Aquamedic Turboflotor Blue 3000 Help!

[hpc]

Hi,

I’m using the Turboflotor Blue 3000 skimmer in my 200 gallon tank for 2 weeks now but I have notice the skimmer have a hard time to push the foam up to the collection cup, I have tried to adjust the flow regulator (item 5 in the manual) and tried to remove the extension neck (item 9 in the manual) but to no avail. It seems that there’s a rather violent turbulence inside the within the foam at the top of the skimmer. I have read the manual and I notice that there’s a plug for pressure line (item 6 in the manual) but the manual did not state the usage of it. I wonder whether I should play around with it to solve my problem. My current tank load is:

1 X Blue tang
1 X Yellow tang
1 X Queen Angel
1 X Emperor Angel

All fish are > 4 inch in size with the Emperor Angel at 7 inch.

Thanks.

 

[DragonReef]

Hi HPC and welcome to MASA

Unfortuneatly I am not familiar with this specific skimmer, but a couple of questions.

At what height is the water level in the skimmer ?

Is the skimmer placed in your sump, or as a hang on in the main aquarium ?

Lastly how far from the surface is your pump placed ?

 

[psycho]

 

[Rory]

Hi and welcome hpc

As this skimmer is rather new on the market I think a picture would help the guys here see what the problem is.

Link to the manual

 

[viper357]

Welcome to the forum hpc.

If I can recall correctly, I think one of our members (surgeon) is using the same skimmer, send him a PM as he is not always online, maybe he can help you.

 

[phat]

is it not possible that you dont have much to skim? with a low bio load and all in a large water volume

 

[Mekaeel]

Welcome to MASA hpc!out of curiosity,how much did you pay for the skimmer?

 

[Alan]

Hi hpc welcome to MASA, really good to have you on board. If i may ask, how old is this skimmer? Remembering there is a break in period for skimmers, to start off i would let the full amount of air through and concentrate on the height up the riser tube, don't worry too much about the turbulence as plenty of the new age skimmers have very turbulent chambers because of the amount of air being pumped in

 

[gaz19]

i have the same skimmer. i think your bio load is to low for it to skim. try an raise the water level. this produces more foam. the lower the water level the less foam but darker(dry skimming).

 

[Mekaeel]

lol gaz,our AM fan to the rescue

 

[gaz19]

:razz: dont be jelous

 

[Adriaan]

Hi HPC.

You do not have to worry about the performance of that skimmer. They skim very well. It sounds like you do not get enough bubbles in the skimmer. To start with , the plug on the inlet side of the skimmer is very important! It is there so that you can decrease the amount of water to the skimmer from the pump. The less water, the less air you will get and that would explain why the foam does not push up into the cup. In other words the plug works as a type of valve. You need to ensure that you get maximum waterflow to the skimmer! Pull the fitting out and have a look at it. You will see that the bottom is angled to the one side. The fitting forms part of a bend in the feeding line to the skimmer. The longest part of the fitting should be closest to the main chaimber of the skimmer. I am sure that you will figure it out when you remove it.

It could also be that something is stuck in the venturi of the pump. That is where the water enters the pump.

If you do not come right please give me a call and I will make sure that we sort it out for you.

Adriaan 0829043313

 

[hpc]

Hi all, thanks for the welcome. Sorry for not introduce myself, 1st of all i'm from Malaysia, being in the marine fish keeping for about 4 years. I have a 4 footer soft coral tank from the start and my current project is the 5 x 2.5 x 2.5 FOWLR with a 4 x 2 x 1.5 sump.

Ok, back to the topic.

The skimmer is reside in the sump, 1st partition where the raw water comes from the overflow. The pump is about 5 - 6 inch from the water surface. I have tried to adjust the valve on the water intake side but it's very tight, i don't dare to force it. Should i use any tool? FYI the skimmer have been operated for 2 weeks.

Yesterday night i clean the skimmer cup, all the gunk stick to the side of the riser tube but no foam on the top. I adjust the water level to level up at 0.5cm from the base of the riser tube (the part before the tube diameter start to shrink) and it start to foam nicely. This morning i check the skimmer and i notice the no more foam! Will day/night changes affect skimming performance?

Thanks again!

 

[phat]

esterday night i clean the skimmer cup, all the gunk stick to the side of the riser tube but no foam on the top

honestly i think your bio load is to low!!

 

[hpc]

honestly i think your bio load is to low!!

i do hope thats the "problem".

 

[DragonReef]

hpc there are numerous factors that can influence a skimmer. Atmospheric pressure, feeding, putting your hands in the tank, PH swings etc.

Don't worry if at certain times the foam level drops off but rather take the overall performance over a 24-48 hour period.
If you find that there is a lot of gunk building up on the inside of the neck but not much going into the cup then raise your water level slightly. If you find to much water going into the cup then lower the level slightly.
This skimmer is still new so you are going through the "Tuning" phase.
Once the skimmer settles in and you find the "Sweet Spot " you will find that the skimmer will perform consistently.
Even with the lightish BIO load that you have your skimmer should still be pulling out skimmate everyday.
Please note that when doing adajustments to the water level, do it while you are at home so that you can see what it's doing. Don't do it 5 minutes before you leave for work in the morning.

Cool, please keep us updated on the progress.
Oh yes and we would love to see some pics of your tank

 

[viper357]

I don't think your low bio load is the reason.

How much live rock do you have in the tank?

 

[Mekaeel]

what is your salinity htc?

 

[hpc]

what is your salinity htc?

it's at 1.0205 s.g

 

[viper357]

Any luck with your skimmer hpc ?