Help With The Overflow/skimmer/wet-dry!!!!

[Sxybeemr325]

:frustrat: :frustrat: :frustrat: :frustrat: :frustrat: :frustrat: My skimmer/wet-dry is making so much air bubbles in my water......... When the water flow is retuirning to my tank, it is mostly air bubbles. I tryed to see why but can t figure this out. At first, i d just add water, but my tank is full. If i ad one more drop of water, i m gonna create a major flood!! I need some help!!!!!!! here are some pix............ Hope someone can figure this one out, cause I can't!!:frustrat: :frustrat: :frustrat:

 

[JellyMan]

check your lines make sure there all connected good make sure none of them have a hole make sure none of them are clogged, check your seals your getting air somewhere.

 

[jermpool]

What is the return in the first pic coming from?

 

[Sxybeemr325]

Jermpool,
It comes from my overflow which is connected to my wet/dry filter/skimmer(all in 1)

 

[Sxybeemr325]

so the water goes from my tank to my overflow to my "sump" back up in the return... Somehow, when i shut it off, there is more water then the maximum water limit in my "sump". As soon as I turn it back on again, all the water is gone, and there s barely any water left in there..... i don t know whY!!??/ can t figure this one out!!

 

[Bifferwine]

The tubing holds a lot of water, when you turn it off there's no water in the tubing/piping, but when you turn it back on those fill with water.

 

[jermpool]

Is there an airline going to the return pump?

If there is what happens when you take it off?

 

[Sxybeemr325]

An airline going to the return pump.............? You just lost me....lol.. There is a bunch of tubes and airlines........... Not really sure of which one you are talking about........ But i haven t touched anything.. Everything was working fine. now it s bubbling like crazy...... Is it ok for the fish???

 

[jermpool]

Maybe you could buy a bubble trap for it.

 

[VAreef]

This sounds like your pump flow is exceeding your overflow and filter capacity. If the level in the sump drops to low your pump will cavitate causing lots of small air bubbles. I would try throttling the outlet of the pump down some. You can do this by adding a valve in the line returning to the tank and adjusting the flow or even a hose clamp on the tygon tubing can be tightened down to reduce your flow. Your pump should have come with a minimum water level above the pump for proper operation. Also having a longer overflow line to the sump and shorter discharge line from the pump can help with how much water volume you need and how much line will be filled by the pump before it starts to overflow.

What are the sizes of your equipment? Volume of sump, pump capacity, length and size of tubing/piping, height from sump to aquarium top, number of 90 degree elbows, etc? All of these can factor in to pump and sump volumes and capacities.

Hope this helps some.

Brian

so the water goes from my tank to my overflow to my "sump" back up in the return... Somehow, when i shut it off, there is more water then the maximum water limit in my "sump". As soon as I turn it back on again, all the water is gone, and there s barely any water left in there..... i don t know whY!!??/ can t figure this one out!!

 

[Bifferwine]

How's it working Sxy? Did you clean out the overflow and restore flow through it?

 

[Sxybeemr325]

Biff,

I finally got it working. I figured out what happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! I am such an idiot!!!! I m lucky that my house didn t catch on fire!!!!!!!! I was looking under my tank, and I found a big black spot on my wall...... So i was wondering what it was. Started unplugging my stuff from my power bar, and all my plugs were melted!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even my powerbar was melted!!!!! At one spot, it was so melted that I could see right trough my powerbar!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyhow, The only thing that somehow got "damaged: was an airpump so i guess this is why it was blowing crazy bubbles! So went to buy another airpump! And also bought a green serpent star........lol....... So everything is fixed for now....It is working properly and there is no more air bubble. Can't beleive i didn t see that before!!!!!! All my friends were like: WOAHHHHHHHHH......

Anyhow, the star is doing well. I got home yesterday with the new pump and the star. i dripped the star for about 1 1/2 hour. Then put it in my tank... About 4 hours later, I was feeding my clowns. The star was going nutz, eating all the left over. \It was almost racing at the bottom of my tank. This thing is truly tripping me out!! I can t wait to feed my fish again tonight to see it start going nutz and clean everything!! My yellow tang is still hiding tho.... Won t come out at feeding time..... Hope he s gonna be ok.......

 

[Sxybeemr325]

Thank you to all of you that tryed to helP!!!!!!!!!! I guess I should of seen it, but instead, i was just fixed on my wet/dry, trying to ginf what was wrong, when the problem was a melted power bar!!!!!!

 

[Bifferwine]

Holy crap, at least you caught it before everything caught on fire... My serpent star is a voracious eater too, he will steal food right out of my corals' mouths when I try to feed them, so I have to keep him distracted with something in my other hand at the same time... Is your tang eating the dried seaweed yet?

 

[Sxybeemr325]

Biff, I know!!!!! I got so lucky that i have found it!!! All the stuff plugged on the power bar was still working tho.... Even if it was all melted!!! .... I think it happened couple days ago. My office is at home, so i was working, doing laundry at the same time. i smelled burned, and i was walking around the house, trying to figure out where it came from. I had something in the oven so i tought it might of came from there.. or maybe my dryer. but never even tought once that it could come from under my tanK!!!!

No, my tang is still not eating the dry sea wood.... Or I m not sure..... I clip it at the back behind the rocks where he hides.... And it gets all mushy in the water, so not sure if he eats it or not..... What if i tryed to clip some lettuce???

 

[Bifferwine]

You could try lettuce too. After I read your post I went and checked all my plugs and power strips, just to be sure :). I strap the seaweed to a small rock with a rubber band, then I put the rock in the tank. That way it blends in better and I think the tang likes to feel like he's grazing off the rocks.

 

[Sxybeemr325]

LMAO, well next time something is not working, just check your powerbars even before you check the problematic thing!! lol... I will for sure!! lol... I can't beleive it.....

Well It if kind of tough to go and tie it with a rubberband..... My tang is only grazing on the rocks at the bottom and i have a bunch of rocks stacked oon top!! lol... i guess i will try to find somewhere where I could tie it.. That s a smart idea.... Will try that right now..... Any type of lettuce works??? I have 2 types in my fridge.. i ll put a bit of both and clip it, and tie some sea weeds on a piece of rock with the rubberband..... Will definetely keep you posted on that one.... hope it works........It s such a pretty fish..... It s gotta eat!!!!!

 

[jermpool]

Hey sexy, you probably got water in your strip, try mounting the strip to the wall and adding drip loops on all your cords

 

[jhnrb]

If you are going to use lettuce, use romaine, and you will need to blanch it 1st in hot water before feeding it to the fish. just enough so it is soft, not falling apart. I used seaweed select for my last system. 1/4 of sheet and fold over to a small square, use a plastic paper clip on some fishing line (clear small trout line) and connect fish line above water line. drop in about half way down. May take a week but eventually the fish should try it. Put in, in the morning and take out at evening. dont leave it in over night. fresh each day. I used all three kinds, green, red, brown. good luck. (Glad to hear you found your problem in time before it got worse). All power cords that come down from the tank to a plug in should go below the plug in and then back up to the plug making a short loop (drip loop). if the water comes down the cord it will drip on the floor and not into the plug as it wont run back up. if your strip is on the floor attach it on the wall or up off the floor and provide drip loops on all your electrical cords. good luck with your system.

 

[Sxybeemr325]

Hum, then will definetely follow your advise tomorow. Will attach my strip to my wall, and make sure there is a drip loop. i won't let this happen to me twice.. Live and learn right...? Must learn from your mistakes!! Will definetely take care of that tomorow.