Protein Skimmer Production/Improvements
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AM Turboflotor 1000 Multi
AM Turboflotor 1000 Multi
Anthony C - Thanks for the welcome. Nice to be here and hopefully share some of the experience with the others.
unkleJ - thank you for sharing your experience with your Turboflotor 1000 multi. I was relieved a bit to see that the poor performance might not be solely related to me. I too have the multi version. I have been running it in the HOB mode from the start. Now I am thankful that I did not attempt to run it outside the sump because of the overflowing problem. I agree that it is difficult to find a consistent "sweet spot" with this skimmer and that there are too many variables affecting its performance. Anyway, I would like to share my observations with you and the others that are having difficulty with this skimmer:
After finding this forum, it became obvious once more that the level of the water in the sump is very important. I try to keep a constant level with the help of a RO water topping mechanism. The depth of the water in my sump is approximately 12 cm (4.7 inches). After reading this thread, I moved my pump closer to the surface by shortening the pipe that connects the pump to the skimmer. I removed the plastic body of the pump and moved the intake/venturi opening as close as to the surface as possible without creating a vortex. I guess there is about an inch between the intake and the water surface.
My first observation after doing this was that, because of the decreased water pressure exerted on the intake of the pump, I had difficulty rising the water level in the skimmer. As a result of this I closed both of the valves on the effluent water. The level rose, but the production of skimmate was still unsatisfactory. Seeing that the performace was not sufficient, I decided to remove the restrictor piece in the intake of the pump and installed the extender neck. When I started, I saw that the intake is now more powerful and I had to open the valves fully on the effluent water side. Everything seemed to be OK, but I observed that now the skimmate was too watery. Nevertheless I decided to wait for a few days in order for the skimmer to find its balance. On the second day, I came to the house to find that it had overflown and was continuing to do so. I stopped the pump, emptied the collector cup, and since both of the valves are already in the full position, decided to remove the silencer connected to the air tube. I find that the silencer restricts the airflow a bit, resulting in a relative increase in the water level in the skimmer body. Therefore, removing the silencer dropped the level in the skimmer body. At the moment, I am giving it a try like this. It has been two days and there are no overflowes yet. However, I am still far from collecting a full collection cup everyday.
It seems that this skimmer is all about extremes, with one setup, the performance is pathetic, with the other setup, it is difficult to keep it under control.
jaden1 - I agree that the pump shoud be as high as possible in the water colum. To this end I too shortened the hose from the pump. In my case, this resulted in a slight decrease in the water level in the skimmer body, and I am still fiddling with it to find the sweet spot.
cheeks69 - I also saw this advice about removing the valves in order to prevent the overflowing. However, this skimmer is so erratic in its behavior that, a week ago I came to the house to find water gushing from the hole that is normally closed by the removed valves. Maybe we shoud ask for another skimmer for the new year!
AM Turboflotor 1000 Multi
Anthony C - Thanks for the welcome. Nice to be here and hopefully share some of the experience with the others.
unkleJ - thank you for sharing your experience with your Turboflotor 1000 multi. I was relieved a bit to see that the poor performance might not be solely related to me. I too have the multi version. I have been running it in the HOB mode from the start. Now I am thankful that I did not attempt to run it outside the sump because of the overflowing problem. I agree that it is difficult to find a consistent "sweet spot" with this skimmer and that there are too many variables affecting its performance. Anyway, I would like to share my observations with you and the others that are having difficulty with this skimmer:
After finding this forum, it became obvious once more that the level of the water in the sump is very important. I try to keep a constant level with the help of a RO water topping mechanism. The depth of the water in my sump is approximately 12 cm (4.7 inches). After reading this thread, I moved my pump closer to the surface by shortening the pipe that connects the pump to the skimmer. I removed the plastic body of the pump and moved the intake/venturi opening as close as to the surface as possible without creating a vortex. I guess there is about an inch between the intake and the water surface.
My first observation after doing this was that, because of the decreased water pressure exerted on the intake of the pump, I had difficulty rising the water level in the skimmer. As a result of this I closed both of the valves on the effluent water. The level rose, but the production of skimmate was still unsatisfactory. Seeing that the performace was not sufficient, I decided to remove the restrictor piece in the intake of the pump and installed the extender neck. When I started, I saw that the intake is now more powerful and I had to open the valves fully on the effluent water side. Everything seemed to be OK, but I observed that now the skimmate was too watery. Nevertheless I decided to wait for a few days in order for the skimmer to find its balance. On the second day, I came to the house to find that it had overflown and was continuing to do so. I stopped the pump, emptied the collector cup, and since both of the valves are already in the full position, decided to remove the silencer connected to the air tube. I find that the silencer restricts the airflow a bit, resulting in a relative increase in the water level in the skimmer body. Therefore, removing the silencer dropped the level in the skimmer body. At the moment, I am giving it a try like this. It has been two days and there are no overflowes yet. However, I am still far from collecting a full collection cup everyday.
