Does water in an aio evaporate from the front or back?

[eschaton]

I can tell you how mine works but I don’t know if it’s normal.. mine goes through the left slots and goes down 3 layers of course foam and then goes into my second basket that will have my protein skimmer then it flows from there into my last chamber where the water is pumped out through a pipe

If the water is sometimes higher in your back chambers than in your display tank, that seems to suggest there is a clog or something else which restricts flow between when it enters the first chamber and is pumped back into the display.

The water level should never be below the slots. It can end up higher than the slots, but this is also not ideal, because it suggests a blockage somewhere along the line.

Three units of foam sounds like too much to me to be honest. Any tank with decent levels of live rock doesn't really need foam media for filtration.

 

[SamAPFish]

If the water is sometimes higher in your back chambers than in your display tank, that seems to suggest there is a clog or something else which restricts flow between when it enters the first chamber and is pumped back into the display.

The water level should never be below the slots. It can end up higher than the slots, but this is also not ideal, because it suggests a blockage somewhere along the line.

Three units of foam sounds like too much to me to be honest. Any tank with decent levels of live rock doesn't really need foam media for filtration.

Yeah I know it’s too much filtration, I’ll probably replace it with a 1 sponge pad and maybe a carbon reactor? I’ve heard those things are great.

 

[LuizW13]

Check to see if there is a leak from the return pump to the return line that takes water back into the display. You could be pumping water within the return section of the pump because not all of the water is flowing through the return line.

When I upgraded the return pump on my AIO, i didn't securely fasten the hose to the pump and some of the water wasn't making it back to the display.

Hope that made sense.

 

[SamAPFish]

Check to see if there is a leak from the return pump to the return line that takes water back into the display. You could be pumping water within the return section of the pump because not all of the water is flowing through the return line.

When I upgraded the return pump on my AIO, i didn't securely fasten the hose to the pump and some of the water wasn't making it back to the display.

Hope that made sense.

Does it mean anything that beside those grates there are also two small holes on both sides of the back of the tank? I’m gonna guess it’s to bring more water into the back but I don’t know. I’m just going to see if I fixed it and if not I’ll try that. Thanks!

 

[Mikedawg8898]

So if my tank worked the same way, how would I run an ato?

you would have the sensor in the display tank. but thats only if both the display tank and sump water level fall at the same rate. if it works the same way, they both should fall at the same rate

 

[jdstank]

Just get rid of all those foam filters in the back. They’re just nitrate factories and will cause fluctuations in the back chambers as they plug up with tank gunk. A sock modified to fit would be better than the foam which will release all kinds of sediment when you try to remove them for cleaning. See if that solves your water level issue if all else hasn’t worked.

 

[SamAPFish]

Just get rid of all those foam filters in the back. They’re just nitrate factories and will cause fluctuations in the back chambers as they plug up with tank gunk. A sock modified to fit would be better than the foam which will release all kinds of sediment when you try to remove them for cleaning. See if that solves your water level issue if all else hasn’t worked.

Actually I solved it. It was just how the cube is made basically. The cube is designed for about 0.5 inches of water to go below the rim before the back starts dropping. I solved this by adding a protein skimmer to one of the compartments. Also, how should I remove the sponges if they are going to make a mess and are they going to create a mini cycle when I remove them?

 

[jdstank]

Just pull them ASAP. It’s not going to trigger a cycle but you’ll see plenty of detritus and such fall out of them. Clean up what you can during your next water change. It’ll be in the sump waiting for you.

 

[jdstank]

Also, I don’t think you’ve solved it by adding a slimmer. Maybe inhibiting water flow but the tank runs as designed. The ATO sensor (should) reside(s) in the last chamber for a reason. That being that the water level in the main tank and first chamber are always constant. Once it flows over the first baffle in chamber 1, they’re passed through a bottom baffle which forces the last chamber to be where you’ll see any evaporation taking place. The entire tank evaporates, but you only see it in the last chamber. In fact most of the AIO tanks have a viewing window in the last chamber on the side of the tank for that very reason. You can add an ATO as you’ve done, or simply mark a line on the window and manually top off as needed.

Impeding flow is never a good thing and could result in overflowing the tank out on to the floor. The pump will continue to do its job and pump water regardless of whether water is flowing through the chambers correctly (impeded or not).It’ll pump until all chambers past the one impeding flow are emptied. It’s the same concept as having an under tank sump which people sometimes have tanks overflow from blockages occurring from snails or other things blocking the pipes.

 

[SamAPFish]

Also, I don’t think you’ve solved it by adding a slimmer. Maybe inhibiting water flow but the tank runs as designed. The ATO sensor (should) reside(s) in the last chamber for a reason. That being that the water level in the main tank and first chamber are always constant. Once it flows over the first baffle in chamber 1, they’re passed through a bottom baffle which forces the last chamber to be where you’ll see any evaporation taking place. The entire tank evaporates, but you only see it in the last chamber. In fact most of the AIO tanks have a viewing window in the last chamber on the side of the tank for that very reason. You can add an ATO as you’ve done, or simply mark a line on the window and manually top off as needed.

Impeding flow is never a good thing and could result in overflowing the tank out on to the floor. The pump will continue to do its job and pump water regardless of whether water is flowing through the chambers correctly (impeded or not).It’ll pump until all chambers past the one impeding flow are emptied. It’s the same concept as having an under tank sump which people sometimes have tanks overflow from blockages occurring from snails or other things blocking the pipes.

Ok, I thought that putting the skimmer in the middle section caused water displacement which decreased the amount of water in the chambers.

 

[Thub]

It appears the cubey actually runs a different filter system than the biocubes, and any other traditional overflow system, in that the water inlet to the filter is meant to stay completely submerged.
Does the water pickup (opposite the discharge from the filter) stay completely underwater at all times?
If that's the case, your ato sensor needs to be in the display area, or the first chamber.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Didn’t read all the post but looks like your sensor is in the wrong place, put it in return section with your pump at the level you want your water to be in that compartment.

 

[jdstank]

Having the sensor in the display section doesn’t always work so well. Wave makers or even the flow generated by the return pump can cause small enough waves to disrupt what should be regular top offs. The last chamber is always best to place them in as the water is at its calmest point there.
And yes, having a skimmer will indeed displace some water, as well as utilize some water to fill the skimmer so it’s a trade off of sorts. At either rate, if you’ve caused flow to be impeded that’s an undesirable effect. Skimmers are fine in the cubes, I ran one in a bio cube 32 right next to the last chamber but removed it due to the limited need for it in mine (turned into a frag tank).