More Sump questions,,,

[gordy2988]

like I've said before,,, this is my first time running a sump in a reef tank, so I am still new at this. i don't think I am getting enough flow through my sump. my last chamber where my return pump is located slowly empties in a matter of of time. I have tried two different pumps, one is a 580 gph the other is 400 gph. i have a valve right after the pump so i can knock the flow rate down coming from the pump. no matter how much i knock it down,,, with in a matter of time the chamber emptys on me? i have just noticed, that with 400 pump knocked down,, now my water level in the tank is lower?
what am i doing wrong here? i have attached a few pictures,,, 1 is my drain and return line in my overflow, 2 is my drain chamber, 3 is my return chamber with the pump.

 

[Bfragale]

Hello, to start off: I’m no expert but to me it sounds like maybe not enough water volume.
Are you topping off as water evaporates?

when I set mine up, I had same issue but I was doing two things wrong: not enough water AND the evaporation amount doubled (or more) once I added sump.

I played with it until I got the right amount of water volume and then added a auto top off and mine has been working ok since.

hope this helps, good luck my friend and stay safe and happy reefing!

 

[gordy2988]

not enough water,,, where?
and how do I get more water volume??
i got this whole set up from someone who had it all running fine at one point,,,

 

[Keithb22]

So there is a specific way to set your levels when you have a sump. That’s how you get your safe levels, so if you loose power the sump doesn’t over flow as water returns from the DT. So since the sump is not covered, you loose a lot of water through evap so you need to top off with the rodi. Is this all baseline info or what’s our starting point as far as experience goes? Hope this helps someway.

 

[arichmond1003]

I’m also running my fist sump setup on my tank, and what I can say is it’s a balance. It’s a balance based off of what is entering your sump and what you are pumping out. Once you find that balance you can then adjust for your desired level in your display, then remove some water from your sump to avoid disaster when there no return power.
My setup is a variable speed return pump, dual overflows (one primary, one emergency backup), and a gate valve on my primary overflow.

 

[Auquanut]

If your drain and return are functioning properly, you should be able to add SW to the sump until you acheive the desired level in the return section. The level should remain constant everywhere else. As far as the level in the return section dropping goes, it sounds like evaporation. I lose over a gallon a day to evaporation in my 125. An ATO is great for keeping the level constant. You'll want to keep an eye on your SG, and only use RO water to replace what is lost to evaporation.

 

[Water Dog]

As said before, are you running an ATO to account for evaporation? Also, what kind of overflow are you using to bring water down to the sump?

*edit - just saw the pictures of the corner overflow Durso set up.

When you say “in a matter of time, the chamber empties on me.” How long is a matter of time? Sure does sound like an evaporation issue to me.

 

[Keithb22]

The new aquarium by Michael palette, natural reef aquariums by tullock are two great books to start with to get the basics down. Regardless of how old they are the basics are still concrete

 

[gordy2988]

you were correct,, it was the water volume in the sump,,, I watched a youtube about how to set levels,,, i had my sump water lever way to low!!! now everything seems to be running smooth!
thanks for your input!

Hello, to start off: I’m no expert but to me it sounds like maybe not enough water volume.
Are you topping off as water evaporates?

when I set mine up, I had same issue but I was doing two things wrong: not enough water AND the evaporation amount doubled (or more) once I added sump.

I played with it until I got the right amount of water volume and then added a auto top off and mine has been working ok since.

hope this helps, good luck my friend and stay safe and happy reefing!

 

[dreamcatcherr9]

you were correct,, it was the water volume in the sump,,, I watched a youtube about how to set levels,,, i had my sump water lever way to low!!! now everything seems to be running smooth!
thanks for your input!

For my learning / education; what size was your sump (dimensions and / or volume)?
And what is your water level in sump set at now (half? Less than or more?)? Thank you.