It seems that this skimmer is all about extremes, with one setup, the performance is pathetic, with the other setup, it is difficult to keep it under control.
jaden1 - I agree that the pump shoud be as high as possible in the water colum. To this end I too shortened the hose from the pump. In my case, this resulted in a slight decrease in the water level in the skimmer body, and I am still fiddling with it to find the sweet spot.
cheeks69 - I also saw this advice about removing the valves in order to prevent the overflowing. However, this skimmer is so erratic in its behavior that, a week ago I came to the house to find water gushing from the hole that is normally closed by the removed valves. Maybe we shoud ask for another skimmer for the new year!
Kenfuzed
New member
I recently purchased an older Turbo Flotor Multi that came with the Aquabee pump. Reading through this thread I see mention of flow caps and extended necks. Could someone explain what these look like so I can see if this skimmer came with them? I don't have a picture available at the moment but the skimmer came with only a black box that hangs over the tank wall and 2 cpvc elbows that exit that box. Pictures on sites selling the Multi show 2 of those boxes, which I don't quite understand their purpose.
The skimmer skimmed dry when I mounted it on a LR holding tank, and I'd like to use this on a small frag tank as a secondary wet skimmer. I also don't see how this skimmer converts to insump as advertised, unless I prop it up in the corner. Seems the pump would topple it over unless supported.
The skimmer skimmed dry when I mounted it on a LR holding tank, and I'd like to use this on a small frag tank as a secondary wet skimmer. I also don't see how this skimmer converts to insump as advertised, unless I prop it up in the corner. Seems the pump would topple it over unless supported.
Turboflotor
Turboflotor
Amphora - on the water level thing - water level definately makes a difference - as illustrated by everyone's mods to get the pump closer to the surface. So, if there's anything you can do to make the level more constant, that will help. My skimmer pump is in a section of my sump that has a constant level. There is a set of bubble trap baffles between the skimmer pump and return pump.
Also, I drilled a hole in my collection cup and ran a drain line from the cup down to a 1 gallon collection container - gives me a lot more time before a flood occurs if things get out of hand. I'm going to set it up with a float switch to shut off the skimmer too - so with that setup, I can be more aggressive with my skimmer setup without worrying about having a flood.
Kenfuzed - you might find some info on the mfr's website...but in short, the skimmer goes on the outside of the sump, hanging by the returns - which rest on the edge of the sump, and are connected to that black box. Not sure what the deal is with the 2 black boxes, I guess that's supposed to give you more of a "bubble trap" to allow micro bubbles to settle out before the return water is dumped back into your sump. I only use 1 black box.
Turboflotor
Amphora - on the water level thing - water level definately makes a difference - as illustrated by everyone's mods to get the pump closer to the surface. So, if there's anything you can do to make the level more constant, that will help. My skimmer pump is in a section of my sump that has a constant level. There is a set of bubble trap baffles between the skimmer pump and return pump.
Also, I drilled a hole in my collection cup and ran a drain line from the cup down to a 1 gallon collection container - gives me a lot more time before a flood occurs if things get out of hand. I'm going to set it up with a float switch to shut off the skimmer too - so with that setup, I can be more aggressive with my skimmer setup without worrying about having a flood.
Kenfuzed - you might find some info on the mfr's website...but in short, the skimmer goes on the outside of the sump, hanging by the returns - which rest on the edge of the sump, and are connected to that black box. Not sure what the deal is with the 2 black boxes, I guess that's supposed to give you more of a "bubble trap" to allow micro bubbles to settle out before the return water is dumped back into your sump. I only use 1 black box.
unkleJ - My water level in the sump is pretty solid. At the moment, I am experimenting with running it without the valves and the silencer piece on the air tube.
Kenfused - You can hang the skimmer body by the return pipes. I use only one of those boxes. I believe it is for lowering down your effluent water so that it will not splash and cause bubbles.
As for the extender piece we are talking about, mine came in the original box. It is the piece which your skimmate collection box sits on. There are two sizes that are provided and the collection box's height relative to the skimmer changes according to the piece that you use. You can try to unscrew the neck counterclock wise if I remember correctly, that is presently on your skimmer after removing the skimmate collection box and change it with the other piece, if you have it.
