180g update pics

[xtremenemo]

i dont think i have that much of flow in my overflow, has anyone had three siphons

 

[xtremenemo]

full shot

 

[xtremenemo]

another one

 

[xtremenemo]

my overflow is not skimming the top

 

[xtremenemo]

last one for now

 

[tony detroit]

2, 1''ers is all I run on my 180 and 300gal they should be fine for a 180. Describe your return setup, or post pics. What pump? You overflow should be skimming your surface better than that.

 

[midwest reefer]

can i see your sump/filtration for that tank???

 

[trigger16]

Adjust the inside box (insdie the tank) so it fills in faster.
I too run 2 1" U tubes and have no problems.

 

[xtremenemo]

i run a mag 24 with about 4 feet of head pressure and about 5 bends. it is skimming better off the top. but no close to good at all.

 

[xtremenemo]

Look the ball valve is almost closed. if i open it any more and it will over flow.

 

[xtremenemo]

return pic1

 

[xtremenemo]

pic 2

 

[tony detroit]

That's a good pump for that tank, do you have something in your pipes to your overflow box? One time I set up a 180 with silicone instead of pvc glue and the sillicone created a huge baffle and blocked the water from flowing out of the overflow. You should be flowing enough water to run the mag24 almost Wide Open if not totally wide open with 2 1'' holes. A gate valve is much easier to fine tune water flow with than a ball valve. This is why you see them on protein skimmers so often. You can order a gate valve from any major plumbing store. This might help you a little bit too.

 

[cbshark]

I think alot of the problems stem from lack of surface agitation. Try raising your supply up so that it agitates the surface. That will definitely help with the problem of the surface film. Also, I would figure out what your overflow problem is very soon or your pump will burn up on you. The mag pumps don't have much head and the five bends combined with the shut-off valve being half closed is maxing out you available head and will kill your pump very fast. When you add in 90 degree elbows and the dreaded tee-fitting you eat up major head on a pump. The best solution would probably be to add an additional overflow box assembly and plumb it directly to your sump. I'd be willing to bet that your return line just can't handle the flow that your pump can put out. If i'm correct, the mag 24 flows 2400 gph max, which is way more than a 1 or 1-1/2" return pipe can handle through gravity and siphon alone.

 

[tony detroit]

every 90 degree angle is equal to a foot of head
so five feet high plus 5 90's equals 10ft head. Roughly 13-1500 gph. (check your pump chart)
Something I might add if you didn't know. In the event of a power outage your return will create a counter siphon in the reverse direction of the pump unless you have a check valve or a siphon break. This is very important 4'' in a 180 is a big flood.

 

[xtremenemo]

The flow rating at 9 feet of head pressure is 1400 gph. the rating on the overflow is 1400 but that is the drain rating. so i figure with gravity that it is around 1100gph. should i let it cycle for a few days and try and figure out a solution? or should i just turn it off for those few days? i bought another rio h20 for water circulation and there is no more dirtyness in the tank. lol. but i do have to figure out why this is not going right. thanks. any more ideas?

 

[xtremenemo]

thanks tony i already drilled the siphoin break

 

[tony detroit]

You could try putting the return dump closer to the surface.

 

[xtremenemo]

for one thing i am going to run a watts controller which will slow do the pump with out burning it up. And i think the problem may be that the overflow is tilted down into the tank because i had 3 inch of extra tubing and i didnt want to cut it and reattach it in the very small space behind the tank. i feel so stupid not buying the tubing that they sell at the lfs. thanks guys.