Overflow water level and skimmer questions...

[slideways03]

So me and my father finally finished the sump and plumbing for his 72 gallon bow tank. We made a sump out of a 29 gallon tank with 3 chambers (drain/skimmer, fuge, and return).

We did a freshwater test run tonight and all seemed great. I just have a few questions regarding the overflow box and my skimmer.

Let me just start by saying I use an cpr aquafuge on my 40 gallon reef so i have no experience with overflows and sumps. I know there are different types of drains and standpipes. Can someone id the photos and tell the type we have built in here.

My question is regarding the water level inside the overflow box. I noticed that the drain was pretty noisy when the water level was low. As i closed the valve to the drain the water level inside the box rose and it got quiet. Can someone please tell me if the water level in the box should be over the top vent hole on the standpipe (The drain was dead quite when it was completely submerged).

Are return pump is a mag 7 with ball valve wide open


My 2nd question is regarding the Reef Octopus NWB-150 skimmer. According to the direction the water outlet should not be under water. I have modded the skimmer outlet and from the photos you can see what i have done with the outlet.

Question is ...Because i have modded the skimmer and vented the outlet do i still have to elevate the skimmer? As it is right now it sits in about 11 inches of water. Should i build a stand and raise the skimmer or will it be ok as it is?

 

[fishman1069]

I've never had a standpipe overflow but I think you are suppose to put a piece of airline tubing on that hole you are talkin about. That allows the air to get pulled in so it dosen't make a sucking noise, I think lol

 

[mbg75]

Drain pipe on the left with the vent is called a durso style, and no, the vent should not be covered.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[Jaftica]

Be careful with that valve on your drain pipe, if it clogs up a bit, you will risk overflowing your tank, also your ato will kick on. i would make an emergency drain if you are going to be throttling that drain with a valve.

 

[peteyboyny]

Extend the drain as tall as it can go. BE CAREFUL! DO NOT PULL IT OUT OF THE BULK HEAD!! That will raise the level at which water drains out of the overflow, it will also fill your overflow more. Water falling 6" is louder than water falling 2". That's works for me.

 

[rambler67]

first the skimmer i believe you would want the outlet above the water line. as for the drain you definitely run the risk of an over flow with the gate vale on the drain line a snail or anything can get stuck in there and clog it up causing an overflow. where and what kind of noise are you getting? is it running water or gargling? is it coming from the overflow box or in the sump?

 

[rkaragozler]

1st question. that is a standard aga mega overflow kit. it is 1" inner diameter, it will handle 600-800 gph, the more water you pump up the louder it will get. imo to be silent do not pump up more than 4x your dt volume. take a piece of wire and clean out the air vent on top just to make sure its not cloged.
2nd question- never valve back your drain line, like others have said unless you plan on making the return an emergency drain, and run another return behind the tank.
the running water level for that skimmer is between 6-10" and the water should not block the discharge at all. yes you should build a stand for it.
now their is a couple of things that need improvement in your build, if you don't mind me telling you them.
1-the 3 baffles on the right are the same height, how do you control water level, if the water is above all of them.
2-I dont see any clamps on any of the hose connections.
3- is the baffle on the left to control water level?? it seems higher than the rest of the baffles.
4- turn your return pumps intake towards the glass, or you are going to have micro bubbles in your tank.
5-last but not least, the clear vinyl tubing has a kink in it take it out and cut it a lot longer and loop it, like a circle.
or cut the pipe and put a 45" pvc then your barb fitting.
hope this helps you.

 

[rkaragozler]

double post

 

[slideways03]

1st question. that is a standard aga mega overflow kit. it is 1" inner diameter, it will handle 600-800 gph, the more water you pump up the louder it will get. imo to be silent do not pump up more than 4x your dt volume. take a piece of wire and clean out the air vent on top just to make sure its not cloged.
2nd question- never valve back your drain line, like others have said unless you plan on making the return an emergency drain, and run another return behind the tank.
the running water level for that skimmer is between 6-10" and the water should not block the discharge at all. yes you should build a stand for it.
now their is a couple of things that need improvement in your build, if you don't mind me telling you them.
1-the 3 baffles on the right are the same height, how do you control water level, if the water is above all of them.
2-I dont see any clamps on any of the hose connections.
3- is the baffle on the left to control water level?? it seems higher than the rest of the baffles.
4- turn your return pumps intake towards the glass, or you are going to have micro bubbles in your tank.
5-last but not least, the clear vinyl tubing has a kink in it take it out and cut it a lot longer and loop it, like a circle.
or cut the pipe and put a 45" pvc then your barb fitting.
hope this helps you.

Thank you for the input and recommendations. The first thing you mentioned was the 3 baffles on the right. What you are seeing is actually black sharpie where the original bubble breaker was. I had all those baffles in place and i accidentally broke the middle baffle that was elevated. I then decided to not use a bubble trap to make more room to maneuver the skimmer for maintenance.

I have 3 baffles in the tank and they are all the same height (11"). As far as the clamps go... I do have them just did not put them on when i did the freshwater test tun.

From the input i have received i am def. not going to throttle back the drain with the ball valve. I will run that wide open as recommended. To reduce the noise and slow down the flow i will back the mag 7 down with the ball valve i have on my return line.

As far as the vinyl tube i have for the return, i agree with you and do not like the way it is. I will be looking into changing that.

And the skimmer will be getting an eggcrate stand to sit n so it can be at the recommended level.

The RO/DI system, box of reef crystals, and the MP40 should be here by the end of this week. Biggest thing left to buy is a lighting system. Not sure if i want a 4 bulb or 6 bulb T5HO. I will be keeping mostly LPS and softies so i think a 4 bulb would be sufficient. What do you think?

 

[fishman1069]

Go with a 6 bulb just in case lol You never know where this crazy addiction will take you lol There are pleanty of used fixtures for sale on here, I would look into those. I bought a used 6 bulb Nova Extreme Pro off a member on here like 3-4 years ago and it was great . I had it over a 75 gal. I just re-sold that fixture for $50 less than I bought it. $50+bulbs for 3 years of use, not bad!