Kenfused - You can hang the skimmer body by the return pipes. I use only one of those boxes. I believe it is for lowering down your effluent water so that it will not splash and cause bubbles.
As for the extender piece we are talking about, mine came in the original box. It is the piece which your skimmate collection box sits on. There are two sizes that are provided and the collection box's height relative to the skimmer changes according to the piece that you use. You can try to unscrew the neck counterclock wise if I remember correctly, that is presently on your skimmer after removing the skimmate collection box and change it with the other piece, if you have it.
Kenfuzed
New member
No, unfortunately it only came with the one neck, and not sure if it is the long or short version. Still not sure what the "flow caps" are or where they are located.
The only adjustment I can find is a valve someone put on the air hose.
Also, why do these come with a bubble counter?
The only adjustment I can find is a valve someone put on the air hose.
Also, why do these come with a bubble counter?
Ken - mine didn't come with a bubble counter...the valve on the air hose you mentioned - that's on the air line to the pump venturi? Mine doesn't have that either....maybe those are mods by the previous owner?
The flow control valves are on the outlets from the skimmer - each one has a round black knob on it, right on the side of the body of the skimmer.
The return lines run up the outside of the skimmer, then turn 90 degrees out to form the outlets. At this 90 degree bend is where the flow control knobs are. Kinda hard to explain....
The knobs are not knurled or anything - they are smooth and round except for a "indicator line" like that on the volume knob on a radio - with that line straight and pointing towards the direction of the flow out of the return, that gives you your max flow (or minimum restriction to flow), with the line flipped around 180 degrees, so its pointing straight into the skimmer, thats your maximum restriction to flow (will raise the level in the skimmer, give you wetter skimmate).
Hope that helps.
The flow control valves are on the outlets from the skimmer - each one has a round black knob on it, right on the side of the body of the skimmer.
The return lines run up the outside of the skimmer, then turn 90 degrees out to form the outlets. At this 90 degree bend is where the flow control knobs are. Kinda hard to explain....
The knobs are not knurled or anything - they are smooth and round except for a "indicator line" like that on the volume knob on a radio - with that line straight and pointing towards the direction of the flow out of the return, that gives you your max flow (or minimum restriction to flow), with the line flipped around 180 degrees, so its pointing straight into the skimmer, thats your maximum restriction to flow (will raise the level in the skimmer, give you wetter skimmate).
Hope that helps.
Kenfused - I believe the bubble counter that you are referring to is the silencer. The user guide I have clearly labels it so. If I do not put the silencer on the sound of air being sucked into the venturi becomes a bit disturbing.
Also in my experience having the silencer on the air tube or not makes a slight impact on the performance of the skimmer.
Also in my experience having the silencer on the air tube or not makes a slight impact on the performance of the skimmer.
Just an update on the changes i made to my Aquamedic 5000 baby. Tried the finepore diffusers but they just did not work, the bubble were huge, dont know why, i tried several sizes.
Now i have 2 x size 3 sander limewood ones to compliment the needlewheel. I can not say just how much an improvement i have seen in my tank over the past few months. The front glass only needs a clean every few weeks or so. SPS growth has started again and colours have developed. Best of all is that the red hair algae that covered just about everything has all but gone
Now i have 2 x size 3 sander limewood ones to compliment the needlewheel. I can not say just how much an improvement i have seen in my tank over the past few months. The front glass only needs a clean every few weeks or so. SPS growth has started again and colours have developed. Best of all is that the red hair algae that covered just about everything has all but gone
Just an update on the changes i made to my Aquamedic 5000 baby. Tried the finepore diffusers but they just did not work, the bubble were huge, dont know why, i tried several sizes.
Now i have 2 x size 3 sander limewood ones to compliment the needlewheel. I can not say just how much an improvement i have seen in my tank over the past few months. The front glass only needs a clean every few weeks or so. SPS growth has started again and colours have developed. Best of all is that the red hair algae that covered just about everything has all but gone
Now i have 2 x size 3 sander limewood ones to compliment the needlewheel. I can not say just how much an improvement i have seen in my tank over the past few months. The front glass only needs a clean every few weeks or so. SPS growth has started again and colours have developed. Best of all is that the red hair algae that covered just about everything has all but gone
Anthony Calfo
New member
excellent to hear, Ian... thank you for sharing your feedback/perspective. 
It has been the mantra of many of us: nutrient export is the key. Indeed, I have yet to see a nuisance algae growth in aquaria that could not be starved into submission via a skimmer in a matter of weeks for most, or a couple/few months at worst.
