Trouble with my setup...help, please.

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sebae0

Guest
this my sound dumb but do you have enough overall water in the total system to have the water stay above the baffles in your ecosystem? or does the system totally empty no matter how much water you have? have you tried to lower the skimmer box in the tank so it can draw the water in faster without raising the water level in the tank?
the only reason im asking is because i have 3 tanks with hob overflows and all work flawlessly, 2 are singles running with rio 2500 and one is a double overflow running with a mag 12.
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member
ntvflgirl,
I've never used a sumpfuge like that. The last two baffles look funny to me. I would think the level couldshould stay as high as the last baffle (3rd from the end). sebae0's comments about havving enough water in the WHOLE system sound right. If you add moire water the tank overflows?
 
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sebae0

Guest
i beleive also that all the baffles should be the same height otherwise not enough goes over your first b4 the last at return pumps empties.
 
ntvflgirl

ntvflgirl

Member
Well, my tank is pretty full. The skimmer box is at its lowest level. If I keep filling it up, when the power goes out, I'm afraid the bottom tank will overflow. The water level in the chamber just past the caulerpa stays lower than the one with the caulerpa. Are you saying that the two should be equal heights?
 
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sebae0

Guest
if i understand you correctly im saying the water level thruout the eco should be the same or level straight across. have you drilled holes in the return line just below the where it returns to the tank to break the siphon in case of a power outage?
also you said the drain pvc in the box is 1" how big diameter is the u tube? i beleive should be 3/4 " atleast, and your sure nothing is blocking the drain line?
im thinking of everything possible to help cause i know this is frustrating so plz bear with some of my redundent questions.
 
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sebae0

Guest
here is a pic of my overflow and drain lines maybe this could help you out a little more.
 
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sebae0

Guest
after rereading your post, i have to conclude that if even when the ball valve is turned almost off you still empty the eco you have a problem with your overflow, or the only other possible thing is how high is the height your return pump is pumping? because with any kind of head pressure it should fall below the max overflow draining.
 
ntvflgirl

ntvflgirl

Member
Well...let's see. Yes, I did drill a hole just at the water line to break the syphon. And Yes. The ball valve is almost turned off, and I'm not getting good flow in my tank. I have a 1000gph pump. I know I need about an 800 gallon. In fact, ecosystem says 800 to 1000gph. I tried a pump rater 700 gph, and it still emptied the last chamber before it could fill. As for the U tube, it's actually about 2 inches in diameter.
 
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sebae0

Guest
i have never seen a u tube with a 2" inside diameter are you sure? the pic i put up the u tubes are 3/4 inch apiece and the drain lines are 1". i run a mag 12 which is rated at 1400 gph and at 4' head 1150 and i put a ball valve in to control and i have no problems.
 
ntvflgirl

ntvflgirl

Member
by the way, what is that black sponge in your overflow? Does it help with noise by chance? I'm having trouble getting used to the noise mine makes.
 
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sebae0

Guest
the sponge just catches any somewhat larger pieces of junk and does help with the noise a little. do you think that your u tube diameter is too big? im guessing right now trying to figure out whats going on.what kind of pump do you have anyway?
 
ntvflgirl

ntvflgirl

Member
IT's some new fangled pump...lol. It's called a lifeguard quietone. Never heard of it either, but it's what dh brought home. It's the 4000 model. Use it wet or dry...supposed to be 1017 gph.
See, I ran our old 55 gallon the way I wanted to, and he has a friend who uses ecosystem, and swears by it, so when we upgraded, he sorta took things over. Even though I am the one who does all the research and planning for it. UGH! Don't get me started. I just want the thing to work so I can start worrying about more important things...like water quality, and whether or not it's going to cycle with my old liverock and about 15 gallons of my old water. I'm ready to unhook the whole dang thing.
 
ntvflgirl

ntvflgirl

Member
Oh, and the lady who gave me the overflow used this same tube on her 125 with an 800 gph pump. Wouldn't a smaller U tube slow the flow down?
 
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sebae0

Guest
maybe the pump is just to strong for the overflow, this is the only other thing i can think of try a double overflow like mine.
 
mukiwa

mukiwa

Member
I dont know if this will help but mine is a 350 gph and i have a 1 1/4" U tube. It is perfect for me and i have a little mechanical thing like sbae0 have but i olny have 1.
Hop that helps.!!! :joy:
 
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sebae0

Guest
im sorry been gone from this post but did you get it figured out? plz let me know i was worried and hope you have it figured out?
 
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