Aquarium sump mismatch

[SeaJay]

You say “every so often”, how often is that? If your pump is out flowing your drain, I would expect every so often to be every few minutes. Sounds like your pump is pushing water back the the display faster than the drains can return it to the sump. Whether this is your particular problem or not, I’d still install a valve in the return line. There are many reasons why you would want to. Closing it for maintenance or emergencies is a nice option to have as well. I think it will fix your problem.

 

[appacalypse]

You say “every so often”, how often is that? If your pump is out flowing your drain, I would expect every so often to be every few minutes. Sounds like your pump is pushing water back the the display faster than the drains can return it to the sump. Whether this is your particular problem or not, I’d still install a valve in the return line. There are many reasons why you would want to. Closing it for maintenance or emergencies is a nice option to have as well. I think it will fix your problem.

Every few days

 

[appacalypse]

No need for pics in that case, the triggers definitely have walled off return sections, and at 6" depth there's about 1.5 gallons in that section. You'll probably see just over 1/4 inch change in the display water level from pump start-up to when your problem manifests.

That pump has an adjustable intake on the front of it. Dial it back. Even after head pressure, 880 is more flow than needed for a 75.

I see. Yeah. That's what I originally thought as well I believe the opening is partially opened @ maybe 10-20%

 

[FindingPonyo]

Hello, thank you for taking the time to read this.

I recently set up a trigger systems sump for my 75 gallon tank using an overflow box I got off of OfferUp.

I originally had an FX6 running. What I did was I used the overflow box with 1inch pvc draining into the sump and reused the FX6 tubing for the return.

What I'm finding is that there seems to be some kind of aquarium/sump mismatch. I.e. every so often the pump section of the sump runs dry.

Because I bought the overflow off of OfferUp, I don't know what it's rated for in terms of gph. I bought a pump that does around 800gph. Adjusting for head height that probably brings it down to ~700 conservatively.

Is the pump in the sump running dry every so often because of the possible mismatch or evaporation?

I can't imagine losing that much water based solely on evaporation.

Unfortunately, I'm not home so I can't see what's going on myself.

Any suggestions or tips?

This was my first sump setup and I'm still trying to figure out what to do.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sorry, I don’t use a sump, wish I could help! Please follow

 

[zalick]

Every few days

Is your DT and overflow box water level constant this whole time? The only thing changing is the return section of the sump?

Are you adding RO water when the level is low or salt water?

I still think it's evaporation. Every few days supports that theory too.

 

[appacalypse]

Is your DT and overflow box water level constant this whole time? The only thing changing is the return section of the sump?

Are you adding RO water when the level is low or salt water?

I still think it's evaporation. Every few days supports that theory too.

I believe (Can't tell you myself, everything is hearsay so far. Haven't been able to do an analysis of the situation myself)
RO

 

[zalick]

I believe (Can't tell you myself, everything is hearsay so far. Haven't been able to do an analysis of the situation myself)
RO

Then it's evaporation. Every few days is totally normal.

 

[Hemmdog]

Then it's evaporation. Every few days is totally normal.

Yep, that’s what I said from the beginning. You want that level to stay consistent so your salinity, alk, cal, mag, etc. also stay consistent; it’s vital for a successful reef.

 

[appacalypse]

Thanks guys. I’m still gonna send some pictures and maybe even a video of the setup so you guys can point me in the right direction. I think the weirs need to be adjusted and i could use your help,

 

[W1ngz]

I really have no idea what to tell you. Over here it was a few hours. Now it's a few days.
Good luck.

 

[appacalypse]

I really have no idea what to tell you. Over here it was a few hours. Now it's a few days.
Good luck.

I can understand why that may seem misleading. As mentioned earlier, a lot of the diagnosis of the issue is coming from others and not myself. I hope to resolve the issue using @Hemmdog and @zalick suggestions when I get home.

 

[Oropher]

Yep. I'd say your return rate is too fast. You could open wide the gate valve of your drain line; or reduce the return rate by adjusting the pump speed (if you have a DC pump), or adjust your return valve to reduce return rate until you have a new balance.

 

[appacalypse]

Just finished exams. Thank God.
My initial thoughts were correct. The pump was pumping out water faster than the overflow could handle.

Not sure if this is a thing but after I implemented a second siphon and adjusted the intake of the pump, the level stabilized (as far as I can tell from 30 min or so of watching it)

 

[appacalypse]

@Hemmdog @zalick
Could you guys please take a look?
I thought I had resolved the issue but water level went down again.

I thought it may be due to the fact that I had too much media so I emptied out the first chamber which caused a bunch of haziness.

 

[zalick]

@Hemmdog @zalick
Could you guys please take a look?
I thought I had resolved the issue but water level went down again.

I thought it may be due to the fact that I had too much media so I emptied out the first chamber which caused a bunch of haziness.

Everything looks fine to me.

Are you referring to the 1 inch drop from the water to the return section?

If you are referring to the 1" drop in return, that is evaporation.

Now that you are back home. Can you answer these questions?

1. Does the water level in the DT and the overflow box stay constant?
2. What is your salinity?

I'll repeat what I said above: if the flow up to the tank is greater than the flow back down, you will end up with either water on your floor or an empty return chamber. That's just physics.

 

[appacalypse]

The thing that is really confusing me is about the return. This morning it was making the whistling noise and the water was way below the line