Return Camber Water Levels

[TangGuy]

Good Morning,

I have a 90 Gallon reef tank with a Trigger 30 sump. This is my first time having a sump below. My return chamber water levels seem to move up and down. When it drops my Tunze ATO replaces the water which sometimes throws off the salinity. The extra water is pumped into the display tank. On Saturday it almost overflowed my display and the sump return chamber was still low but my 5-gallon reservoir for my ATO ran dry (glad it did). Other times it is high (over the ATO float) and the salinity goes up since no freshwater is added. I have a Jebao DC 3000 return pump which is only 6 months old. I am been wondering if my pump is not working properly. I know they are not known for longevity. I should also mention I have a Maxspec XF-350 Gyre on the opposite of the return that is set to run between 10% - 20%. It's 3 - 4" below the waterline so I don't think it's the problem but thought I should share that as well.

Thanks!

 

[JumboShrimp]

I have Jebaos-- solid workhorses for the price; My hunch would be that that particular pump will either be working correctly or not working correctly... not intermittently working/not working. Maybe someone else can suggest a different area of trouble-shooting. Best wishes!

 

[Quietman]

The return section should move up and down. In a properly design sump system, it's where loss of water due to evaporation will be felt first (or adding water). If you add or lose too much or too much too fast, that's where problems can occur.

Are your ATO sensors in the return section? They need to be.

You can add water to your display, but I prefer to add to sump (not return although that works) as I think the response is quicker as it doesn't have to 'work' through system.

Is the ATO pump the right size...a big pump can quickly overfill before the sensor shuts off (especially if adding to display).

Just some thoughts. Good luck!

 

[Gtinnel]

Even when your ATO adds extra water to the tank that added water should be contained in the sump. The water level in the tank should be constant. Is there algea or anything obstructing the overflow causing the water level in the tank to raise.

Also your ATO should only be adding small amounts of water at a time not emptying the reservoir all at once. I suspect something with your ATO is malfunctioning or not setup correctly.

 

[Gtinnel]

Also I forgot to add make sure that your ATO isn't causing a siphon that empties the reservoir each time it turns on. The output of the pump can't be lower than the pumps input.

 

[TangGuy]

The return section should move up and down. In a properly design sump system, it's where loss of water due to evaporation will be felt first (or adding water). If you add or lose too much or too much too fast, that's where problems can occur.

Are your ATO sensors in the return section? They need to be.

You can add water to your display, but I prefer to add to sump (not return although that works) as I think the response is quicker as it doesn't have to 'work' through system.

Is the ATO pump the right size...a big pump can quickly overfill before the sensor shuts off (especially if adding to display).

Just some thoughts. Good luck!

Thanks for responding!

My ATO sensor and the replenishment tube are in the return chamber as I understand that is the chamber that we expect to show when water evaporates. My ATO is a bit undersized for the tank.

My display seems to have the right amount of water except in the case where the ATO continues to fill the return section.

 

[TangGuy]

Even when your ATO adds extra water to the tank that added water should be contained in the sump. The water level in the tank should be constant. Is there algea or anything obstructing the overflow causing the water level in the tank to raise.

Also your ATO should only be adding small amounts of water at a time not emptying the reservoir all at once. I suspect something with your ATO is malfunctioning or not setup correctly.

My ATO is a bit undersized. It is a Tunze 3152 but it doesn't seem to run for long periods of time. Maybe 30 - 40 seconds at most.

 

[TangGuy]

Also I forgot to add make sure that your ATO isn't causing a siphon that empties the reservoir each time it turns on. The output of the pump can't be lower than the pumps input.

Good point, that did happen once. I relocated the replenishment tube to correct that problem.