Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 Multi - 1st impression

[cmor1701d]

Due to the small size of my sump (converted wet/dry) and the fact that I only have 2½" clearance between the tank and the wall, I had a hard time finding an appropriate skimmer for my 125 gallon tank.
I finally decided on the Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 Multi as it can also sit outside the sump.

The instruction manual is pretty poor. I sat with the manual and the skimmer, making sure I understood just what each piece was. After 3 or 4 passes through the manual and trying different arrangements around the sump I figured the best location for the skimmer.
I had to add some extensions to the outflow tubes and some elbows to direct the water flow back into the sump (see pic).

The unit comes with a pump, airline and a silencer for the airline. It makes a huge difference.

Well it seems I can't add an attachment. So this will be the only post tonight.
PM me if you would like to see either pic.

Cmor

I've got lots of bubbles and in the few hours the unit has been operating I see the foam column getting higher, but not high enough for any output to be in the cup yet. The manual states "After a maximum of 24 hours, the foam should push evenly into the collection cup."

The manual also states "The quantity of drawn air should be adjusted so that 75% of the reaction pipe is filled with air bubbles." There is no mention of where or how to adjust the air flow. In fact the next section titled Adjustments states:
"Due to the construction, air and water mixing is automatic, and no adjustment is required but it may be necessary to alter the flow control taps to ensure overpumping does not occur particularly in the start up phase."

A bit confusing? Yes, but it seems to be working. I'll post another pic of the installed skimmer and report back in a few days.

I'm having a torn rotator cuff repaired in a few hours and anything I post in the next 72 hours should not be held against me.

 

[loganj]

Thanks for the info on the skimmer. I think that's the first time we've had a post on that particular skimmer based on actual experience...only one I remember anyway. Look forward to hearing more about it.
I hope your surgery goes well. Having recently had two hernias repaired, I can certainly sympathize.
Logan J

 

[cmor1701d]

24 hours + and still nothing in the cup. I don't know if it's my setup, the skimmer or just not long enough on a relativley new tank.

Surgery went well, only used one pain killer so far and that was right after I got home. Learning to do everthing left handed is fun and strange <g>

125 gal FOwLR (2/15/03)
DSB 5"-6" (Southdown added 3/1/03)
Acqua Clear Aquatics 125 trickle filter without bio balls
2 Hagen 802 powerheads
4 - 30w fluorescents (2 Coral 10k, 2 50/50)
Rio 2500 pump in sump (Mag7 goin gin as soon as I can use my arm again)
300w heater in the sump.
25w Coralife UV sterilizer (connected but not in use)
50 lbs of base rock (added 2/22/03)
95 lbs of LR (50# added 2/22/03, 45# added 3/4/03)
1400VA UPS

12 Scarlet hermits
15 Blue Legs
a few Turbos
2 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Serpent Star
1 Green Chrois
1 Coral Beauty Angel

 

[loganj]

IME, most skimmers require a "break in" period before they really do anything. I had decided my little CC skimmer was a piece of junk because it never pulled anything. Now, it fills the cup every day...does a pretty good job. I have no idea why this is.
Logan J

 

[Guest]

I feel your pain in this,,,,I too have had a time with man. instructions...They obviously do not follow them or they would see that they are not accurate or non-imformational (if thats a word) most of the time.

All skimmers require a break in period from what I understand. The reason it does not put out the volume right away, is, there isn't a slime coating or (fats and deposits) on the walls of the skimmer. When these start to build up, ( after the 24 hours to a couple of days ) and the air bubbles gather enough contact time, they tend to get a soapy effect and then build up and up until they flow into the collection cup. As your water gets laiden with excess food protiens and fat, the skimmer will react and pull this out.. I have also IMOE seen that this is a double edge sword. If you let it run too long between cleanings, it decreases its efficiency. I have found that mine works great if I clean the body at least once every 3 weeks and the cup I clean frequently just because I hate the look of the brown goo....

I know that my first skimmer was a Visi-Jet PS100 and I will never ever recommend that skimmer to anyone..(total waste of money. No Skimmage at all).

My tank ran for 2 months before adding a skimmer and then another month to get the one I have now which matches my sump. SeaLife Systems PS75. Now this one is great.. and only $85. Fits inside the sump perfectly. Should do a product review...

 

[cmor1701d]

Thanks Logan and Hara. I guess it's like everything else in this addiction/hobby, patience in all things

 

[cmor1701d]

As I found out, the break in period is slightly longer than the manual states. I now how have some foam (not wet, but quite dry either, but what di I know) hitting the top. I see some brown liquid in the bottom of the collection cup. I guess that means it's working .

I attached a picture with an overhead view of the 2nd chamber of the sump. You can see that the tube from the first chamber (attached to the pump) enters the second chamber at a higher level than the the intake tube of the skimmer. To avoid any sharp bends in the hose I used 1 90deg elbow. The 2 outflow tubes can also be seen extending down into the sump water column.

It seems to be working, unless you tell me otherwise <G>.

 

[cmor1701d]

Here's the original pics.

 

[cmor1701d]

Here's the skimmer installed next to the sump

 

[pioneer]

Well here's the good news, I have the same skimmer and had exactly the same problem. Nobody at the LFS was able to help me. Mine is sitting on the back of the tank, so the bubble flow into the main tank was unbelievable, in fact you could not see any of the live stock.
So I took a picture of the problem and sent it to Aqua Medic. To give them their due they responded immediately with a solution. It turns out that the pump can be to low in the water and the increased pressure causes trillions of bubbles to be formed in the chamber (a lot more than is necessary), which causes the big outflow.
What I did was to reduce the flexible hose between the pump and the skimmer to as short as possible, in effect lifting the pump closer to the water line. This reduced the bubbles by 98% and now I am much happier. There is still some bubbles but I can live with this.
It is worth noting that when I do a 10% water change (which is 12.5 litres) the pump goes mad for about 12-15 hours putting out billions of bubbles again before it settles down. I think this is just due to the fact that there is no DOC's to skim so it goes a bit bonkers.

Anyway hope this helps, let me know if you need any other info, I can send you a picture of mine if it helps.

Cheers

Pioneer

 

[cmor1701d]

Well it appears to be working just fine. The collection cup is slowly filling with brown liquid. Just took a while for the break in period. Also, I have a very light bio load for now.
Thanks

 

[naerickson]

I'm new to this site and SW tanks and am researching skimmers. I was curious about the Turboflotor Blue 1000. I have a 55 gal.
Why can't I see the pictures that cmore1701d put up? Any advice on the skimmers would be appreciated. My tank has a wooden topper

 

[ccCapt]

This thread is over 7 yrs old! That skimmer is even more outdated than this thread.

Look into Octopus skimmers. Great performance and a very good price. This would work nice for a 55g. What's a wooden topper?
Reef Octopus NWB 110 Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer - AquaCave

 

[bavass]

I have the Turboflotor 1000 and I wish I could fit an Octopus in my sump with out tearing down the tank. The T1000 is ok but the Octopus Extreme is a much better skimmer