It has been the mantra of many of us: nutrient export is the key. Indeed, I have yet to see a nuisance algae growth in aquaria that could not be starved into submission via a skimmer in a matter of weeks for most, or a couple/few months at worst.
I usually run my skimmer (turboflotor) so that the top level of the bubble column is in the tapered tube in the collection cup, maybe 3" from the top of the tube - running like this, if you watch, the foam sort of builds up occasionally and spills over the top. This gives me dark skimmate, but not very much of it. Trying to adjust to skim any wetter is usually very sensitive at this point.
Something I noticed recently is that the bubbles, while very small in the skimmer body and at the bottom of the tapered tube in the collection cup is very small, they form much larger bubbles as they rise up in this tube in the collection cup - I don't have a lot of the really foamy stuff overflowing into the cup - more like mostly big bubbles that rise up to the top of the tube, pop, and the liquid from that bubble then trickles down the outside of the tube into the cup...
My skimmer runs HOB on my fuge at the moment - I'm going to build a new fuge/sump soon that will isolate the skimmer pump to a small chamber. I do get good water to the fuge/skimmer chamber, though, from a DIY HOB acrylic overflow (thanks to melev's website). So, i think I could do a lot better as far as getting good water to the skimmer, but my setup is probably not the worst, either...
So, back to my real question, about the bubble size - is this large bubble size in the collection cup neck a problem ? Should I be looking to get more foam coming into the cup, and should I be looking at adjusting the amount of air available to the needlewheel to try to get this result? Any ideas?
What about the other turboflotor owners - does yours run like this? Thanks guys...
Something I noticed recently is that the bubbles, while very small in the skimmer body and at the bottom of the tapered tube in the collection cup is very small, they form much larger bubbles as they rise up in this tube in the collection cup - I don't have a lot of the really foamy stuff overflowing into the cup - more like mostly big bubbles that rise up to the top of the tube, pop, and the liquid from that bubble then trickles down the outside of the tube into the cup...
My skimmer runs HOB on my fuge at the moment - I'm going to build a new fuge/sump soon that will isolate the skimmer pump to a small chamber. I do get good water to the fuge/skimmer chamber, though, from a DIY HOB acrylic overflow (thanks to melev's website
). So, i think I could do a lot better as far as getting good water to the skimmer, but my setup is probably not the worst, either...So, back to my real question, about the bubble size - is this large bubble size in the collection cup neck a problem ? Should I be looking to get more foam coming into the cup, and should I be looking at adjusting the amount of air available to the needlewheel to try to get this result? Any ideas?
What about the other turboflotor owners - does yours run like this? Thanks guys...
spineshank385
New member
im setting up a 29g SPS reef with a 15g "bubbless" sump that houses my protein skimmer (coralife super skimmer, 65g type). THe sump does not have a seperate skimmer chamber, nor do i have room for a seperate bucket to dump the overflow water from the tank into before it goes into the sump.
Currently, the sump has about 300 gph running through it. Regarding the location of proteins, if i put a hefty pump or powerhead in the sump to keep lots of turbulence on the surface of the water, will this keep the protein suspended in the water column instead of at the water surface?
Currently, the sump has about 300 gph running through it. Regarding the location of proteins, if i put a hefty pump or powerhead in the sump to keep lots of turbulence on the surface of the water, will this keep the protein suspended in the water column instead of at the water surface?
unkleJ - The way your skimmer works sounds exactly like mine. At the moment I have the extender neck on the skimmer, the silencer on the air tube is removed, there is no valve on the air tube, the restrictor in the Ocean Runner pump is removed. One of the flow valves is in the full open position and the other is halfway closed. In this way, my skimmer operates similarly to your skimmer, i.e. the top level of the bubble column is in the upper sections of the riser tube. I too find that anything beyond this point is too sensitive and almost always results in overflowing. If I keep the bubble column any lower, then the skimmate is too thick and makes its way into the collection cup rarely, resulting in a spider web like bubble layer hanging around the top of the collection cup, refusing to go down.
I too observe that the bubbles get bigger when they move upwards into the riser tube. I realised after reading this thread and watching some videos of other successful skimmer applications, this should not be the case if I am not wrong. However, I am not sure how I can overcome this problem. I do not think there is any adjustment left that I can use. All things being constant I believe my last resort is to fiddle with the air setting: maybe I will add an air pump instead of letting the negative pressure in the venturi suck in air or try it with an air valve on the air tube to get smaller bubbles. However, I am not so sure with using an air valve, since in my experience restricting the airflow almost always results in overflowing.
unkleJ, sorry for not being of much help, but maybe through our negative experiences we can draw beneficial conclusions. Please do not hesitate to PM me if you need to discuss this further. I am keen to get to the bottom of this.
