Overflow clogged? Water level now 2 inches higher

[KleineVampir]

I just came back home like 15 minutes ago and the water level was a good 2 inches higher than normal. It's a diy overflow with a weir, and there is now like 2 inches of water even by the weir notches. I found all the fish except one of the bangaii cardinals, which I suspect may have somehow gotten in there and is now clogging up the pipes. Water is still getting back down to the sump but apparently at a very reduced rate to where the water level has to be 2 inches higher. And the ATO dumped out almost all the water, probably about 4 gallons worth but there's no water on the floor. So it all went to the display apparently. What do I do if a fish went down my overflow pipe? Just wait for it to slowly decintigrate? I mean the tank isn't overflowing but it still doesn't feel good.

 

[GBRsouth]

There is a type of spring that is really long that plumbers use to clear pipes. They are available in hardware stores.

 

[Silver14SS]

What does the drain empty into? Any kind of filter material at the end of the drain that could be clogged? Assuming you have a valve on the drain line, open it all the way up to see if anything comes out then put it back to where it was.

Depending on how the drain is setup, air trapped in it can also cause issues. Pics are always helpful.

 

[Goodair]

You able to look inside it with a flashlight? How long is the overflow pipe and does it have bends to it?

 

[KleineVampir]

There is a type of spring that is really long that plumbers use to clear pipes. They are available in hardware stores.

There are several bends in this thing though. And it's long. But maybe.

 

[KleineVampir]

What does the drain empty into? Any kind of filter material at the end of the drain that could be clogged? Assuming you have a valve on the drain line, open it all the way up to see if anything comes out then put it back to where it was.

It empties into a sump, which then of course has a pump to pump the water back into the tank. The pump is still running just fine, I looked at the water coming out of it.

You able to look inside it with a flashlight? How long is the overflow pipe and does it have bends to it?

I tried, but the space between the actual overflow pipe and the weir is awfully small. Maybe like a 1/4 of an inch. I just couldn't see anything of interest. It is this style of overflow however the notches are much wider, maybe again 1/4 of an inch or a bit less.

 

[GBRsouth]

There are several bends in this thing though. And it's long. But maybe.

I have one and it can get past two 90 degree bends without a problem.

 

[KleineVampir]

I have one and it can get past two 90 degree bends without a problem.

That might get me halfway there! Or if I go from both sides it might work.

Anyways guys, I yanked the entire overflow pipe out and turned on my fuge. So the sump is totally offline. Hopefully I'm getting the guy from the reef society who originally made this thing to come out and fix it for me tomorrow. The plumbing side of this hobby is not my forte!

So in conclusion...somebody else is gonna be fixing this and it's not like I'm leaking water or anything.

 

[KleineVampir]

Thanks for your help though guys. Lol.

 

[WVNed]

If there is a valve open it all the way. That would be where a fish would stick.

Sorry never mind.

 

[Goodair]

You should consider a strainer btw, so you don't have this happen again lol. Even if the issue wasn't a fish getting stuck, catching anything bulky will save you a headache.

 

[KleineVampir]

You should consider a strainer btw, so you don't have this happen again lol. Even if the issue wasn't a fish getting stuck, catching anything bulky will save you a headache.

Yeah when the dude comes we'll see what we can do to prevent stuff like this from happening. So far we don't even know what the problem is! Once we know that maybe we can solve it. In the meantime I hope my fishies can survive the night without the sump! There is still a hob with some bio filter stuff in it. Hopefully that can still process enough ammonia.

 

[Goodair]

Keep the surface water moving with a powerhead to keep tje water oxygenated. Also you might want your heater in the main tank to keep the water temp stable.

 

[KleineVampir]

Keep the surface water moving with a powerhead to keep tje water oxygenated. Also you might want your heater in the main tank to keep the water temp stable.

Yeah I at least thought about it this far. I coulda even put the old strip light in the HOB fuge and some chaeto and it would almost be like normal! But I didn't think of that. But yeah the heater is in the hob. And the tank has a gyre anyways, I don't rely on the pump for flow.