Getting fed up of return pumps please help

[Sarah1990]

So I set up my first tank which is 300l (180l display and 120l sump) it was 2nd hand and the pump which came with it is rather noisy. I've been and bought an Eheim compacton 2100 as I have followed the rule of at least 5 times to 10 time turn over.
I've installed this new pump which is slightly noisy but now I have an even worse noise problem as the drilled overflow is sucking in air
I had the sump filled to just above the baffles, a few inches from the top so cant really fill it more, should I remove some water will that make it stop or have I just wasted £60?

 

[dantimdad]

put an elbow on the drain in the aquarium. Turn until it's angled enough to raise the water level some but not enough for it to overflow the tank.

If that doesn't work, let me know.

 

[Sarah1990]

put an elbow on the drain in the aquarium. Turn until it's angled enough to raise the water level some but not enough for it to overflow the tank.

If that doesn't work, let me know.

I just keep wasting more money on stuff that doesnt work, I went 2nd hand to save money haha
So I need an elbow on the overflow and angle it up so less water can get down it?

 

[Sarah1990]

Is it too powerful a return pump?

 

[dantimdad]

No it doesn't put less water through it. It raises the level so it's not sucking as much air. The other possibility (if you have a second drain for safety) is to put a ball valve on the main drain line and slowly close it until the sucking noise is gone.

Lookup "Herbie Drain"

 

[Sarah1990]

No it doesn't put less water through it. It raises the level so it's not sucking as much air. The other possibility (if you have a second drain for safety) is to put a ball valve on the main drain line and slowly close it until the sucking noise is gone.

Lookup "Herbie Drain"

No I only have that drain and the return line. I imagine it needs to be "S" shaped to raise the drain level doesnt it?
I've found these elbow joints?

 

[dantimdad]

No s shape necessary. It's almost impossible to get a single drain to be quiet AND safe.

If I was there with you, I could probably get it to quiet down some using old school tricks but I just don't trust single drains.

Try sticking a piece of airline down the drain until it gets more quiet. This used to work on my old setups.

 

[Sarah1990]

It didnt do this with the old pump so maybe I have the wrong size pump. I've not even cycled it and its driving me crazy

 

[dantimdad]

It's possible the old pump just happened to be perfectly matched to the drain.

Odd but not impossible.

 

[reefwiser]

You need a way to adjust the drain. This can be done by putting a gate valve on the line coming from your overflow.
by closing the valve you can raise the water level in the over flow. This is the common way to adjust the water flow in a overflow system.

 

[Billdogg]

You need a way to adjust the drain. This can be done by putting a gate valve on the line coming from your overflow.
by closing the valve you can raise the water level in the over flow. This is the common way to adjust the water flow in a overflow system.

I will respectfully disagree. With a single drain line you should NEVER restrict the flow at all. You can decrease the return flow to better match the drain, but restricting the drain will lead to a flood.

I assume you have a single 1" drain line? That is very common for many "reef ready" tanks and can work very well if you use it properly. A 1" drain line can handle at most 350gph when used as a DURSO style drain. really, 300gph is better because it will be much quieter. If you put a valve on the return line you can easily decrease the flow to the tank. It will not harm the pump in any way - it is no different than increase the head pressure to the pump.

 

[Sarah1990]

I will respectfully disagree. With a single drain line you should NEVER restrict the flow at all. You can decrease the return flow to better match the drain, but restricting the drain will lead to a flood.

I assume you have a single 1" drain line? That is very common for many "reef ready" tanks and can work very well if you use it properly. A 1" drain line can handle at most 350gph when used as a DURSO style drain. really, 300gph is better because it will be much quieter. If you put a valve on the return line you can easily decrease the flow to the tank. It will not harm the pump in any way - it is no different than increase the head pressure to the pump.

Yes I have a single drain and I think it is the extra power in the pump causing the problem. Where would I get a valve to reduce the flow up to the tank?

 

[Billdogg]

Home depot or Lowes will have ball valves in a variety of sizes. A gate valve will serve you better. I use www.savko.com of www.usplastics.com for all by oddball plumbing needs.

hth!

 

[dantimdad]

DO NOT VALVE A SINGLE DRAIN!

I cannot stress this enough.

 

[ScottieB]

I think the 5-10x turnover is an antiquated idea based on the limited options for flow that we used to have. With better options available now the turnover can be much lower.
And yes, I second (or third) the notion about throttling the return down with a valve not the drain.

 

[Midrats]

Why not use your return pipe as the emergency drain and run the return up the back of the tank?

 

[Dr. Phil]

@dantimdad is 1000% correct. Do NOT restrict the flow on the drain if you only have one. You are asking for a flood. Having a single drain is already risky enough due to the possibility of a snail or something else clogging the drain. Adding a valve to that single drain just increases the possibility of a disaster.

 

[Sarah1990]

Why not use your return pipe as the emergency drain and run the return up the back of the tank?

An interesting idea I could try it thank you

 

[Sarah1990]

I think the 5-10x turnover is an antiquated idea based on the limited options for flow that we used to have. With better options available now the turnover can be much lower.
And yes, I second (or third) the notion about throttling the return down with a valve not the drain.

How do you attach the valve to the return pump? Ive no idea what I'm looking for lol
The pump is currently turned down to its lowest setting and it doesnt make any difference

 

[mcdrichj]

If you want a silent system you need to have at least 2 drains. See Herbie and bean animal overflow designs.

Edit: My tank is in my bedroom and it needs to be silent so I run a herbie overflow design and I have my return pump on a filter pad so it doesnt vibrate against the tank. All you can hear is a slight hum from my return and a bit of noise from my skimmer. My overflow makes no noise at all accept when I stop and restart the system until all the air bleeds out of the line.