turbofloater 1000?
- Thread starter skkyy
- Start date
I have a Turboflotor 1000 on my 120 FOWLR with 33-gallon sump. I supply it with a Rio 600, and use an inexpensive Elite air pump to feed air to it. Without the external air pump I found the bubble production to be subpar, but with that $5.00 pump, it is phenomenal. The skimmer began producing thick foam the moment I turned it on. I've been very pleased with it.
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Don't miss my Jensalt sump horror story site.
Also see how to cycle a new tank with household ammonia.
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Greg Bunch
http://www.gbundersea.com
Home of the Digital Lens Dock, MXTENDER, Save-A-Lens Kit, and u/w photography
http://www.reefngom.org
Co-founder and fish ID instructor
REEF Field Station of the Northern Gulf of Mexico
__________________
Don't miss my Jensalt sump horror story site.
Also see how to cycle a new tank with household ammonia.
__________________
Greg Bunch
http://www.gbundersea.com
Home of the Digital Lens Dock, MXTENDER, Save-A-Lens Kit, and u/w photography
http://www.reefngom.org
Co-founder and fish ID instructor
REEF Field Station of the Northern Gulf of Mexico
I like good mechanical filtration, so my overflow passes through a 100-micron filter sock and I use the Rio 600 in the sump to feed the skimmer. Here's the diagram of my sump/fuge setup, which consists of 3 linked tanks due to the size restraints of my stand:skkyy":39fyh4ae said:
It's not a bad skimmer, but it takes a long time to break in properly. I tends to produce lots of wet foam when new and after throrough cleanings with a dilute vinegar solution. The cleanings are necessary as the air intake tends to get clogged with deposits over time. (This may be why the previous poster uses an air pump.) Sometimes letting the skimmer pull in a cup of hot water helps clear up the air intake. I use a cheapo plastic air valve to limit the air intake until it gets "set up" again after cleanings. This takes a few weeks, and I recommend that you limit the air intake when setting it up for the first time.
I didn't want and extra pump, so I split my overflow outlet with a T and some ball valves. (Gate valves will work better, but I could not find all plastic ones at the time.) The flow through the skimmer is slow and steady.
I bought it with the Ocean Runner 2500 pump, and I broke the needle wheel impeller during a cleaning once. I found a new one online for around $18. (Everyone else wanted to sell me a whole new pump for $80).
It's a good skimmer but not without maintenance issues.
I didn't want and extra pump, so I split my overflow outlet with a T and some ball valves. (Gate valves will work better, but I could not find all plastic ones at the time.) The flow through the skimmer is slow and steady.
I bought it with the Ocean Runner 2500 pump, and I broke the needle wheel impeller during a cleaning once. I found a new one online for around $18. (Everyone else wanted to sell me a whole new pump for $80).
It's a good skimmer but not without maintenance issues.
My TF1000 actually worked great right from the start, with the exception that I felt it just didn't produce enough bubbles with only the built-in motor. The bubble issue wasn't due to buildup, since the unit was brand-new. Simply adding a cheap air pump resulted in huge bubble output. (BTW, I have the skimmer with the Rio pump; I don't think they offered the OceanRunner when I bought mine.)
gbundersea":3nb0fitf said:
That could be the difference. The OceanRunner pump is almost too much for this skimmer. It produces a huge amount of bubbles, at least until the intake gets clogged up. It works well, but it's just a little difficult to adjust at first.
To see details on the enormous bioload I placed on mine, take a look at my lengthy post in this thread: http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=35831skkyy":3mph5ao7 said:
In short, on June 27, 2003, I put 250 lbs of Gulf-View live rock and 220+ lbs of live sand into my new 120-gallon. I didn't take anything off of the rock except one patch of dying tunicates. The TF1000 went absolutely crazy for a couple of days. The volume of dirty foam it generated actually lifted the top of the collection cup, and cascaded over the side. I was constantly cleaning and replacing the cup, and still couldn't keep up with it. As the water parameters rapidly cleared, the volume of skimmate shrank accordingly. While I do have a large amount of LR, 5-6" DSB, and refugium, the skimmer no doubt played a part in the dramatic success I've had in that system. Ammonia and nitrites never got high, and went to zero in less than 3 weeks. Nitrates peaked at 40, fell steadily, and were 4.2 the last time I checked. Fish, crabs, corals, and other inverts are all thriving. And all this happened without my doing a single water change.
I've been very pleased with the Turboflotor.
__________________
Don't miss my Jensalt sump horror story site.
Also see how to cycle a new tank with household ammonia.
__________________
Greg Bunch
http://www.gbundersea.com
Home of the Digital Lens Dock, MXTENDER, Save-A-Lens Kit, and u/w photography
http://www.reefngom.org
Co-founder and fish ID instructor
REEF Field Station of the Northern Gulf of Mexico
I love my TF1000! It's fitted with an AquaBee powerhead with the "brush type" impeller. It produces a lot of bubbles and no need for an air pump. One thing you need to know on the TF1000 is that you need an powerhead that has an venturi on it. Then connect an air line to it and run it outside the tank. When I first got my TF1000, I did not hook up the air line and got no bubbles. After I hooked up the airline, I had a ton! Blue
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