Do You All Screw With Your Aquariums as Much as I Do?

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Almost everyday (sometimes several times a day) I adjust ball valves (and sometimes my float valve or overflow box) trying to get water levels in the DT and sump to be perfectly balanced. It's NEVER PERFECT, though. :frustrat: The longest I've gone without adjusting any of the valves is 6 days. Either the sump is gaining water to quick or the DT is, and if I ignore it, eventually, it will overflow. Do you all have this issue?

 

[PRC]

I don't have those types of issues with the sump and DT. But I do spend an awful lot of time messing around with or in the tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

That shouldn't be an issue... If you dial down your return pump to slightly slower than the overflow box, you will reach equilibrium. The overflow box can only drain as fast as the return pump is pushing water back up.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

That shouldn't be an issue... If you dial down your return pump to slightly slower than the overflow box, you will reach equilibrium. The overflow box can only drain as fast as the return pump is pushing water back up.

I guess that's my problem: I'm trying to make the flow of the return pump equal the overflow box, not have the return pump less than the overflow. I guess I'll go adjust some valves...again ;)

 

[Bifferwine]

Do you have an overflow box that you can adjust the height in the tank? You want the lip just below the water level. So when the water level drops a bit, the water stops going down the overflow box.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Do you have an overflow box that you can adjust the height in the tank? You want the lip just below the water level. So when the water level drops a bit, the water stops going down the overflow box.

Yes, I can adjust the height of my overflow box. Right now I have it sticking out about 1/4" above water level, but I can make it go lower. I'll give it a shot.

 

[Bifferwine]

If it's above water level, how is the water getting in it? Drop the lip (where water flows over) to slightly below the water level.

To test it, shut off your return pump. Water should stop going down the overflow box almost right away, since the level in the display tank drops when the return pump stops working.

Hopefully that helps!

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

If it's above water level, how is the water getting in it? Drop the lip (where water flows over) to slightly below the water level.

My overflow box has "teeth" (for surface skimming). I meant that the teeth stick out above water level by 1/4", the rest of the teeth (about 1") and the rest of the box are submerged under water. Hopefully that makes sense...

To test it, shut off your return pump. Water should stop going down the overflow box almost right away, since the level in the display tank drops when the return pump stops working.

Hopefully that helps!

Thanks, Biff!!

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I moved my overflow higher like you suggested Biff. However, my pump is just too strong. There is no way I can get the pump gph to be less than that of the overflow (I've adjusted ball valves and ran a T from the return pump line back into the sump). It looks like I need to buy a less powerful pump...

Right now my overflow box is rated at 300gph and the current return pump I'm using (that is too strong) is a Via Aqua 3600 rated at 1057gph. What gph return pump would you recommend?

 

[Bifferwine]

Oh wow. That is way stronger than your overflow. You want to buy a pump rated slightly higher than the overflow box. So something higher than 300 gph. That way, once you account for head loss and add a ball valve, you can easily control it.

An alternative to allow you to use your current pump is to plumb a T in the return line. One end of the T goes to the display tank, and the other goes back to the sump. The line going back to the sump gets its own ball valve. This way, you simply redirect water back into the sump instead of to the display tank.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

An alternative to allow you to use your current pump is to plumb a T in the return line. One end of the T goes to the display tank, and the other goes back to the sump. The line going back to the sump gets its own ball valve. This way, you simply redirect water back into the sump instead of to the display tank.

That's exactly how I have the return plumbing set-up. The pump is still way too strong though...

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I was looking on Foster and Smith's and am thinking about getting the Via Aqua 1800 rated at 480gph with max head at 6ft. Would that work?

 

[Solarfall]

I'd probably just get a bigger overflow box if I were you. Then you can get a little more flow in your tank while you still have to make a purchase.

 

[dcantucson]

I think Duncan has a good idea. Larger overflow box.

 

[Ulta]

I moved my overflow higher like you suggested Biff. However, my pump is just too strong. There is no way I can get the pump gph to be less than that of the overflow (I've adjusted ball valves and ran a T from the return pump line back into the sump). It looks like I need to buy a less powerful pump...

Right now my overflow box is rated at 300gph and the current return pump I'm using (that is too strong) is a Via Aqua 3600 rated at 1057gph. What gph return pump would you recommend?

This doesn't make sense to me... If you can't get your pump to pump less than your overflow handles, how is your DT not overflowing? :dunno:
Adjusting the Overflow box level should only change the water level in the DT.

And yeah... 1057 pump your gonna need a larger overflow for that, prolly cheaper than buying a new pump.

 

[sen5241b]

My hands are in there very day.

READ THIS: Reefkeeping's Top Ten - Reefkeeping.com WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT ALONE

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

This doesn't make sense to me... If you can't get your pump to pump less than your overflow handles, how is your DT not overflowing? :dunno:
Adjusting the Overflow box level should only change the water level in the DT.

The DT was going to overflow, that's why I moved the overflow box back where I had it so that the overflow would send more water down quicker to keep up with the pump.

My hands are in there very day.

READ THIS: Reefkeeping's Top Ten - Reefkeeping.com WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT ALONE

Those stories sound an awful lot like my relationship with the aquarium... :mrgreen:
However, I do need to fix this overflow/pump relationship issue... :grumble:

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Okay, so right now I'm using an Eshopps PF-300 Overflow Box rated at 300gph and a Via Aqua 3600 Return Pump rated at 1057gph. If I upgraded the overflow box to an Eshopps PF-800 Overflow Box rated at 800gph and kept my same Via Aqua return pump, would that work?

 

[daugherty]

no i dont mess with my tank at all. and i think sometimes that is a bad idea also you can let things go to long without checking on them.

 

[Bifferwine]

Okay, so right now I'm using an Eshopps PF-300 Overflow Box rated at 300gph and a Via Aqua 3600 Return Pump rated at 1057gph. If I upgraded the overflow box to an Eshopps PF-800 Overflow Box rated at 800gph and kept my same Via Aqua return pump, would that work?

Yes. If you factor in head space and add a ball valve after the pump, you shouldn't have a problem matching the two.