Aqua Medic Turboflotor T1000 Protein Skimmer Information (more)

With the purchase of this unit you have selected a top quality product. It has been specifically designed for aquaristic purposes and has been tested by experts. With this unit you are able to remove the organic substances in your aquarium water efficiently.

1. Product description

The Turboflotor 1.000 consists of the following parts: the original skimmer (foam cup and top cover, reaction-pipe, air injection nozzle), the post-switched trickling filter module inclusive entrance chamber, a trickling chamber (lying underneath) with trickle plate which is filled with AQUA MEDIC Bactoballs and a venturi pump inclusive AQUA MEDIC Needle wheel.

2. Theory

Protein skimming is a way of physical water treatment. It uses a phenomenon known from our daily experience: the adsorption of surface active substances to air water layers. If we give a drop of oil on a water surface, it will form a thin film with a thickness of only one molecule. Surface active compounds like proteins behave in the same way. The Turboflotor 1000 with its air bubbles creates a huge water surface, where the waste substances can attach to.

These air bubbles are pushed into the reacton pipe, in a way, that they have a long retention time in the counter current. Enriched with organic substances, they rise to the top and form a strong foam, that is dehydrated and pushed into the collection cup. With this method, organic waste can be removed from the aquarium water - before they are integrated into the biological waste treatment cycle.

3. Working principle

The venturi pump of the Turboflotor 1000 sucks the water out of the filter chamber, mixes it in the pump housing with air which is sucked and cut into small bubbles by the AQUA MEDIC Needle wheel. This water/air mixture is pumped into the reaction pipe of the protein skimmer where the organic substances are taken up by the bubbles. So a foam is formed which is pushed into the foam cup. The cleaned water flows out of the bottom of the skimmer and is leaded via two transparent pipes at the skimmer outside into the entrance chamber of the post-switched trickling filter. From here, the water flows via the trickle plate and the Bactoballs back into the filter chamber. The Bactoballs act as biological filter. On the surface of the Bactoballs settle bacteria which reduce non-skimmed organic substances as well as ammonium and nitrite.

4. Set-up

The Turboflotor 1000 has to be connected at the suction side of the pump, at the air injection nozzle via a plastic pipe (25 mm diameter). The outflow happens freely into the filter chamber.

The Turboflotor 1000 must be placed in a filter chamber below the aquarium. It is not suitable for a dry set-up near the aquarium or near a filter chamber. The water level in the filter chamber has to be 10-15 cm for a trouble-free operation. When it is used within the filtration systemsReef 500orReef 1000, the optimum water level is guaranteed.

5. Starting

The Turboflotor is placed into the filtration tank. If the venturi pumpshall suck the water from a separate chamber - like in the filter system Reef 1000, the plumbing of the suction side has to be performed. If the water level is in the right range (10-15 cm), the Turboflotor can be started by plugging the venturi pump in. The pump is now pressing water into the reaction pipe of the skimmer. At the same time, an underpressure is created at the suction side of the pump and air is sucked in. As long as the water level in the filtration tank is in the right range, the relation between air and water is adjusted correctly. If noises arise at the air suction pipe, put a silencer on it.

The air is cut into smallest bubbles due to the action of the needle wheels. In addition, this constuction eliminates a great portion of the noise.

The quantity of sucked air should be adjusted so, that 75 % of the reaction pipe are filled with air bubbles. After the first start, it takes some hours before the first foam is pushed into the collection cup. This is due to a reaction between the surface of the acrylic glass and the aquarium water. An equilibrium of electrical loadings must take place. After 24 hours latest, the foam should be pushed evenly into the collection cup. The quantity of liquid and organic substances depends on the pollution of the aquarium.

6. Maintenance

The collection cup should be cleaned regularly (daily or weekly, depending on the organic load). The reaction pipe of the skimmers needs to be cleaned only once or twice a year. Also the venturi pump should be cleaned in those intervals. For doing this, the pump has to be removed and the complete pump housing and the Needle wheel flushed with clean water. The same should be done with the air injection nozzle. The biological filter - the trickle unit inclusive Bactoballs - is maintenance-free.

7. Failures

Failures may arise if the relation between sucked air and water is not in the right range. The reasons could be: