Using a sponge as a fall break

[Cobrasvt1999]

Heya, I have a question for the court.

So after assembling and filling my first tank, I have noticed that the loudest sound in the system is a small water fall that is in my sump. I was wondering if I could add a sponge at the base of the fall to help dampen the sound. I know they are normally considered a nitrate factory, but I have everything going into the sump run through a regularly cleaned filter sock, so I can't imaging much in the way of larg detritus buildup...

Because of the size limitations, I really can't afford a redesign the sump and still fit the live rock rubble with the protein skimmer.

So, is my plan a decent one, or not?

 

[Member No. 1]

I have one in mine for that same purpose. It's a rather course one as opposed to a fine mesh. It's only 1" thick. I also use it as a last resort to keep things out of the return area of the sump.
I clean it once a month, but since I use filter socks, it never seems dirty.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

You can put a coupling and a piece of pipe to extend so it's closer to the water. This will quiet the sound some.

 

[Member No. 1]

You can put a coupling and a piece of pipe to extend so it's closer to the water. This will quiet the sound some.

Not speaking for the OP, but I think he was talking about the water going over the last baffle in the sump before the return chamber.

 

[Cobrasvt1999]

Not speaking for the OP, but I think he was talking about the water going over the last baffle in the sump before the return chamber.

Yup, though not the last baffle. I had to make the first chamber rather tall to fit the live rock. Makes for a bit of a fall before the skimmer section

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Why don't you drill a few holes through the tall baffle so some water passes through it and not as much over it? Just a thought.

 

[Cobrasvt1999]

Why don't you drill a few holes through the tall baffle so some water passes through it and not as much over it? Just a thought.

Would love to, but I need the water level to stay high in that chamber to keep the live rock submerged... I'm simply trying to find a simple solution to this issue and figured a sponge would do the trick...

 

[Dkuhlmann]

How far of a drop is it?

 

[Cobrasvt1999]

How far of a drop is it?

It's about 5 inches... alot, I know...

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Yeah that is a lot. Can you post a picture of this so we can maybe come up with something that would work? I already have a few ideas but would like to see the setup first.

 

[Drewl117]

Get the coarse sponge as stated above and cut it to fit. Just make sure it gets maintained. I use them on the end of my fuge so no large pieces go into any pumps. The easiest thing to do is get a few of them so you can swap them out when they need a cleaning.

 

[ZeeSparrow]

I think it would be okay. I keep a sponge in my sump to use as a little 'kick-start' for a QT tank. Just rinse regularly.

Though I would be curious to see a picture, too.

 

[toothybugs]

Sounds like a great spot for a micro-sized overflow box