[BLUEMANDJ]

I just filled my 125 with salt water, live rock, live sand and crushed coral. I now have a problem with getting my 125 to fill up. Everytime i put more water in it displaces down to my two lower filtration tanks.

I will be putting Bio- Balls in the first tank, and I have LS in the second tank. I will be eventually put that fultration plant in there.

How can I fill the last two inches in the upper tank?

Thank you everyone.... this site has saved me soooo much time and headaches.

Chris

 

[Doug1]

Can you post a picture of whatever overflow arrangement is draining water to the lower tanks, as well as details
?

 

[Geoff]

are you running the pumps? i would also like a pic if you can of the plumbing arrangement. mainly of the overflow configurations.

G~

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

here is a picture of all three.

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

tank 2

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

tank 3.

My pump is a "ViaAqua 3600"

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

the over flows are 2 two chamber boxes with a Durso Standpipe in each one. As you can see in the first picture that i have two hoses going down in to a tank. I am planning on putting Bio Balls in the first tank in the next few days. ( the tank is merky because I put LS in this afternoon.)

 

[Geoff]

ahh the new tank milkshake going on! i can not get a clear view of the internal overflow strainer inside the tank. is it attached? there should be a box with teeth facing upwards inside the tank. this is what the tank side of the siphon tube should be in.

right now it looks like the tank is equalizing with the drain tube on the external part of the overflow box.

G~

 

[Buzz_Hog]

you need to raise the inside overflow part up.... The box that is inside the tank... I'd say to start with the bottom of the cutouts about 3/4 of an inch below the frame line... turn the pumps on and let it run... as it's running, slinde the inside box upwards until the running water level is above the bottom of the trim on the top of the tank....

That should do the trick...

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

i am going to do LS and CC because of of a fish that inspired me to get in to the hobbie. The "Watchman Goby".

Chris

 

[thefatman]

hey chris, i was just getting ready to email you back and tell you the forum might be the best place to ask the question there are much more experienced minds here than mine

from the photo, and seeing the water level in the display tank, i would vote also for the inside box being too low. i have mine all the way up to the frame of my tank. that keeps my display water level about 1" below the frame of the tank. and the outside box level is slightly lower. when i add more water to my tank or sump, the display maintains a constant level, while the excess will drain and raise the level of the sump. it would do that even if i lowered the inside box. which would cause me to agree with whats been said above. the box is probably too low.

 

[Buzz_Hog]

The box is the only thing that is going to control the level of the water inside the display tank... Phsyics and geometry are your friend... get to know them...

No matter how low the back side box will get, as well as the water inside the inside box, if no water is flowing over the top of the inside overflow box, none will go into the sump...

 

[Geoff]

that water level is awfull low. all of the overflow boxes i have had did not have that much adjustment. of course they are fairly old. check to make sure that it is not cracked or broken in some way. just can not see through the new tank haze.

G~

 

[Buzz_Hog]

I sure hope that there IS an inside box.... with the water in the tank being almost the same height as the water in the outside box, that would indicate that there is just a U-Tube... Which means in power outage, the syphon will break, and whent he power comes back on, the tank will overflow...

Oh please tell me you have an inside overflow box in there....

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

i have shut down the power several times ( fresh water test) and everytihing slows down. when the power comes back on it resumes. I had the same concern you had.

 

[Buzz_Hog]

so there IS a box inside the tank.... ???

 

[Geoff]

so there IS a box inside the tank.... ???

the suspence is killing me. we can not see if there is one or not, it is driving me crazy. it is also the only thing i can think of.

G~

 

[BLUEMANDJ]

There is NO box in side... I wouldn't even know what to do with a box in side.

I have 2 U tubs going in to 2 overflow boxes that hang on the back of the tank.. There are 2 tubes that go down to a 20 gal tank that will have bio balls in it that then goes in to a 20 gal tank that will have LS and plants in it. Once it goes past the plants and LS it goes to my ViaAqua 3500 that pushes the H2O back up to the aquarium through PVC and vinyl tubing and the cycle repeats.

I hope this kills the suspense!

Back to the original post…. I took some of my daughters foam rubber toys and made a lift for the overflow. IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!! My water level IS perfect.

Thank you everyone for the obvious solution.

Chris

 

[Buzz_Hog]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

You are working with only half an overflow... Which WILL end in disaster... The box inside is meant to keep the syphon in the U tubes... once that syphon breaks, the pump will pump water into the tank until the sump runs dry and the water is on the floor....

You NEED the inside box for the overflow.... I can post pics of mine and you will see what I mean.....

 

[Buzz_Hog]

The inside box stops taking water when the water level reaches the top of the cutouts... This also provides and area for water to stay both on the inside box, and the outside box so the syphon won't break in a power outage...