Overflow not a match for sump pump

F

FNG44601

Reefing newb
Hey guys, Things are still quiet over here- Did just chase down all the damsels and grabbed 2 clowns and an emerald crab. But still just letting everything mature while I work out the kinks of my system(taking down the background-painting the back black, upgrading powerstrips, etc...). One thing I'm struggling with is the return to the tank- WAY TOO FORCEFUL. Have a 500 GPH submersible pump on there- when I'm thinking I need to be around 300 GPH. Too much current/Bubbles are entering the tank(60 gal). Add into the equation 2 maxijet 1200s and 2 mini 404s and it's almost tornadic lol. I do have it where there's a calmside, but was wondering what you guys thought.
Yes it's got a slowdown valve on it(in use) but the only way to keep it in sync with the Overflow is still way too much. And I'd say to return it does have to travel about 3 feet.
Lastly is it just me or is 300 gph a hard one to find? All over Ebay and can't find one- and 325 and up seems to be the norm in the stores.
 
keeping up with the overflow sounds off to me. the overflow on your sump should leak out to the same level as water returned to the tank, regardless of the pump size. gravity takes care of the water into the sump. I suppose if you only had 1 "U tube" in your overflow, that might cause a problem. Not sure about the return pump you seek. Biff and reef will be here in to time to save you....they always do.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Thanks Doc- I mean the pump is on steroids. I can keep it balanced with the valve, but it's still a very powerful stream when it returns to the main tank.
 
Hmmm something sounds not right to me too. The return pump from your sump SHOULD pump 10x the volume of your tank. So for your 60 gallon tank, I would have AT LEAST a pump that moves 600 gallons per hour for the return. If your pump is completely submerged and your plumbing is solid, there shouldn't be air entering the system.

What kind of overflow do you have? I can't imagine one not being able to keep up with a 500 gph pump with three feet of head.
 
I can't imagine that the force put out by a 500 gph pump with 3 feet of head is 'tsunami force'. Sorry to doubt you... I don't mean to, but 9 out of 10 reef tanks DON'T have enough water movement. I wouldn't worry about it, unless it is blowing the sand off the bottom of your tank and keeping it suspended. A lot of current is a good thing.

And I do think that overflow box is no where near large enough for a 75 gallon tank. Like I said, the ideal overflow box for a 75 gallon tank would handle at least 750 gallons per hour.
 
Wow- well maybe I'm being anal (trait of mine) it's not blowing sand around!!!! So maybe i'll just point the diffuser behind some rocks. Just seems the little guys are having a helluva time swimming (keeping them to one side) Do you think possibly I went over the top with powerheads? When I get home today I'll post pics. Come on I NEED something to be wrong!!! lol
 
just raise your overflow up so that its just below the surface of the water. that way it can only overflow as much water as the pump is returing. My friend has an overflow like that on his 55 he got, i was just checking it out last night, seemed to move more water than my 600 gph one, but i'm not sure what his was rated for.
 
I thought I had too much flow at first, but then once I got over it its fine now... Ive got a 700 gph return pump 600 gph overflow and 2 hydor koralia #2 powerheads in my 50 gallon tank. so like 1800 gph flow not including the overflow? and everything is doing fine, I just wasnt used to it at first.
 
point the return up toward the top of the water. You want a rippling effect on the water to oxygenate it and keep the scum off. it will all get around your tank. it should be pointing into the middle of the tank as well.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
There was a guy on another forum that had this same problem, they sold it by installing a valve and T line. Top of the T goes to the tank, bottom back to the sump, which you can adjust with the valve.

Like this:
14645IMG_1104.jpg
 
That's what I did on my old sump. That way you can redirect flow back to the sump and control the amount of flow back to the tank without putting as much back pressure on the pump. Except I would recommend using an all plastic ball valve instead of that metal thing they have in the picture above.
 
Silly Biff,it is plastic.Looks like mine except mine is red.

If the overflow can't keep up with the water returning then install a ball valve.

2105042.jpg
 
No, the one in the first pic looks metal. The blue one. The circular valve. At least, all the ones I have seen in the hardware store of that style were metal.
 
they are PVC and safe for our tanks. a guy at the local HD tried to sell me one today even though i didn't need it. lol

the overflow LOOKS like it could handle way more than that pump is pushing. it sounds like you might need to raise the overflow box up to just below the surface of the water in the tank to me too. it looks like a 1" drain hole, so that can handle 600gph. i would add a mag7 as the return pump and at 3' head ... they should balance out nicely.
i have almost 6000 gph going though my tank, so there is no such thing as too much flow. a mag3 at 3' head will only push 300gph. what are you planning on keeping in this tank ??
 
Bifferwine said:
No, the one in the first pic looks metal. The blue one. The circular valve. At least, all the ones I have seen in the hardware store of that style were metal.
Click to expand...

I think that blue one might be a gate valve and reafs looks like a quarter turn valve. The gate valves are easier to adjust because it takes multiple turns to close or open.

Brian
 

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