Wier height adjustment

[ilawis]

I've ended up with a compounding problem in regards to my sump capacity and my weir height.
Problem
The guy who built my sump made it too short by 100mm this has reduced my overflow capacity.
He also made the weir height too deep in the display.
These two issues has resulted in a too large of head in the display and when power cuts can overflow my sump.
Sump option but not ideal
I have worked out the area of free flowing water running over the waterfall so have devised a way to lower the water height in the previous compartment to create more empty space using a S shaped piece of 100mm pipe, the problem with this is in the event of a power outage the pipe will fill with air breaking the flow and I would estimate it won't be a quiet option.

Weir option
The weir I have had a comb that is adjustable in height and I've got it set to the max height I can. However down both ends of the comb there is a gap.
If the power cuts the head of the tank drains down to the bottom of this gap resulting in approximately 60-70 ltrs (16-18 gallons) falling into my sump when it only needs to be 30ish (8 gal, ish)
I need to find a way to water tight the ends of the comb and this should fix some of the issue.

Any ideas will be appreciated

Thanks in advance!

 

[The Farmer]

I would take the middle glass out of your sump the one next to ur reactor

 

[The Farmer]

Can you post a better pic and description of your sump

 

[bruno3047]

Fill that space on the end of the weir with some purple epoxy. This:

Coralline Purple Reef Epoxy (2 oz) - Oceans Wonders

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

 

[ilawis]

Fill that space on the end of the weir with some purple epoxy. This:

Coralline Purple Reef Epoxy (2 oz) - Oceans Wonders

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

Of course! I don't know why I didn't think of that I'll see if I can get some. Thankyou.

 

[ilawis]

Can you post a better pic and description of your sump

Water comes in on the left into a area with a home made roller mat water flows under first partition to circulate the refugium. Then flows over second partition into QT zone. I use this area to keep problem fish (attitude problem not sick fish) I also use it to seed live rock and going to use it for keeping frags in. This also has my calcium reactor and my home made carbon reactor in. The water then goes over the waterfall into the Skimmer compartment, through a bubble trap into the area where I have both my return pumps.

 

[ilawis]

I would take the middle glass out of your sump the one next to ur reactor

The more I think about this the better it sounds. I'm hesitant because it's a one way decision. Once I've taken it out I can't put it back in and there with no nothing stopping the fish from hiding under my equipment or getting sucked into a pump.

 

[The Farmer]

To be honest if you have problematic fish just trade them in for different types of fish instead of them getting sump Realestate

 

[ilawis]

To be honest if you have problematic fish just trade them in for different types of fish instead of them getting sump Realestate

What your saying would be right for most people but I work away from home so there had been a number of times that I've found a fish start to eat my corals the day before I fly away for 2 weeks and just don't have time to move him on. Hence the isolation section

 

[The Farmer]

I got you

 

[The Farmer]

All you would need is some eggcrate to create a divider for the fish.

 

[ilawis]

Hey thankyou all for the segestions on what to do to solve this.
To update you all on how I got on I've removed the partition in the sump and I haven't turned off the power to see if I've got space in the sump yet or not but it has given me enough volume in the sump to have my tank doing auto water changes
So far it's a win situation
Oh except for the copperband that got stuck against a suction. May he live happily with Davie Jones in his locker

 

[FishOkay]

I’m confused lol not that easy to do I’ll admit, but the weir/combs only dictate the water level in the display. You should have pipes in the weir for emergency and main drain and that which you can raise no? Sorry if you’ve explained already in your question Lol

 

[ilawis]

I’m confused lol not that easy to do I’ll admit, but the weir/combs only dictate the water level in the display. You should have pipes in the weir for emergency and main drain and that which you can raise no? Sorry if you’ve explained already in your question Lol

There is a gap down both sides of the comb so when I have a power loss or reduced flow the display drains 41mm of head out of my display, (just over 1.6 inches) when that happens my sump overflows

 

[FishOkay]

I meant not that difficult to do lol sorry sounded like I was saying you didn’t make sense, but I get it now. I’d second epoxy the gap. Unless you like to remove and clean the combs it might make it a bit difficult.
Or maybe silicone a longer comb behind the existing if it’s not removable already.

 

[ilawis]

I meant not that difficult to do lol sorry sounded like I was saying you didn’t make sense, but I get it now. I’d second epoxy the gap. Unless you like to remove and clean the combs it might make it a bit difficult.
Or maybe silicone a longer comb behind the existing if it’s not removable already.

I get you now . Yes I do remove it to clean it because there is a top brace that makes it hard to clean otherwise. When I do get some suitable epoxy I will do that and find a way to make the comb removable still.
Tho I hadn't thought of putting another comb behind the first. It might be a case of attaching a false partition behind the comb just to raise the weir bottom height rather than a second comb that way I don't have to try mold the epoxy to the comb

 

[FishOkay]

yeah exactly a false plastic partition probably sounds like a bit more of a permanent solution to epoxy and would look a bit better, not that it matters to much if you can’t see it anyway. You could probably just use a bead of super glue if not silicone or epoxy, I have tried in the past to use epoxy for joining 2 bits of plastic and it didn’t work very well lol. Could have just been me though.