AIO expert? Please help. Return chamber water level keeps lowering.

[Gaspipe]

#HELP
Would love a little help/advice on my WB MP25.

Problem: My 3rd (return) chamber's water level goes low and it activates my gravity ATO.

Situation: I noticed the water level in my display is high and the salinity is low. Yesterday I performed a water change, cleaned the return pump and LOWERED the power (Sicce 1.0). My thought process was the pump is pushing water out of the chamber into the display faster than it enters the 3rd chamber.

I also removed the inTank sleeve that is in the 1st chamber. Cleaned out all the gunk in the 1st chamber, replaced the filter floss, and cleaned the rubble I store in there.

The 2nd chamber has a Sicce 1.5 pump to a UV sterilizer that pumps water back into the same chamber (middle chamber). I cleaned this chamber, pump and UV sterilizer about 4-6 weeks ago.

Yesterday I did a water change. The salinity was spot on, and the display tank's water level was midway of the weir. This morning my ATO reservoir was empty (I purposely only had a small amount of water in it), the water level in my display is almost at the top of the weir, and the water level in the 3rd chamber is below the float so it would be adding more RODI water (if there was water)

Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

 

[bevo5]

I'm not exactly sure about all the details of your set up - but generally speaking, when you do a water change you want to add enough water to fill up the display and get your return chamber up to where you want it. The amount the pump puts out doesn't really matter because every bit of water that goes into the display is going to overflow back into the return after everything runs for a moment.

I'd try filling everything up to where you want it, and then let things run for a bit to make sure the return chamber stays where you want it to be. How full the display really only matters to make sure enough water is overflowing into your filter section to keep everything moving.

But you have to start with enough water to keep the return chamber filled up to where you want it...when it's running.

 

[Gaspipe]

@bevo5 thank you for the reply.

I've had the tank set up for over 5 months and have done WC in the past with no issue. For some reason the water level in the 3rd chamber goes below the ATO switch and RODI is added to a point that the salinity drops and the water level in the display is much higher.

It's either some sort of bottle neck into the return chamber OR s faulty ATO. It's a cheap "bottle top" that feeds via two straws... found HERE

Perhaps the ATO is faulty, could be a weakened bottle and the pressure allows RODI water into it.

 

[polyppal]

Is there some kind of filter sock/floss or something slowing down the flow from the other chambers?

 

[Reef.]

Could be floss etc slowing the flow, that would lower the end chamber and trigger your ato.

 

[Lyss]

What tank do you have?

I have noticed that when I have similar issues w/my Max Nano it is one of these things:
My carbon bag has floated up and/or has collected a lot of detritus and has become somewhat of a blockage
My filter sock and/or floss is full and needs to be changed out
I'm skimming wet and the top off is just keeping up w/what the skimmer is pulling out

If you're skimming wet then you can just add a bit of saltwater in with the RODI in the ATO reservoir.

 

[Gaspipe]

Is there some kind of filter sock/floss or something slowing down the flow from the other chambers?

In Chamber 1 I have in this order: filter floss, carbon in a sac and then rubble media.

I have had this set up since the inception of the tank (carbon added 6 weeks ago) and until this week I never had an issue.

 

[Gaspipe]

Could be floss etc slowing the flow, that would lower the end chamber and trigger your ato.

I changed the floss the day of the WC.

That day I replaced the floss, cleaned all the media below the floss. Replaced the carbon, and washed the sac the day before.

I typically change floss every 2-3 days.

 

[Gaspipe]

What tank do you have?

Waterbox Mini Peninsula 25

I have noticed that when I have similar issues w/my Max Nano it is one of these things:
My carbon bag has floated up and/or has collected a lot of detritus and has become somewhat of a blockage
My filter sock and/or floss is full and needs to be changed out

I thought the same thing. The day before I replaced the carbon and washed the sac.
Next day I cleaned all the media, turkey basted all the crap out of the chamber, replaced floss.
Then performed a WC/

I'm skimming wet and the top off is just keeping up w/what the skimmer is pulling out

If you're skimming wet then you can just add a bit of saltwater in with the RODI in the ATO reservoir.

I don't have a skimmer.

 

[Lyss]

Waterbox Mini Peninsula 25

I thought the same thing. The day before I replaced the carbon and washed the sac.
Next day I cleaned all the media, turkey basted all the crap out of the chamber, replaced floss.
Then performed a WC/


I don't have a skimmer.

How big of a bag of carbon and media do you have in there? If it’s too big and stuffed in there that can also act like a blockage.

Other than that, I got nothin’. Those are the things that cause it when it happens to me.

 

[MNFish]

I changed the floss the day of the WC.

