need help (emergency)

[mitch303]

alright thanks ill post some pictures and tell me what you guys think i think i have it just rtight nbow but i will keep watching it

 

[sjm817]

The overflow will work best when it is adjusted as high as possible. A siphon works by the difference between the high side and low side. Making the high side higher makes a stronger siphon.

 

[mitch303]

so is my box that is in the tank to low the siphon is going good right now not one bubblee in the u tube but the box thats on the back of the tank is pretty full does that matter its probably 4 inches from the top of the box

 

[sjm817]

Thats fine. Keep an eye on the U Tube and make sure it doesn't accumulate bubbles over time. Also try a power down test and be sure everything starts back up ok.

 

[mitch303]

ill be watching it like every 5 -10 minutes so hopefully it stays working the way it is

 

[mitch303]

should the strainer box of the overflow that sits in the tank be completely full?

 

[sjm817]

No. It should be lower than the bottom of the teeth.

 

[mitch303]

alright here is a link with pictures of how i have it setup you can see in one picture how low the teeth are in the water is this to low and also you can see in one of the pics how full the drain box is

http://s1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc495/broncos4ever1/

 

[mitch303]

alright i made a mistake, The strainer box is not completely full, its barely under the level of the teeth. so when the water goes into it it falls a little bit

 

[sjm817]

It needs to fall some to surface skim. I would adust the box higher. This will also raise the level in the display, and you will need to add some water to the sump. If need be, dial back the return just a bit so the water level inside the box is at the bottom of the teeth.

 

[Caesra]

The alternative is to reduce the U size. I generally aim for low turn over from the sump, so I had the same issue. I just replaced the siphon with a smaller diamater tube, somethign stiff enough to not collapse. Worked wonders. Not had a siphon break since.

You don't have to increase the pump size to increase flow. Decrease the diamater of the siphon and you accomplish the same thing.

Just watch, if you siphon is small enough, you will not see an air gap in the tube. The only downside of this, is you reduce the capacity of water that can be moved through the overflow, but considering most of us set our pumps and leave them, this should be a non-issue.

 

[sjm817]

Yes, you can do that, but that is only really needed in very low flow applications like < 200GPH.

 

[Fishbulb2]

The only other thing I'll contribute to this that hasn't already been said is that your pump's flow may not be consistent over time. I ran something similar with an eheim 1250 and the flow was sufficient to prevent bubbles in the utube. However after just a couple months of operation, the thin eheim tubing would build up enough film to slow down the flow and cause bubbles to accumulate. So in short, a siphon overflow is something that should be kept an eye on forever, and not just during the initial setup. I just looked at mine everytime I fed the fish and did water changes.

HTH,
FB

 

[tdwright1971]

The only other thing I'll contribute to this that hasn't already been said is that your pump's flow may not be consistent over time. I ran something similar with an eheim 1250 and the flow was sufficient to prevent bubbles in the utube. However after just a couple months of operation, the thin eheim tubing would build up enough film to slow down the flow and cause bubbles to accumulate. So in short, a siphon overflow is something that should be kept an eye on forever, and not just during the initial setup. I just looked at mine everytime I fed the fish and did water changes.

HTH,
FB

agreed 100%, onetime my skimmer pump came off and started sending microbubbles into the water, these quickly built up and stopped my overflow and spilled water out into the floor. Now I drill my aquariums.

 

[sjm817]

The only other thing I'll contribute to this that hasn't already been said is that your pump's flow may not be consistent over time. I ran something similar with an eheim 1250 and the flow was sufficient to prevent bubbles in the utube. However after just a couple months of operation, the thin eheim tubing would build up enough film to slow down the flow and cause bubbles to accumulate. So in short, a siphon overflow is something that should be kept an eye on forever, and not just during the initial setup. I just looked at mine everytime I fed the fish and did water changes.

HTH,
FB

The 1250 is a pretty low flow pump. I wouldn't recommend one for a siphon overflow unless like Caesra posted, you were using a smaller U Tube.