Water Level?

[partobe]

Hi Everyone!
Yesterday I was looking at my tank and noticed the water level had dropped(150 with 30 gallon sump). I checked the over flow box and it hasn't dropped I checked the u tube it doesnt have air trapped in it so I have no idea why it would have dropped. Today I'm going to take the mag 5 return pump out of the sump and clean it (its been 3 months since Ive cleaned it) to see it its somehow obstructed. I dont see how it could be since I have a prefilter(plastic tube with small holes in it) on it to stop stuff from obstructing it.
Any ideas?
Thanks Patrick.

[tims]

the prefilter will clog up over time also.
how warm has it been around you?

[Loverotties]

Tim said what I was going to say.

[partobe]

thanks Tim and George
I clean the prefilter every week its just one of those plastic tubes with holes in it. It just slips over the intake on the mag 5 its very easy to put on and take off.
It has been a little warmer the last few days. Does the outside temp have anything to do with my water level?

[Loverotties]

It will cause more evaporation.

[partobe]

oh ok that I know but if it was evaporation wouldn't the water level in the sump drop? Its the water level in the tank that has dropped. I'm adding the normal amount of top off water each morning.

[frankandmaura]

Patrick,

This is interesting

How can the water level drop? It would go below the overflow and it would not work then??? Correct?? Do you still have water going from the tank to the sump?

[partobe]

I can tell it has dropped because I have a mark where the top of the water level should be inside the tank and its just a little under that mark. In other words the inside of the water level is just under my mark but not low enough to have dropped below the over flow box. Yes I still have water going into the sump. I just cleaned out the return pump but to be honest I dont see how that could be my prob bcause it wasnt dirty.
Thanks Frank

[frankandmaura]

Hmmmmmm.......

Honestly Patrick...your overflow must have dropped a little (only thing I can think of). That overflow is the only thing that should determine where your water level is in the tank...is it possible a cat or some other furry animal sat on it or adjusted it somehow? I can't think of any other way your water level would change in the tank...

[hng]

Other possibility is that you're draining the tank faster than you are filling it up. Check the return pump (like you were planning), I bet the output has dropped. Good thing about a Mag 5 is that it uses the same body as the Mag 7. In other words, you can convert a Mag 5 into a Mag 7 by buying a new impeller and switching it out (costs $10).

[partobe]

thanks Frank and Hng
the mag 5 is running fine and wasn't really dirty. I dont think its the overflow because its as high up as it can get with out going over the little plastic lip going around the top of the tank.

[Wiskey]

Your overflow box,.. does it move at all? Could it have not been sitting all the way down on the rim of the tank and now slipped down?

Over time your plumbing can gunk up a bit causing water level to drop slightly, you could have had air in your Utube and now it's gone,.. I think I would be way more worried if the water level was getting higher lol.

From what your saying it was a very small drop in water level right?

Whiskey

[Phishy]

Sounds like your overflow box.

[Hop]

Originally Posted by Phishy

Sounds like your overflow box.

I was thinking the same thing. That it got internal side got bumped and subsequently lowered the water level.

[Wiskey]

Could the inside part of the overflow box have been resting on a rock before by chance?

Whiskey