing, i am looking for an improvement. im just wondering a way in which i could improve my skimmer over its current abilities. i have about 5" to spare in hieght, and 5 in width. if you dont know of any modifications to this particular brand, what are some general ways to improve this skimmer? i was thinking about adding a 4" vertical pvc pipe next to the skimmer to create added contact time for the bubbles, would that accomplish anything? i have also seen designs using large acrilic boxes as the base. those designs have a output on the bottom using a gatevalve for water/bubble hieght. mine however has an output on the top. will that matter? any help or advice would be great
sorry about the legnth
BB

[scubadude]

welcome to RL!

Wat size of pump are you running on that skimmer? I used to have the berlin classic for my old 90 and I put a mag9 pump on there to see if it could handle it and it did....and it made it skim soooo much better too! Take your venturi out and clean it every once in a while, and make sure that it doesnt get clogged, that has hindered performance before w/mine. HTH

[Thomas]

I have heard of a few modifications to the Berlin Classic
1. Remove the center tube.
2. Use a stronger pump.
3. Use a Kent venturi valve instead ( I think that is what it was)
4. Take your current venturi valve and hand drill it a size or two larger.
5. a combination of some of the above.

Hope that gives you some ideas