Help Putting A Skimmer In A Sump Please

[rl1oyd]

Ok so as some of you know im new to the hobby and at the moment just in the process of getting all the bits together before i start.

First question i bought the as turboflotor skimmer, i bought it second hand it was all assembled when it arrived.
How the hell do you remove the collection cup? Me and my mate were looking at it tonight and without breaking it couldnt figure it out?

Ok so i have a nicely newly decorated living room and the last thing i want is this beast strapped to the side of the tank.
I would like to set it up in the underneath cupboard using some kind of water holder does this need to be a actual glass tank or would a bucket of some size do?
Never even seem a skimmer until this one arrived so it all looks a bit confusing, so far i have got that the skimmer will sit next to the water sump whatever this maybe? The ocean runner pump goes into the sump, how do i then get the water from the skimmer to the tank and as im typing im thinking obviously i need to get tank water to the sump?
Oh its so confusing can someone explain in lehmans terms how to do it as we cant figure it out and my mates saying we could end up with a flood on our hands if something fails.

HELP

 

[SkiFletch]

Not sure about the cup on a Turboflotor 3000 but perhaps the manual will offer some help

As for where to put it, you basically need to setup a sump tank in the stand. How much room do you have down there? Pics?

 

[jtnova13]

in lehmans (sp?) terms:

To get water from the tank to the sump you need to either drill holes in the tank (cannot do this if the glass is tempered) or get an overflow box. CPR, eshopps, something like that.

Once the water is in the sump tank (can be a plastic bin or an actual fish tank), you will skim it using your protein skimmer.

To get water back into the main tank, you will have to have a water pump in the sump tank and run either pvc piping or flex hose back up to the main tank.

 

[rl1oyd]

ok thanks for replies so far guys.
So if i have an overflow box it wont flood, thats the think i was most worried about

 

[jtnova13]

the only way to prevent a flood is to have a drilled tank with overflow box built in and some sort of standpipe. This way if your power cuts out, only a small portion of the tank will drain out.

With a hang-on overflow box, if you lose the siphon required to drain water from the tank, your return pump will keep pumping water from the sump into the main tank until it overflows unless you run out of water in the sump before it overflows.

I think you can use an aqualifter pump to make sure the siphon resumes if it breaks somehow.

I was worried about the flooding thing too, so I ended up buying a new reef ready tank. If you think about it, 200 bucks for a new tank is much cheaper than thousands of dollars for a new floor/carpet and all of your livestock dying.

That said, there are a ton of awesome tanks that use hang-on overflows.

 

[rl1oyd]

Thanks for reply.
Well i have bought a seachem overflow box today and a eheim marine pump and some tubing so we will have to see?
Hopefully no flood i live on ground floor but im in an apartment so my neighbours would not be happy if i spill 190 gallon sea water under these doors!

 

[AK77]

Just be sure to check the overflow box for bubbles. Small bubbles in the water collect and form a larger one inside the box. So long as you suck them out the top vent, you should be ok. I used to keep a dosing syringe in the top of the air line. Very useful way of sucking the unwanted air out the box