Need some help

[ReeflOver801]

Does anyone knows the reason why the water level on the display rises if I put a stronger return pump?
I have a 4 gallon lifegard pico reef that has the stock 108 gph return pump but it’s to weak for my like so I went ahead and bought a 165gph one, but butt soon as I install it the water level rises on the display almost to the point of overflowing

 

[newfly]

The water level at the back chamber drop causing the water in the main display rise.

 

[Nano sapiens]

The larger pump is expelling more water into the display and so the volume of the water that goes through the overflow to feed this increase of output has to increase. The only way in this scenario that more water can get through the overflow's slots is for the display water level to rise.

 

[MaxTremors]

The larger pump is expelling more water into the display and so the volume of the water that goes through the overflow to feed this increase of output has to increase. The only way in this scenario that more water can get through the overflow's slots is for the display water level to rise.

This. Your pump is pumping more water into the display, and since your overflow doesn’t get wider as you pump more water in, the water level rises until it reaches the point where the amount overflowing equals the amount being pumped in.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Do you have the option to adjust down your new pump? It sounds like you have a pump that’s almost to powerful for your plumbing sizes. 3/4” - 1” whatever?

 

[ReeflOver801]

The water level at the back chamber drop causing the water in the main display rise.

Yea that’s exactly what happens

 

[ReeflOver801]

The water level at the back chamber drop causing the water in the main display rise.

Yea that’s exactly what

Do you have the option to adjust down your new pump? It sounds like you have a pump that’s almost to powerful for your plumbing sizes. 3/4” - 1” whatever?

unfortunately it doesn’t have the option to adjust

 

[ReeflOver801]

This. Your pump is pumping more water into the display, and since your overflow doesn’t get wider as you pump more water in, the water level rises until it reaches the point where the amount overflowing equals the amount being pumped in.

What would be the solution getting a different pump ?

 

[Nano sapiens]

Does anyone knows the reason why the water level on the display rises if I put a stronger return pump?
I have a 4 gallon lifegard pico reef that has the stock 108 gph return pump but it’s to weak for my like so I went ahead and bought a 165gph one, but butt soon as I install it the water level rises on the display almost to the point of overflowing

In reality 108 gph is quite good for a 4g pico (that's a turnover rate of a bit more than 27x if we assume your actual water volume is just shy of 4g).

165g with this pico is ~41X. That's a whole lot for such a small volume and only high-flow loving Acros would really be happy with that IMO.

I run a 265gph pump on a 12g (~10g actual water volume) with a rotating nozzle, so figure ~210 gph in reality (~25% flow loss). That's ~21x turnover and it's fine for SPS like Montipora, Seriatopora and such.

If you use the 108 pump, just make sure that the water can flow relatively freely around the central rockwork.