How do you keep the splashing down in the sump?

[Tomoko Schum]

Hi y'all,

I need your help to figure out how to reduce the fine water mist inside my stand.

I always had a lot of splashes inside my sump of my 120 reef. I really would like to reduce the fine mists inside my stand to keep my fan from getting corroded. As a matter of fact, I smelled some characteristic smell of burning electrical equipment two weekends ago, when I was removing xenia :eek2:. It turned out that the fan was the culprit. I had to throw away the fan. I rely on fans (one in the stand and another over my tank) during the summer time, and I don't want to do without it if I can help it.

I have two 1 inch drains fitted with flexible tubing. I have a MAG12 for return. Since my sump is a 27 gallon Rubbermaid container, I have no baffle plates. Instead I am using a couple of small plastic containers with live rocks as baffle substitutes. The water from the two drain pipe comes down fast into the sump. As the flow is broken by the live rock pieces, a lot of large air bubbles rise to the water surface and create mists inside the stand.

I hate to cover up the sump. I don't like to use filter socks, either. Does anyone have a good idea to control the situation?

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

I've seen people use "bubble Towers". It more or less is just a tall box with the outlet on the bottom.. The idea is the mist stays confined in the tall box, but the water still flows free from the bottom. Doesn't have to be a box mind you.. A peice of 3" PVC with openings cut on the bottom would work.

If you have 3 drains you could set one drain as a siphon the 2nd to take up the slack.. But you need a 3rd for saftey. Thats how I plan on doing my new tank. A siphon gets the air out of the lines so the mist isnt' a problem.. You might could convert one of your returns to the siphon then use the other two drains to go with it.. a 3/4" line would be plenty large enough for a siphon for a mag 12. Would be quiter then a stockman, Durso ect.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I read this thread a few years ago and thought about doing it by converting one of my return pipe to the safety drain.

I thought it would work with mine, but I am very glad that I got the vote of confidence from you on the idea.

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

Exactly Tomoko thats the thread I was talking about.. I looked and just couldn't find it. IMO it makes perfect since. Just stick a ballvalve on the 3/4" line and dial it down to handle almost the full flow of the Mag12 say 80-90%. Then have one of the 1" drains with a durso, stockman or whatever take up whats left. Then have the 2nd 1" line set just a hair higher then the 1st incase the ballvalve gets clogged. The only trick is to make sure the two 1" lines can handle all the flow incase the siphon gets clogged.. Shouldn't be a problem at all in your case. Just make sure you don't have the drains set to high or the water could overflow the tank before it makes it down the drain.

 

[8BALL_99]

HAHA makes you wonder why there is two different threads on it with Huge explanations on the first post. I cut it down to 4 lines

 

[H@rry]

I have wondered about the bubbling too. One time I thought about using the "funky foam" sheets from Hobby Lobby and cutting them to size and floating them in the sump to keep the bubbles from "splashing". I never did try that though. I think it would cut down on evaporation and if you have macro in the sump it would kill the light.

 

[Bignasty1]

I need to add something like this to my sump down pipe. This is the loudest part of my tank. There is so much air that gets mixed into it that it sounds like a jacuzzi.

 

[8BALL_99]

Bignasty I had something like that before. It works ok but you have to have a tall pipe on th ebubble outlet.. It takes up alot of room in the sump

 

[Tomoko Schum]

H@rry - I love your costume and the jack-o-lantern!!

Thanks for all the ideas, guys Keep them coming.

If I could loosen the return pipe inside the overflow, I should be able to cut it to the right length or replace it with the perforated tube like the one on Oceanic tank drain pipe to act as the safety pipe. Loosening any pipe after being in a salt water tank for years is not going to be easy, though....

Tomoko