 Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 Stand Alone Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer
Consists of the following parts:
The protein skimmer's reaction pipe with 2 exhaust pipes and one intake in the middle, two PVC throttle valves, collection cup with top cover, Ocean Runner 2700 pump with a patented Aqua Medic Needle Wheel.
Working Principle:
The Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 Stand Alone Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer is the newest technology in protein skimming that has been developed and patented by Aqua Medic. With this skimmer, an optimum skimming efficiency is achieved due to its very low power consumption. An under pressure is created with the rotation of the Aqua Medic Needle Wheel housed inside the Ocean Runner 2700 pump that runs the skimmer. This water pressure causes water and air to be sucked into the pump housing and blown into the reaction pipe of the skimmer. The air is cut into fine, perfectly small bubbles by the needles by the needle wheel and noise is avoided by this construction.
In the skimmer, the air bubbles rise in a counter current manner. This increases the retention time of the air bubbles in the skimmer. In the upper part of the reaction pipe, the air/water mixture is allowed to smooth and form a stable, dry ideal foam, that traps the waste particles. Minimal amounts of vital plankton and minerals are removed during this process. The skimmer's gray PVC throttle valves allow the foam quality to be fine tuned.
The newly developed conical shape of the collection cup also dries the foam and pushes it into the cup. The efficiency of protein skimming does not only correlate to the quantity of the injected air, but also to the design of the skimmer. The quantity and turbulence of air in the skimmer must be maintained in the right proportions to provide optimum removal of proteinaceous compounds - visible as extracted waste in the collection cup. The optimization of these variables make the needle wheel protein skimmer superior to air driven, venturi and other non-needle wheel methods of protein skimming.
Theory:
Protein skimming is a way of physical water treatment. It uses a phenomenon, known from our daily experience: the absorption of surface active substances to air water interfaces. If we put a drop of oil on a water surface, it will form a thin film, that is only one molecule thick. Surface active compounds, like proteins, behave in the same way. The Turboflotor 1000 Stand Alone Needle Wheel Protein Skimmer, with its air bubbles, creates a huge water surface area that the wastes can attach to.
These air bubbles are pushed into the reaction pipe, in a way, so that they have a long retention time in the counter current. Enriched with organic substances, the air bubbles rise to the top and form a strong foam that is dehydrated and pushed into the collection cup. With this method, organic wastes can be removed from the aquarium water before they are integrated into the biological waste treatment cycle.
Setup:
The Turboflotor 1000 has to be placed inside of a sump filtration tank under the aquarium. The unit cannot be used beside the filtration tank. An aquarium return pump can be submerged in the sump or fitted to the side of the sump with a bulkhead fitting.
The skimmer draws water from an overflow box located on the back or side of the aquarium. For drilled aquariums with bulkhead fittings, no overflow boxes are required. A ball valve should be placed in between the skimmer and the overflow box and flexible tubing should be used for all connections. Water from the aquarium moves by gravity down to the skimmer. By turning the ball valve, the amount of water supplied to the skimmer can be controlled.
The air intake snorkel should be connected to the pump intake. This snorkel is built into the intake on the skimmer. In order for air to be sucked in, the end of the air snorkel is attached to the black collar at the top of the skimmer (above the water level). The lower end of the air snorkel should be joined to the intake port for the needle wheel pump.
The needle wheel pump can be plugged in once the water flows down from the overflow box into the skimmer. The action of the pump causes water to be pressed into the reaction pipe of the skimmer. At the same time, an under pressure is created at the suction side of the pump and air is sucked in. Due to the action of the needles wheel, the air that is sucked in is chopped into micro-fine bubbles. The exhaust of the skimmer then passes through the PVC elbows into the filtration tank. This construction eliminates a great portion of the noise and splashing. If noise does arise at the air snorkel inlet, put a silencer on it.
The quantity of air sucked in should be adjusted so that 75% of the reaction pipe is filled with air bubbles. After the initial start-up, it takes some hours or even a day 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 sea water. There must be an equilibrium of electrical loading between the two. After some time, the foam should be pushed evenly into the collection cup. The quantity of removed waste depends upon the organic loading of the aquarium.
Located at the top of the skimmer are two gray throttle valves. By turning these valves left, right, or by removing them completely, the height of the water column in the skimmer can be adjusted permanently. A high water column pushes the foam further up the skimmer cup allowing for increased foam removal. The foam quality should be adjusted to a tight dry form that slowly rises to the top of the collection cup and retains a solid shape as it slowly trickles down into the collection cup. This will produce a thick dark brown or green fluid that collects in the skimmer cup and needs to be discarded periodically.
Failures:
Failures can arise if the relation between the sucked in air and water is not in the right range. If the flow rate of the circulation pump of the aquarium is too slow, adjust the flow rate through the ball valve. If the flow rate is still too slow, the flow rate of the circulation pump has to be increased. The air snorkel is clogged or the pump housing with the needle wheel is clogged - clean/replaced both. The intake of the air snorkel is obstructed or the connection to the needle wheel pump has come apart. Reattached. |