New Protein Skimmer questions??

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Reefaddict

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
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201
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I have recently purchased the Turboflotor 1000 skimmer and I can't seem to get it working properly. The water doesn't have hardly any pressure in the skimmer so it won't push the water inside up to the top, and the bubbles are close to nill. The pump that came with it is rated at 692gph so it should be plenty...I have a 55gal tank. The skimmer didn't come with very clear directions, only how to modify the pump impeller with the needle wheel. All that is correctly assembled and the pump works great when not connected to the skimmer. I don't know what the hell to do. Anybody out there familiar with the Turboflotor 1000 insump skimmer, it's made by Aquamedic. Thanks for any suggestions!
 
TF 1000

I know it's not what you want to hear, but I have TWO of these and they both work great. The only time mine stops is when the pump jams occassionally. Then it's just "tap,tap' on it and away we go.
It sounds like your air tube might not be totally clear. That's what provides the bubbles, so it needs to be clear and, of course, above water level. If you blow on it, like a straw, do bubble then enter the collumn? It should not be hard to blow bubbles. What are you using to provide water to the skimmer (through the 1/2 inch rigid tube that stands up toward the right of the pump. On one of mine I just use a gravity feed from the tank. On the other I have a small powerhead connected to it, feeding water from the sump.
Once it's being fed water and air, and the pump is running, the only adjustments are with the flow of the water leaving the two output tubes. There are baffles on the top of each that allows you to restrict the output (bubbles rise higher in the chamber) or open the output if the bubbles rise so much that water is collected in the cup instead of nice dry foam.
HTH,
If not write again,
Tagamet
 
Thanks for the quick response guys! Tagamet...on yours...are the bubbles so thick that you can't see through them in the reaction chamber? I am only getting a minimal amout of bubbles. The air tube is totally clear as I have only just recieved the unit yesterday. I was providing water to the skimmer through the gravity overflow and it appeared to be working but still no bubbles to speak of. I want to feed the skimmer from the sump tank so I shall try the powerhead feeding water from the sump as you are doing. Thanks again and any more suggestions would be much appreciated!!
 
Take the two baffles out of the outlets. Turn them both so that the diamond shpe hole is toward the back - toward the collection cup.. That should maximize the amont of bubbles in the collumn. If that doesn't work, try adding a small air pump to the air intake tube to force air in there. These things DO do a good job once they are set up correctly.Oh, and don't look for immediate changes in output as you adjust things. Sometimes it take 30 to 45 minutes for the change in bubble height and output to the cup to show up. Make a change - like putting the baffles in so that the hole is toward the back and WAIT. You may be too impatien and expect immediate chages for each tweak. It doesn't work that way.
Tagamet
 
Thanks for your help Tagamet! I hooked up a powerhead to feed the skimmer from the sump and watched for about an hour. That seems to work great but I am still real low on the bubble side. My bubbles in the reaction pipe are similar to a low boil. I think I am going to have to add an air pump and possibly a ozonizer too! Just out of curiosity...Tagamet...are your skimmers producing the thick white bubbles that you can't see through? I thought that what these things are supposed to do. If so are you using an air pump?
Thanks for all the help.
 
If you just got the unit, that may be the problem right there!. They take a week or so to get enough crud in them, er, I meant to break in. Set the knobs on the top to block as much water as possible and wait a few days. That may be all it takes. PS - don't assume that because it's new that the air tube is clear. I've seen them come new with a glump of plastic inside that blocks them entirely.
HTH,
Tagamet
 
The powerhead Im using is a MaxiJet 900 rated at 230 gph...should I use a stronger one?? I checked the air tube again and it's clear, but I don't know if it should be sucking in more air than it is. It seems like, on most skimmers, the bubbles make a white froth that are impossible to see through. My bubbles are just like a med low boil.??? Is that how it's supposed to be?
 
My skimmer's air tubes make an audible sucking noise as the air is sucked in. Also, it's either under water or it's not. If it's not under water and is therefore exposed to air, it's exposed "enough" .
Yes, you could use more power on the pump used.
Did you turn the baffles to restrict as much water as possible? Was there a noticeable effect?
You couldn't have taken the advice to give it some break in time....
Tagamet
 
I think you should be looking for closer to 400-500 GPH for your pump. Larry maybe you can answer this, what is it that causes the air to be sucked in?? The pump with the needle wheel, or is it like a venturi and the pump supplying the skimmer sucks the air in??

ReefAddict, FWIW hang in there, I have never seen anyone that had this skimmer that wasn't very happy with it's preformance. Be patient and I'm sure Larry (Tagamet) can get you through this ;)
 
I recently bought the turbofloater multi 1000...in answer to your question about bubbles, the chamber is so full, you cannot see through it. The pump that came with it was an aquabee. I second the motion on patience as whatever the issue is, it will be well worth it once you work it out.
 
what is it that causes the air to be sucked in?? The pump with the needle wheel, or is it like a venturi and the pump supplying the skimmer sucks the air in??

I think it's the latter. Water is pumped in there at SUCH a high volume, that the air whooshes down that air tube. I used to be able to hear it from across the room, but now I have so many tanks/pumps going, I can't hear the TV, let alone an air tube (lol).
HTH,
Tagamet (Larry)
Trust me, in a way you'll be sorry when it starts working. The skimmate is the most foul smell you will ever have the displeasure of smelling.
 
The pump that runs the skimmer is a rio 2100 rated at 690gph. The powerhead feeding the skimmer water from the sump is rated at 230gph...maybe that clears up that? As for turning the baffles so the hole faces the collection cup, when I tried that there were no bubbles at all. I must need an air pump. Do you think I need stronger than 230gph powerhead to feed water to the skimmer??
Thanks for all the help.
 
Do you think I need stronger than 230gph powerhead to feed water to the skimmer??
Click to expand...

Yes, I would use a minimum of a Rio 2100 and a comparable (better) pump is a Mag Drive 5. Rios have a bad failure rate and are not thought of very highly, for the most part.
 
I think we may have found the problem. You may actually be moving too much tank water through the skimmer. Not from the big pump, but from the input pump that connects to the vertical tube to the right of the main column. My one skimmer uses JUST a gravity feed from the main tank. The other one has a TINY powerhead feeding the water from the sump to be skimmed. In other words, the big pump needs to be strong to generate all those bubbles, but the water to be skimmed needs to be modest. That way, the water to be skimmed (from the sump OR the tank) needs time to be "bubbled". Just as an experiment, disconnect the ph providing the water to the rigid vertical tube. The a tube the same size, start a syphon from the main tank into the sump, then connect the sump end of the tube to the rigid tube to feed tank water to the skimmer.
I'm pretty sure that's going to solve this.
Tagamet
 
Well, I took the whole unit into my local pet store, where we hooked everything up in a small tank. He said there is something else wrong. The needle wheel should be producing a thousand times more bubbles than it is. Is it possible that I have a defective pump. It is a Rio so I guess it's fairly possible. The only other pump that can be used with this skimmer is an Ocean Runner...from what Im told. Tagamet, I also tried what you suggested, with a syphon from the main tank feeding the skimmer, water, and still no good results. The bubbles stay the same as when a powerhead is feeding the skimmer water...low to nill. It has been running for three days straight now and theres not **** for bubbles. I don't know what else to do, it just isn't producing enough bubbles. If this thing is supposed to be producing bubbles in the reaction chamber that are so thick that you can't see through it, then it must be defective. I guess I'll return it for another one, or maybe something else...anyone know of a good in sump skimmer????
 
Connections

What kind of wet/dry filter is it sitting in? Is that system working properly? I have a T-Flotor 1000 and it's humming right along. Please include any and all details regarding your system. What kind of set-up do you have for drawing the water out of the tank?

Don't return the skimmer, you've got one of the best ones there is! Mine is working perfectly.
 
I have a 55gal main tank and a 20 gal sump below. Water overflows from the main and down into the sump. T-1000 sits in sump water 10 to 15 cm high as specified by Aquamedic. Rio 2100 with the modified needle wheel impeller runs the skimmer. A small powerhead sits in the sump right next to the skimmer and feeds it water. The problem is that it is not sucking enough air, at least I think, to create the dense white bubbles in the skimmer. Im not worried about foam in the collection cup right now. The skimmer just isn't creating the amount of bubbles it should. I don't know if it is the air not being sucked in enough or if the needle wheel just isn't spinning enough to create the WHITE dense bubbles in the reation chamber. I added a small adjustable air pump to the air intake and when adjusted right it does make quite a bit of bubbles, but it doesn't look like any other skimmer I've seen with the white dense bubbles that you cant see through. It just seems like somethings goofy because I shouldn't even need a air pump for it. These things are designed to be run as they are. And even with the air pump it definatly not bubbling like it should.

Tal, maybe you could take a picture of your skimmer in action and post it here or e-mail it to me so I could make a comparison! That would be really cool!
Thanks for all the help and any more suggestions...let me know if you wnat my e-mail address.
So Tal does your T-1000 have the white
 
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