That day I replaced the floss, cleaned all the media below the floss. Replaced the carbon, and washed the sac the day before.

I typically change floss every 2-3 days.

Once every 6 months or so I need to brush out the baffles or the same thing happens to me:

 

[Gaspipe]

**UPDATE**

I removed the ATO as the salinity is low and I will allow natural evaporation to "cure" this issue.

I also moved the UV sterilizer output to the return chamber. Meaning...
The Sicce 1.5 is in the middle chamber sucking water throught the UV and now into chamber 3 (the return).

This action raised the water line in the 3rd chamber, lowered the water line in the middle chamber. I removed water in the display tank till the display tank's water line is mid weir again AND the waterline in the middle chamber is BELOW the baffle that separates chamber 1 and 2. In the past that baffle was useless as the waterline in chamber two was above.

So current set-up:

Chamber 1: InTank media basket; Floss, Carbon, ceramic media
Chamber 2: Heater, Sicce 1.5 Pump to outside UV
Chamber 3: Sicce 1.0, UV exit nozzle flowing into this chamber.

Result:
Display Tank water line seems good
Middle Chamber waterline is below baffle
Return Chamber waterline seems acceptable

Near Future:
Once salinity is ideal, I will activate ATO again. See from there.

 

[Gaspipe]

How big of a bag of carbon and media do you have in there? If it’s too big and stuffed in there that can also act like a blockage.

Other than that, I got nothin’. Those are the things that cause it when it happens to me.

Its 2 tablespoons of carbon in a sac that is rolled up into the size of a teabag.

<sidetrack of the day> I am thinking of buying empty teabags on amazon and just fill 2 tbs. Then toss them after 2 weeks and replace w/ new teabag.

 

[Gaspipe]

I think you are onto something, and I wanted to clean this out, but didn't have a proper brush (yet).

After I run this experiment that will be the next chore regardless of outcome.

PS thank you for going the extra mile and adding pics w/ arrows. Very kind of you.

Once every 6 months or so I need to brush out the baffles or the same thing happens to me:

 

[Lyss]

Its 2 tablespoons of carbon in a sac that is rolled up into the size of a teabag.

<sidetrack of the day> I am thinking of buying empty teabags on amazon and just fill 2 tbs. Then toss them after 2 weeks and replace w/ new teabag.

That’s fine then, shouldn’t cause blockage. I also have a waterbox cube 10 set up as a FW planted tank, w/the InTank media tray in the first chamber. I keep a little bag of crushed coral in one section (for Ph buffer), and three little nano packets of chemipure in the other. Doesn’t seem to be an issue. But on the max nano this same thing happens to me now and then. The first time I was on with customer service for absolute weeks and they couldn’t help me lol. Took me a bit to figure out it was the carbon bag. I’m sure you’ll eventually figure yours out, too

 

[Gaspipe]

Just a minor update.

My salinity is spot on 34.6 ppt. The ATO is back online as of yesterday. I added more RODI just now and will continue to monitor ATO reservoir levels as well as salinity.

That doesn't mean I won't clean the walls within my baffles

 

[Gaspipe]

Just an update for others w/ AIO and ATO issues.

It seems as my floss clogs up, the amount of water entering the back chambers reduces. This effect causes the water in chamber 3 (return pump) to lower, which cycles my ATO on.

For most days it is not an issue, I change the filter floss every 2 days. The problem is when I am away on vacation for a week. I notice the salinity will drop a bit. It is not an ideal solution, but I add more saltwater to the tank, allowing the ATO sensor to be below water line. As the days pass the filter gets dirtier and the flow into chamber 3 reduces and this triggers the ATO.

Wonder if anyone has encountered this or has a better solution.

 

[DFR]

Well there are a couple things you could do when going on vacation. You could remove the filter floss all together, or further lower the speed of your pump.

Sometimes when I notice the water line in the display of my WB50.3 start to rise, I would lower the speed of my pump by 2-4% so that the flow from the return pump more closely match the constricted flow leaving the display. I would typically get another couple days on the same filter floss by doing this.

 

[Reef.]

Well there are a couple things you could do when going on vacation. You could remove the filter floss all together, or further lower the speed of your pump.

Sometimes when I notice the water line in the display of my WB50.3 start to rise, I would lower the speed of my pump by 2-4% so that the flow from the return pump more closely match the constricted flow leaving the display. I would typically get another couple days on the same filter floss by doing this.

Trying to get more days out of your floss would also affect your salinity I would think.

 

[Gaspipe]

I have considered removing the floss, but would hate the clean up in the rear chambers. If no floss, why not just turn off the return pump all together? I have a powerhead inside.