ReefMat 500 Operation

[AshleyNavy]

Beginning reefer here....I have a Nano 20g Red Sea, but recently upgraded and it isn't going well so far.

I am setting up my Red Sea 250 (65g) and installed the ReefMat 500. I installed it to hang on the side with the little bumpers. The issue I have is that it is splashing a lot and the water is all coming out of the sides of the ReefMat, which I think may not be right. The water in my sump system is about 9" tall on the Reef Mat section, but is very low (<5") on the return pump side. Can someone tell me what may be wrong or what I installed wrong to make it do this? I'm sure it was user-error, but I've watched every video I can find and haven't found where I screwed up yet. Thank you so much!

 

[TheBear78]

If you've only run the tank with the reefmat installed you will still need to dial in the drain valve. It's sounds like the flow is too fast?
The return chamber water level is generally lower but the actual level will be set by the ATO (auto top off) sensor. If it's standard RedSea this will be the white float valve.

 

[AshleyNavy]

Thanks for the reply. I turned the knob mostly to the right to lower the flow, but maybe I need to go more. Any advice on how much to reduce it to? I don't want it to be too high to where it is going down my emergency drain in the return box, but just unsure on this one how much to dial it into....

Thanks again for your help!

 

[TerryTiger]

Having the hose go lower than the inlet isn’t ideal. I suggest that you shorten the hose so it flows into the reefmat better.

 

[Matty Ice]

You might want to shorten the flex hose feeding your ReefMat so it’sa nice smooth flow. Can’t really tell by the picture but it looks like your ReefMat should advance some new fleece, the roll looks brown. This will cause water to overflow the sides too.

edit: I also realized you have the newer style sump. The glass section by your overflow and drain pipes is designed to be removed with the installation of the ReefMat. Mine was stuck pretty good. Just pull it straight up.

As for the return pump section being lower than the rest of the sump, that’s normal. Your ATO will top off fresh RO/DI water into the return pump chamber as the water evaporates. As mentioned above if you’re using the standard RedSea setup, your ATO is the white float in the return chamber. Your reservoir is the small glass tank mounted above your sump. The water in the return chamber should be just at the float valve to keep it closed under normal conditions. When water evaporates the float drops and gravity feeds RO/DI water from your reservoir…again, if you’re using the standard RedSea setup.