Wavebox in a 120g.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Hi,
I am looking to purchase a wavebox today for my 120g.(mostly SPS) and i was wondering:
1. will it cover whole tank/ no dead areas(open rock work)
2. do i need to take any precautions for set-up on my tank?

thanks

 

[rvitko]

1. Yes, but this does not mean detritus will be eliminated, it cannot lift the heaviest debris created by tang poop and animals that bore through the rock.

2. If it is acrylic you need to drill or have the magnet holders. If you have a canopy, you will have to notch the canopy or have the magnet holders. You need at least 1" from water level to tank edge.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

it is a glass tank
i have one overflow box in top back left corner, it is 1.5" below lowest tank rim.....but my water level is almost a full inch above that and just a little more than .5" below rim.
How can i lower my water level in display by .5"-.75"?

 

[rvitko]

Reduce your return flow is one of the easier ways, the only other way is to lower the teeth on your overflow with a router or dremel.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

man...my mag9.5 with .75" plumbing is only putting out about 575gph-600gph and i have 2-1" drains in my overflow.

 

[rvitko]

Do you have dursos that are a bit to tall maybe? That seems awefully high over the overflow for that little flow.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

this tank was a standard AGA, but first owner drilled top left and installed a acrylic box with no teeth that comes towards front from the back wall.
4" out from back wall .... 13" from left side pane of tank to far right wall of overflow box .... the box is 7" tall. There are 2 1" bulkheads in box, about 3.5 " apart

 

[h20cooled]

Not to hijack this thread. But I'm thinking about getting a 120G tank and I'm looking for flow options. If the wavebox will not stir up the detrius enough what else would you reccomend?

Rich

 

[rvitko]

Well, frankly for what the wavebox and streams won't stir up- you need an old fashioned siphon. Some stuff is just too heavy or in a place it can't be moved.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

any advice on my water level adjustment....i want a box, but need to make sure i won't have a splash fest with the wave

 

[rvitko]

Outside of cutting some notches in the overflow I don't see any other way.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

why do you think it stays that far above box? could i just remove water from display without replacing it...or will it just re-level to where it was and lower water level in sump?
thanks for all the help....i'm trying to get the best type of flow possible for my corals and i feel the wavebox is it.

 

[clsanchez77]

E-A-G-L-E-S

Could you post a picture of the your overflow setup, maybe once we can see it, we could offer more detailed guidance.

How far does the water drop after going over the overflow? If it is level and there is no drop, I suspect your bulkheads are the cause of high water.

1" drain bulkheads seem small to me, even two of them, while they may work as water will have to 'build head' to get the volume thru them. If they are mounted too high, this would cause the water level to back up over the weir, sort of like a tailwater effect.

If there is a drop, then the length of overflow is too short and notching/widening notches will help.

There is an article/thread around Anthony's old forum that discusses the benifits of lower flows over the weir and thru the sump. Throttling back the flow 200gph or so will make the biggest difference here and you may not have to modify anything.

...and with having a wave box installed, the return will not be a significant source of circulation anyway so it wont be much loss in that respect either; if you feel it is, use a Maxi-jet to make up the 200gph difference.

Chris

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

there is a 2" drop from overflow rim to water level in box(which is at top of bulkhead rim--.25" above hole), keep in mind the display's water level is another .75"-1" higher than overflow box rim.

 

[doxyman]

I agree with clsanchez77...if you can slow down the output of your return pump you'll reduce the height of water above the overflow rim. What appears to be happening is that you are pumping more water into the tank than the rim of the overflow can handle.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

ahh...hence cutting teeth in would give it more water to pull in, thus lowering water level.
Well i don't feel like cutting teeth in(break down/set back up)...so maybe i'll go down to a mag 7 in place of the mag 9.5

 

[DT's_Reef]

Couldn't you just shut the pumps down, let the water level drop a big, siphon out an inch of water, and then use a dremel tool to cut the lengthen the grooves? I assume the overflow is plastic. Didn't read the entire thread as I'm at work! <g>

 

[clsanchez77]

See here:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=6235836#post6235836
This is why I am an advocate for lower flow rates through the sump.