Will My Water Over Flow?

ghola5

Member
please help, since my water change yesterday my water levels have been really high, its less then half an inch and then it will over flow, I think the sides of my tank has over flow, are they over flow boxes? I have one on both side as you can see in the pic, I have a piece of glass across the top of my tank and the water is touching it, its never like this, i did nothing different and my pumps all seems to be working fine, can it over flow u think ? im really nervous to have an over flow or fire


 

trigger78

Member
turn off the pumps and then make sure there isnt something clogging the drain lines or you can simply restrict the amount of water the pump/pumps are returning to the system. just my 2 cents
 

ghola5

Member
if i take out water it will lower my water in my sump and make my pump burn out. How is a good way after turning off ur pumps to check if there is something clogged in the long lines?
 

ophiura

Active Member
Obviously, something has been changed around - either the flow from the return pump or something about the overflow boxes...either they are blocked or higher than they were or something like that. If the pump is pumping to the tank faster than water can return, you definitely want to sort that out ASAP.
Are you sure you have enough water in the system?
 

michaeltx

Moderator
when was the last time you cleaned your pump intake I find that mine after a water change can collect a lot of debris and start to clog it up.
Mike
 

zman1

Active Member
I can't tell what kind of over flow you have from the picture. Is it a U-Tube HOB?
Similar to this - https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/146156/squidd-teach-me-dyi-plumbing-101-on-a-sw-tank#post_1064701
If so, It may be build up with algae, snail, etc.. It is a clear tube but you can't see through it, clean it with a small bottle brush. The one I use occasionally is one that came with an old filter. Your hose to your sump could be restricted with crud up as well. I have on two occasions had a snail once in the u-tube and once in the drain pipe below the overflow. Now they didn't give up easy, but you can dislodge them. I used the brush on the u-tube and a smaller pipe to push the other down and got it out of the sump. I don't have egg-crate over the intake skimmer of the overflow.
Putting a valve between the sump return and your tank is a way to slow the flow. However watch making it too slow as this can allow air to build up in the u-tube and break siphon. Good flow pushes the air through the u-tube so it can't collect, but too much and it can overcome the tank.
 
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