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

[SamAPFish]

You have water flowing uphill?

Nope, the water goes through a pipe in that section to exit the tank

 

[Tahoe61]

Sometimes the return section is higher than the display. It confuses me...

When this happens no water is flowing to back chambers?

Have you checked the pump?

 

[Auquanut]

One last thing. Do you have good flow coming out of the return nozzle in the display?

 

[SamAPFish]

The ato should be in the return chamber where the water level should fluctuate. The water levels elsewhere should never fluctuate. Only thing I can think of is perhaps you have a clog in a filter chamber where water isn’t getting pulled through properly.

Where would I check for a clog?

 

[SamAPFish]

You have water flowing uphill?

No it goes through a pipe from the bottom of that section

 

[SamAPFish]

One last thing. Do you have good flow coming out of the return nozzle in the display?

Ok flow, I mean it’s not a great pump soo

 

[jdstank]

For water to increase in the rear/sump/return area....whatever you want to call it above the display portion would require the pump to be off in the sump and the water is siphoning out of the display into the sump portion. Water should only leave the display area through the slits in the plastic divider in the opposite side of the tank that your picture is of. Your pic is the return line, water only flows into the display tank, not out of the display unless the pump is turned off allowing it to siphon back to the sump area.

 

[Auquanut]

Do you know any science behind what keeping that level lower will do, or is it just experience?

I don't know the science (not quite that smart), but it would make sense that if the level in the return section is slightly lower than the other two sections, you may get better flow through the system. I'm betting on the placement of the sensor. Couldn't hurt to move it and monitor closely. Worth a try.

 

[SamAPFish]

I don't know the science (not quite that smart), but it would make sense that if the level in the return section is slightly lower than the other two sections, you may get better flow through the system. I'm betting on the placement of the sensor. Couldn't hurt to move it and monitor closely. Worth a try.

Hopefully it works. Just checked my salinity and it went from 1.026 to 1.028 in a day

 

[Greg P]

Hopefully it works. Just checked my salinity and it went from 1.026 to 1.028 in a day

You are using Fresh Water in the ATO reservoir, yes? NOT saltwater?

 

[Greg P]

Also not any help with your original question but, make sure your ATO hose doesn't push against the float. In the first picture it looks like the hose is pushing the float sideways.
If it does you won't like the results!!

 

[Willy315]

In post #21 is water being pumped from the back "sump" to the tank through the pipe you are pointing at? If not, I think you may have the pump hooked up backwards.

 

[Mikedawg8898]

i think it depends on how the filtration is setup in the back. a typical sump design would have water flow down and under the first baffle, then over the second baffle into the return section. but in my case, i have a jbj desktop aquarium where the baffles are setup backwards. the water flows into the sump and goes over the top of the first baffle and then the next two sections are technically the return because water flows under the second baffle. so in my case, the sump water level is directly related to the water level outside of the sump and in the display which is where the water evaporates from. so the sump and the display fall at the same rate until the display water level is lower than the inlet of the sump, in which case the sump would then run dry because no water could get in

 

[BeMoto]

Are you siphoning water back into your ato resevor?

 

[ca1ore]

All water/air interface surfaces will result in evaporation, but the level changes will always occur on the return side of the overflow. I’m unfamiliar with the cubey tanks, but from pictures they don’t appear to use a typical weir overflow. Hard to tell much from your picture but it sounds to me like something is screwed up with the pump/plumbing. I’d remove all that black filter material just see how water is flowing.

 

[SamAPFish]

You are using Fresh Water in the ATO reservoir, yes? NOT saltwater?

Yes, I’m using RO water

 

[SamAPFish]

In post #21 is water being pumped from the back "sump" to the tank through the pipe you are pointing at? If not, I think you may have the pump hooked up backwards.

Yep

 

[SamAPFish]

Are you siphoning water back into your ato resevor?

No the tube is not touching water

 

[SamAPFish]

i think it depends on how the filtration is setup in the back. a typical sump design would have water flow down and under the first baffle, then over the second baffle into the return section. but in my case, i have a jbj desktop aquarium where the baffles are setup backwards. the water flows into the sump and goes over the top of the first baffle and then the next two sections are technically the return because water flows under the second baffle. so in my case, the sump water level is directly related to the water level outside of the sump and in the display which is where the water evaporates from. so the sump and the display fall at the same rate until the display water level is lower than the inlet of the sump, in which case the sump would then run dry because no water could get in

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

 

[SamAPFish]

All water/air interface surfaces will result in evaporation, but the level changes will always occur on the return side of the overflow. I’m unfamiliar with the cubey tanks, but from pictures they don’t appear to use a typical weir overflow. Hard to tell much from your picture but it sounds to me like something is screwed up with the pump/plumbing. I’d remove all that black filter material just see how water is flowing.

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