I too observe that the bubbles get bigger when they move upwards into the riser tube. I realised after reading this thread and watching some videos of other successful skimmer applications, this should not be the case if I am not wrong. However, I am not sure how I can overcome this problem. I do not think there is any adjustment left that I can use. All things being constant I believe my last resort is to fiddle with the air setting: maybe I will add an air pump instead of letting the negative pressure in the venturi suck in air or try it with an air valve on the air tube to get smaller bubbles. However, I am not so sure with using an air valve, since in my experience restricting the airflow almost always results in overflowing.
unkleJ, sorry for not being of much help, but maybe through our negative experiences we can draw beneficial conclusions. Please do not hesitate to PM me if you need to discuss this further. I am keen to get to the bottom of this.
Amphora- yeah, sounds like we're set up in a similar way - I have a restrictor in the pump inlet that I made, less restriction than the stock restrictor. I left the silencer on the air inlet because I didn't want the extra noise without it. One of my flow control knobs is full open, the other is about 75% open. I also have the extender in to raise the cup.
I'm thinking the only thing I can really do is adjust air flow (remove the silencer, add an air pump, add an air valve) and then adjust the flow taps as neccessary to maintain level in the skimmer and see what impact increasing or decreasing the airflow makes....
Maybe it would be more productive to run an airline down the center of the collection cup neck, to a limewood air diffuser at the bottom of the skimmer body, and see what affect that has. Sounds like many people have been successful with this approach with various different skimmers.
I think I'll try both over the next few days...I'll be sure to post back here on my findings.
I'm thinking the only thing I can really do is adjust air flow (remove the silencer, add an air pump, add an air valve) and then adjust the flow taps as neccessary to maintain level in the skimmer and see what impact increasing or decreasing the airflow makes....
Maybe it would be more productive to run an airline down the center of the collection cup neck, to a limewood air diffuser at the bottom of the skimmer body, and see what affect that has. Sounds like many people have been successful with this approach with various different skimmers.
I think I'll try both over the next few days...I'll be sure to post back here on my findings.
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I have a Pacific coast HO skimmer and I have tried using the Turbofloater needle wheel pump (not the skimmer just the needle wheel) before. I did many tweaking and the bubbles were always bigger than I expected and barely skim consistantly. After I read this thread, I decide to remove the needle wheel and just use a regular impellar with an 1/4 air hose attach to the intake with a SWAGELOK(sp ck) adjustable needle valve and see a very BIG improvement in bubble size (I mean super fine bubbles) and consistant skimming. I adjust the skimmer first by closing the valve, so no bubbles, to set the water level half way through the neck of the skimmer (this to prevent overflow), because I know the water level can never go above the skimmer. and just slowly open the valve. If I close the valve I do get a little overflow but it stops when all the air is out. It is really that simple for me. Personally I think the design of the needle wheel for turbofloater is not very good, imo.
unklej
Although I'm not running the same skimmer you mention. I found that once i decreased the air imput through the venturi. I don't get the large bubbles out of the top of the collection tube until the buildup of gunk within the collection cup riser tube neccesitates cleaning. I use a gate valve to control my internal water level in the skimmer, which I maintain within 1 inch of the base of the collection cup. Using this setup I'm pulling close to a gallon of coffee colored skimmate, a week, out of a 55 gallon tank.
As far as the conversation of the air pressure problem in the collection cup overflow tube, this problem can be solved by drilling a 1/4 in hole in the collection cup lid.
One consideration for those who have problems with their skimmers running wild, is what is happening prior to this event. I've found that, if I feed chopped silversides to my tank the fish oil drives my skimmer crazy.
Although I'm not running the same skimmer you mention. I found that once i decreased the air imput through the venturi. I don't get the large bubbles out of the top of the collection tube until the buildup of gunk within the collection cup riser tube neccesitates cleaning. I use a gate valve to control my internal water level in the skimmer, which I maintain within 1 inch of the base of the collection cup. Using this setup I'm pulling close to a gallon of coffee colored skimmate, a week, out of a 55 gallon tank.
As far as the conversation of the air pressure problem in the collection cup overflow tube, this problem can be solved by drilling a 1/4 in hole in the collection cup lid.
One consideration for those who have problems with their skimmers running wild, is what is happening prior to this event. I've found that, if I feed chopped silversides to my tank the fish oil drives my skimmer crazy.
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