Started sump for first time- how do I level out the flow?

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

I am not having ebb and flow at the moment, however the side holes are covered by the water and @AZDesertRat advised they should not be covered. I am at loss.

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

You'd think when they say "Reef ready" Tank, it would literally be "Reef ready" without having to make any mods or run into issues like this.

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

You may actually have the proper water/air ratio on the top port alone not needing the side ports. Unsure, as when I read first time I thought you meant the top hole was the one under water. That being said you may be on the right track. The sump gurgle you speak of may simply be the air degassing under water line causing bubbles. Can try troubleshooting by lowering sump level (if pump allows) to see if it resolves the issue. If so, simply cut plumbing above water line or drill port holes below water line to allow the air to escape. (I personally run my lines to sump above water line, had the bubbling issue when was below)

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

DracoKat said:
You'd think when they say "Reef ready" Tank, it would literally be "Reef ready" without having to make any mods or run into issues like this.

"Just add water" lol

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

My "homemade filter socks" lol. A gravel vac with a sponge on bottom to hold bunch of filter floss. Just change my floss daily.
Did I mention I have an overflow I would never wish on anyone?!? Was a free tank so can't really complain. It's literally 2 standpipes in my tank that just skim the top off the water. No way to add air/water mix, just adjust flow into tank which leads to my sump only having about a 3-4x turnover rate of my display. Plenty of flow in tank though from power heads and whatnot.

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

I will try cutting an inch off the sump line.. or make a shorter pipe. I wanted to stop the splashing of the water.

do you think my sump water line may be too low? should I raise it? there's ample room when I did power outage test.

and the tallest baffle by the pump:

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

I like your filter sock mod! I may do the same. I am not sure if I want to use filter socks or not.. I keep going back and forth on it, hearing all pros and cons. I may just use them during water changes

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

Nah, sump level looks good. As long as enough to supply pump without sucking air after some evap (of don't have ato) and low enough to not flood on power outage you're golden.

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

Thank you so much for your help, and patience (to everyone!). There's so many helpful people on this site for fast responses.. it's amazing!

@ReeferMaddness843 - do you think the side holes on the overflow is OK to be covered by water? it's working but if it's not supposed to be covered by water, I'll have to fuss with it tomorrow some more.

I will have to fix the sump inline tomorrow as well to stop the bubbling, it's getting late.

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

I actually did it as an experiment after reading a sock thread. I never used em. But the ease to swap out and removal of particulates so far has been nice. Keeps junk out my sump too. Use it intermittently whenever I see junk floating around. I like the without as it allows more nutrience to feed corals passing through. But I'm still a newbie in the reef side of things so I'm trial and error to see what works best for my setup.

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

I don't see any reason the side holes being covered would cause any issues. I normally see that standpipe in this order: up from the sump drain, into a T, cap on top with port hole drilled, side going out into another 90 below water line to create siphon. Make any sense? I'll see if can find a pic real quick.

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

You're very welcome. It's what we're here for. To help and learn. Without each other how many successful tanks do you think there would be? Lol

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

I think I know what you are talking about. My overflow does not have a T with a cap on it. It's been pre-glued so I can't take it apart to add a T.

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

Same principle though. No side ports

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

thanks for the picture! Yea, I can't modify my overflow with the T unfortunately

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

Shouldn't be a problem

DracoKat · Jul 10, 2016

Thanks again for your help and confidence

I will report back tomorrow when I fuss with it some more after work.

Have a great night!!

ReeferMaddness843 · Jul 10, 2016

Likewise. You're very welcome. Glad I could help. Best wishes on the new setup! Confidence is key. There will be setbacks. Just push through em and I promise the end result will show your determination. Keep it up!

AZDesertRat · Jul 10, 2016

I run my overflow completely to the bottom of the sump with vinyl reinforced tubing bent in a gradual or sweeping 90 degree bend that lays on the bottom and have no gurgling or bubbles. The air injection in the Stockman standpipe makes a full siphon that flows 1000+ gph through a single 1" standpipe with no issues. The WaterBlaster HY-5000 pump runs unrestricted with 1" plumbing teed into two 3/4" Loclines at the top back corners so little headloss. No extra drilled holes, the level stays steady and it has no trouble restarting if I shut it off for maintenance.