pics of my new setup, questions about overflow

[gfk]

I posted this in the nano forum as well as here, I just feel like I always get great informative responses in here.

So I am upgrading my Tank from a 20 gallon high to a 29 gallon, with drilled internal overflow, and 10 gallon sump.


Right now my tank is up and has water in it, here it is.

i have a 1 1/4" bulkhead for a drain and a mag 5 for return. My skimmer is a corallife super skimmer 65.

My return is not what i want so im going to hard plumb it with pvc.

My overflow is where i have a question. Here it is:

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here is the full setup for now

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my question is, if i make my overflow slots bigger, would that allow me to turn my return pump up a little more? i dont feel like im getting enough flow through the sump/ off the surface, and my return line is barely spitting out any water in order to keep my last column in my sump at a balanced level. Also, the water barely is going over the slits, so would widening them help, or adding more water, or what?

 

[Elite]

Yeah you should cut more slot. Did you make that overflow box yourself? 300-400GPH is the max I would go for that tank.

 

[gfk]

i had it made at tap plastics for like 20 bucks.

the slots are the only thing i could think to do. id think more water should be coming out of the return, its barely coming through.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

I'd cut out the teeth entirely, and use gutter guard to keep critters from getting into the overflow. That way you get more flow into the overflow compartment, and the water is drawn from the thinnest layer of the surface to get the most gunk into your sump and skimmer.

I wouldn't bother trying to get really high turnover in the sump. Your skimmer will work better with lower turnover. You already have the big powerheads for flow. Mag 5 seems a little big.

 

[Elite]

If he cuts out the the teeth entirely, it will be a lot of flows. He has a 1 1/4 bulkhead in there. I don't think his MAG 5 will be able to keep up with that. The water level in the display will be low if your return pump not able to keep up with the overflow.

I agree that the skimmer work better with lower turnover.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Yeah, the limiting factor is the teeth. Mag 5 won't overrun the 1 1/4. If he cuts out the teeth, he can adjust the Mag5 return to give a nice thin layer over the straight edge. It won't be any lower than what he has right now. He can always build the edge up higher too.

 

[smellyfish]

where did you drill the hole for your bulkhead? Did you drill it into the back of the tank, or in the bottom? If you drilled it in the back then, you have a 90 degree elbow that will reduce flow, also you would need a breather vent run up to the surface to increase the flow.

Either way, I would cut more teeth in your overflow, but not eliminate all of the teeth.

 

[magma01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7756718#post7756718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elite
If he cuts out the the teeth entirely, it will be a lot of flows. He has a 1 1/4 bulkhead in there. I don't think his MAG 5 will be able to keep up with that. The water level in the display will be low if your return pump not able to keep up with the overflow.

I agree that the skimmer work better with lower turnover.

The pump doesn't keep up with the overflow. It's the other way around. The overflow has to be able to handle the return pump. Water won't go into the overflow unless the pump is pumping water up to the display from the sump.

I would also cut out the teeth entirely and go with gutter guards. I also have a diy overflow. First I went with the acrylic teeth and I wasn't happly with the flow it allows so I cut them out and just super glues some gutter guards. Worked much better.

 

[Elite]

What I'm trying to say is the pump and overflow box should be some what equal (500GPH pump for 500GPH overflow box). Yeah you can have 500GPH coming down and have 200GPH coming up. The only problem is the water level in the display will be a little low.

If he can build the edge higher like Norman said then that would be fine. IMO the tank look ugly when the water level is low. But hey, no flood from the display ....

 

[gfk]

the hole is in the bottom of the tank, i have a durso.

i think ill try cutting the holes wider, and if that doesnt work i can cut out a few slots. i have a ball valve on the mag 5, but as of right now its barely returning anything. ill go with the overflow widening first.

its not really high turnover im looking for, but right now i basically have no turnover coming from the sump

 

[mdt178]

It maybe the pump itself. A Mag5 at 4' head is good for ~300gph. Use RC calc to figure the exact number, if it's around 300gph then it's perfect for your skimmer.

 

[gfk]

the pump if turned up all the way is more then enough, but it drains my sump too fast, which led me to believe its the overflow

 

[arthurlo]

From your nano-tanks thread, it seems like the drain is only 3/4" in
diameter. According to the Reefcentral Overflow calculator, the 3/4"
drain will only handle ~330 gph in flow.

If your pump happens to be pumping more than the drain can supply
it with water, then the water level in your pump compartment will
fall while the water in your tank will rise.

The solution could be to add more drainage - either by making
the existing bulkhead larger, adding another bulkhead, or
adding an overflow. Or, you could just live with less flow.

Hope that helps.

 

[Vincerama2]

Look, if you turn up the pump, then the water in the display will go up a bit, and water will come down off the slits anyway. If your sump is emptying, add more water. When my pump is OFF, my sump fills up pretty high, then when it's on, my "return pump" section lowers...that's normal.

Your overflow hole seems large enough to handle all the flow of the mag 5.

Since your slots are smaller, it just means water rises higher before the slots can handle them.

If it were me, this is what I'd do

Assume I DON'T want to cut more slots;
1) with pump off, fill sump to max "safe" level. For my sump, it's the top of the sump... this represents the worst case scenario if he pump fails.
2) Turn on pump (at your current pump valve setting).
3) slowly open the valve, while carefully watching the water level in the main tank...it will rise obviously
4) Open up the valve until you either reach your desired display tank level, or the level in your sump return area is too low for the pump to work normally
5) observe the sump water level...that's the MAX you should top up to at that valve setting.

Assume that I am willing to cut more slots in the overflow;
1) Do all the steps above and remember the settings
2) Cut your extra slots
3) With the same settings, run the pump and observe
4) You'll probably notice that the main display level is lower and the sump level is a bit higher.
5) Open up the valve until you either reach your desired tank level, or the level in your sump return area is too low for the pump to work normally

Remember ... once you've determined your "power outage" water level in the sump...do NOT exceed this! You can actually give your sump more breathing room if you can determine the lowest drain point in your main tank...often that's the durso standpipe inlet level, or the return hose/pipe level (siphon).

V

 

[gfk]

ok, i hardplumbed the return, and i decided its ok where it is at.

now i just want to make the drain a little more silent, and im not sure how to reduce the bubbles coming out of the drain into the first compartment. (no bubbles come back in the return, but they make noise, would a filter bag help this?)

i have a durso, and thats silent, its just the water in the drain