my 1st sump need advise

[greatgman001]

hi all
on my 90 gallon i have a 30 gallom sump divided into 3 chambers
(this is a ecosystem sump)
in the first chamber i have a TON of bubbles from the external overflow
the second chamber is the fuge with mud
the third chamber has the return
and the water level fluxuates up and down about 3 or 4 inches
is this normal?
i have good flow
return pump is a mag 5 w/a mag 7 impeller with 3/4 inch pipe

now for water changes- do i fill the display or the sump (if sump which chamber?)
i will get some bioballs and a foam block for the first chamber

please chime in w/advise
now i was going to seal (glue)the pipes but cant because the glue is solid
so is there a chance that air is getting sucked in causing the massive air in the 1st chamber or is it normal?

 

[greatgman001]

in the overflow i have 2 u tubes
the durso pipe is a 1 " 90 degree street elbow into a 1" tee
a 1"- 1/2 "bushing and a 1/2 cap with a 5/16 " hole in it

should it be bigger?
the level fluxuates a bit
is this normal?

sorry for the questions but i"m a newbie in setting up a sump

 

[Ghumbee]

I run a mag 7 and only have one u-tube. Try running just one and see what happens.

Chuck

 

[acer]

I fill new water and all suppliments, etc. in the first chamber of my refugium. It lets the temp/ph/alk/etc. diffuse before getting pumped into the display were the sensitive corals are. That way there isn'y a big , or quick change in anything.

 

[z_rivers]

i would not purchase bioballs and a foam block, use rock and a skimmer for your filtration.

 

[greatgman001]

i dont think 1 tube will be able to keep up

 

[greatgman001]

what about the hole in the top of the durso?
how big?
i had it at 5/64 and sucking in tons of air
the leel of the overflow box kept rising and falling
now its at a touch bigger than 3/32
level rises and falls still but not as bad

 

[greatgman001]

well the noise frm the durso was keeping me up at night
i fiddled and fiddled and fiddled to no luck i couldnt get it to stop slurping and/or gulping
so i tried a stockman standpipe
and initially was only incrementally quieter
after tring to tune i realised that i had only 1hole in the side out causing the noise
so i cut a new pipe but with slits (6 or 7)
and was definatly a step in the right direction
then i drilled a hole in the top just big enough for an air line to fit in it took a little time but got it nice now
but still getting lots of air in my first chamber(compared to the TONS of air i had before)
how can i get just a stream of just water in my first chamber and not air?

 

[BeanAnimal]

It is not going ot happen with that type of setup. The stockman/durso works be sucking air along with the fallin water. The Air prevents a full siphon from forming. You will need to build a bubble trap of some type. Even a piece of tupperware or a filtersock at the end of the disharge will help break the bubbles and bring them to the surface.

 

[greatgman001]

well i decided to do the NEW sockman mod
and it works real good MUCH less noise after i put it together and did some preliminary adjusting
could be a bit qiueter but compared to what it sounded like before
i have no complaints
just sounds like a small babling brook
it only sounds a little more when close or feeding

 

[greatgman001]

ghumbee
the 1 tube will definatly not keep up
the pump almost runs dry
so maybee i'll go to lowes and try a 1 1/2 ' black abs u tube and see if that works out