Need help please. Drain. Gate valve.

[RockyMountainReefing]

So I’ve had my tank set up about 3 weeks now but can’t keep the water level in my sump at the same level. It will randomly rise or drop and I will have to adjust the gate valve to get it balanced but it doesn’t stay the same after a few days. Also every time I do a water change or turn off the return pump I have to dial it in all over again. It’s a Redsea 260 withe a aftermarket sump. Drain style is herbie with filter roller. The ATO works fine and I double checked that it is not siphoning from ATO resivor. Also has a siphon break for the ATO. What could be causing this? Could it be something clogged in the gate valve? My salinity is either going up or down and I’m loosing hope in this darn tank

 

[X-37B]

Slow yoir return pump down and it should stablize.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

I’ve tried slowing it, speeding it up. Same issue

 

[SaltyTwigs]

Have you tried taking your ATO off line? I would mark each section of the sumps water level but especially the return pump section. Top off by hand ever day. Only thing that can affect salinity is to much or to little topoff water. Even if something was stuck in your vavle the emergency overflow should keep the sump sections at the same level.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

Have you tried taking your ATO off line? I would mark each section of the sumps water level but especially the return pump section. Top off by hand ever day. Only thing that can affect salinity is to much or to little topoff water. Even if something was stuck in your vavle the emergency overflow should keep the sump sections at the same level.

So I turned my ATO off for 2 days. Now my sump level stays the same and my display is dropping

 

[SaltyTwigs]

So I turned my ATO off for 2 days. Now my sump level stays the same and my display is dropping

This is very strange if you have not changed the pump speed, the display should always stay the same. Really without adding top off water or changing pump speed, the only section of your tank that should go down is the return section of your sump.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

This is very strange if you have not changed the pump speed, the display should always stay the same. Really without adding top off water or changing pump speed, the only section of your tank that should go down is the return section of your sump.

Yea and salinity is going up so I know it is from evaporation.

 

[LPS Bum]

That’s very strange. If your return pump is running the water level in your display should always remain constant. At the weir level.

I agree with the above comments that the sump level will fluctuate, especially in the return pump section. I think the best thing to do would to drain the plumbing, clean the gate valve, and clean the return pump. Get the salinity where you want it and restart the system. You can then tweak the water level in the sump with the ATO and return pump speed to keep things where you want it.

 

[blaxsun]

If your display is dropping it means either your pump isn't set to a high enough speed or you need to adjust your gate valve (close) so that less water is flowing into the sump.

When calibrating your water levels you always want the ATO empty or off, set the pump speed and adjust the gate valve (1/4" turns every few minutes) until the water level in the overflow is close to the top of your emergency overflow pope.

 

[SaltyTwigs]

What return pump do you have? Looks like one of the Neptune COR pumps. Also, am I correct that the 260 is about 56 gallon display? If it is a COR pump looks like they have 2 models that are rated at 1500 and 2000 GPH. You probably want to shoot for 5 times the tank turnover flow rate or so when setting the pump speed. So to keep it simple 300 gph. So adjust the flow of your return pump way down as your return pumps are oversized with either model. To dial it in I would start with the gate valve like 3/4 open or so and the pump about 300 gph. Then like blaxsun said you want the overflow to have water that is just at the level of your emergency drain. You can make adjustments with either your pump speed or the gate valve. Once you get it in the ballpark make small changes and let each change settle in for 15 minutes or more before adjusting again. Article from BRS on return pump sizing and goals. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/md-2020-11-how-to-size-a-return-pump

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

That’s very strange. If your return pump is running the water level in your display should always remain constant. At the weir level.

I agree with the above comments that the sump level will fluctuate, especially in the return pump section. I think the best thing to do would to drain the plumbing, clean the gate valve, and clean the return pump. Get the salinity where you want it and restart the system. You can then tweak the water level in the sump with the ATO and return pump speed to keep things where you want it.

Just did all that now. I was hoping to find something in the gate valve but it was pretty clean. Anyways I refilled the sump to the max level and currently have the water level 1cm under the emergency drain. I adjusted the gate valve slow to get it there. Wish me luck.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

What return pump do you have? Looks like one of the Neptune COR pumps. Also, am I correct that the 260 is about 56 gallon display? If it is a COR pump looks like they have 2 models that are rated at 1500 and 2000 GPH. You probably want to shoot for 5 times the tank turnover flow rate or so when setting the pump speed. So to keep it simple 300 gph. So adjust the flow of your return pump way down as your return pumps are oversized with either model. To dial it in I would start with the gate valve like 3/4 open or so and the pump about 300 gph. Then like blaxsun said you want the overflow to have water that is just at the level of your emergency drain. You can make adjustments with either your pump speed or the gate valve. Once you get it in the ballpark make small changes and let each change settle in for 15 minutes or more before adjusting again. Article from BRS on return pump sizing and goals. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/md-2020-11-how-to-size-a-return-pump

So I have the Cor 15 at 30 percent. About 4x turnover.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

So I have the Cor 15 at 30 percent. About 4x turnover.

It’s 69 display with the rear sump and another 20 for sump under the stand. 260 comes with a rear sump for all in one setup.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

Thank you guys for the help. I’ve asked local fish shops n they could care less. This community is awesome on reef2reef.

 

[Jo'Reefer]

+1 for SaltyTwigs advice.. Hows it working now? took me some fine tuning over a day or two getting my return and siphon dialed into the same flow rate.. once you find the sweet spot it's smooth sailing just takes a bit of patience and finding the right flow for your specific setup.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

+1 for SaltyTwigs advice.. Hows it working now? took me some fine tuning over a day or two getting my return and siphon dialed into the same flow rate.. once you find the sweet spot it's smooth sailing just takes a bit of patience and finding the right flow for your specific setup.

So it’s been over a hour and it’s the same. I’m measuring by the cm. My fear is in the morning it will have not moved.

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

So it’s been 3 hours now and no movement . If it’s the same tomorrow then I’m lost. Will update then

 

[RockyMountainReefing]

Could all this be caused by my main drain having a slight negative pitch?

 

[jpnegrete14]

I have a similar setup on my IM 100gal bean animal using a ClariSea 3000 gen 3. Modified sump from filter socks to roller mat. I experienced everything you were talking about BUT it got a lot better when I got rid of two 90 elbows on my main drain going to the roller mat. I finagled some 45s and soft tubing instead.

I also find that making sure the seal between the main drain and roller mat is tight is important. For example when I take out the roller mat for maintenance and put it back if I didn't have a tight seal between the main drain and the roller mat elbow then I was getting too much flow through the secondary and it would throw every thing off.

Till this day things will be whisper quiet and flowing perfectly and then randomly I'll have super high water level in the DT and water gushing out of the emergency and secondary and I feel like I'm going in circles adjusting pump speeds, gate valves and messing with the ATO and I usually end up coming back to the roller mat and that will end up being my adjustment. IE it was being bypassed, or stopped rolling so the fleece is clogged more then usual but not completely clogged

Hope this helps.

 

[jpnegrete14]

Could all this be caused by my main drain having a slight negative pitch?

IMO I really don't see how that negative pitch would be anything of significance