Aqua Medic Protein Skimmer: Turboflotor T1000 with Ocean Runner 2700 pump. In-Sump Protein Skimmer for aquaria 25 to 250 gal.
The Turboflotor T1000 is a powerful skimmer with a unique plumbing scheme that makes it the smartest little skimmer on the market. Taking advantage of the fact that the surface of your aquarium is where proteins collect naturally, the T1000 is designed to intake the water exiting the overflow of your tank. By delivering the surface skimmed water directly into the reaction chamber of the T1000, efficiency is maximized. If splicing into the drain-line plumbing is not an option in your system, the T1000 can be run from a tee off your main system pump or feed by a secondary pump. The T1000 Stand Alone requires a pump to vigorously re-circulate the volume of the reaction chamber, mixing it with finely chopped air bubbles. The T1000 is designed to be run on an Aqua Medic OR2700 (an Oceanrunner 2500 fitted with the formidable Needle Wheel Impellor). Also included is a Filter Box with bio balls, which installs on the exit pipes, to shed micro-bubbles and increases your biological capacity. The skimmer itself is entirely Ozone ready; simply replace the vinyl airline with silicone tubing (Ozone safe tubing) to connect the ozone generator to the venturi. Either way you plumb it the Turboflotor T1000 Stand Alone is the best skimmer available in this price range and easily out-preforms skimmers costing twice the price.
Height: 22"
Footprint: 7-1/4" x 16"
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, and the AquaMedic Oceanrunner 2700 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 OR2700 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.
This is an authorized reproduction of the European Operation Manual that comes with the European Turboflotor T1000s. It is more detailsed than the instructions sheet included with the units sold in USA.
Operation Manual for the AQUA MEDIC Turboflotor 1000. Motor driven skimmer for filtration systems for aquaria up to 1000 l.
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 MEDICBactoballs and a venturi pump inclusive AQUA MEDICNeedle wheel. Fig. 1: Turboflotor 1000
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 MEDICNeedle 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 systems Reef 500 or Reef 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:
- The water level in the filtration tank or the chamber, where the pump gets its water from, is too low or too high. It should be maintained between 10 and 15 cm.
- The air injection nozzle is clogged or the pump housing with the needle wheel is polluted. In this case remove, clean and insert them again. Especially in case of calcareous aquarium water, the nozzles get often clogged. If it cannot removed mechanically, the whole nozzle should be put into vinagre or citrus acid for a night.
- The connection between the suction side of the pump and the air injection nozzle is loose. Then the pump sucks the water aside the air injection nozzle. Check if the pump is correctly fixed on the bottom plate and screw it, if necessary.
8. Warranty
AQUA MEDIC Anlagenbau GmbH guarantee 6 months from the date of purchase on production and material defects. Further claims and claims resulting from improper use are excluded.
Warranty only by proof of purchase by the original invoice.
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Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
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Excellent!
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Wanna Be A Balla'
by PETE SILVESTRI
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Experience Level: Intermediate
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Posted on 9/21/2007 from BRIGHTON, MI UNITED STATES
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Comments: Look no further. This is the skimmer for any size reef tank. Currently skimming a forty gallon Acro. and SPS reef, removing about two cups of brown syrup a day. Installation and assembly was a breeze. About 16 hours for total break in but still skimmed some yellow liqiud during the process. With the skimmer in my room, its quiet operation was appreciated. I am 100% Satisfied with this product and you guys:) Worth every penny.
Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
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Excellent!
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Amazing skimer!!!
by TODD
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Comments: If you want a very efficient skimmer at a cheap price this is the one! Removes large amounts of dark waste. Quick break-in period ( almost instantly ) Very quiet skimmer and pump.
Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.
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