OVERFLOW NOISE DRIVING ME CRAZY!! HELP!

smitten with ocean life · 2026-10-03T14:41:01-0400

i dont know what changed with my tank. nothing has been adjusted, the water level is the same! but it now makes a terrible racket in the over flow! sounds like a faucet is turned on and running over. ive turned the return pumps all the way down until there is almost no water movement and nothing fixes the problem. anyone have some ideas i can try? my tank used to be almost silent

mcarroll · 2026-10-03T14:49:05-0400

Sometimes that can indicate a clog or parital blockage. Can you post a photo of your tank and drains?

smitten with ocean life · 2026-10-03T14:55:59-0400

i can try. but of course its all behind the tank!

mcarroll · 2026-10-03T15:07:31-0400

Just trying to get an idea as to your overall setup....othewise it's hardd to give advice that any more specific.

mfinn · 2026-10-03T15:12:55-0400

Even just a description of the setup.
1 drain?
2 drains?
3 drains?

Herbie
Bean Animal
Durso

smitten with ocean life · 2026-10-03T15:16:03-0400

smitten with ocean life · 2026-10-03T15:16:50-0400

sorry. i have no idea what the name style of the plumbing is

mfinn · 2026-10-03T15:18:29-0400

smitten with ocean life said:
sorry. i have no idea what the name style of the plumbing is

how many drains in the overflow box?

Evil1 · 2026-10-03T15:19:15-0400

Very useful tool to have on hand for cleaning tubes and plumbing

https://a.co/d/0hEvn4li

mcarroll · 2026-10-03T15:21:30-0400

Looks like there are either two or three drain pipes in the drain box.

Are they each 1"? Are they set up slightly different from one another inside the box?

Also, what pump are you using?

royaleFork · 2026-10-03T15:36:12-0400

I had this issue and at first it was my weir was getting clogged with Coraline and then later it was the pressure drop from my return pump failing.

mcarroll · 2026-10-03T15:51:02-0400

smitten with ocean life said:

Just noticed that it seems like your skimmer might need a bath too. That's some serious buildup on the lid! Is this preexisting, or does it relate in timeframe to the drain noise?

exnisstech · 2026-10-03T15:51:54-0400

Evil1 said:
Very useful tool to have on hand for cleaning tubes and plumbing

https://a.co/d/0hEvn4li

I don't normally clean pipes but for $7 I'm adding one to my kit. Thanks!

Privateye · 2026-10-03T15:52:37-0400

Sometimes it's worth throwing a baffle on the back side of the cabinet to dampen the noise. I can't tell whether yours is open in the back though. I usually use the pink Owen's Corning foam sheets from Home Depot. You can cut them to fit around odd objects/plumbing. I usually just set mine behind the stand and lean it against the stand a little. If you want to go further you could attach it to the stand to eliminate gaps.

The downside is you won't get as much gas exchange in the sump. I usually run my skimmer intake outside of the stand for this reason. If you want to add more air exchange, a small air pump should help. With mine just leaning against the back though, I haven't had a need for an air pump. There are gaps and my skimmer still draws air from outside.