My Return Pipe has... gas?

[Joe]

I have three questions.... 1) How do you control the water volume in your sump? Mine is a little high I think. It comes over the first wall in the sump from time to time. I need it pretty high, because I am using my hob skimmer from my last tank and I need the water level to be high enough for the skimmer to reach.2) What causes what looks like a gulping from my return plumbing? I'll post a link to a video below. What seems randomly a lot of water shoots into my sump and overflows into the next chamber. 3) Do I need to worry about a number of air bubbles this is causing? Could this be causing them in my display tank... even if it doesn't look like they make them into the 3rd section of the sump where the return pump is?Thanks!   https://goo.gl/photos/QF8ToTYKPsShy15E9https://goo.gl/photos/Us1YjaKrbiomYbrv6  

 

[integra3g]

We would need to see what style of overflow you are using.  Sounds to me like you have an open drain that is pulling too much water (more water then you pump can feed) and it sucks the overflow dry which pulls in air.  You either want a bean animal style overflow or the simple durso standpipe solution.  With so much water rushing into your sump, it is filling it up faster than it can pump it back.  I think you just need to adjust the speed at which water enters the sump.  Try looking into the 2 suggestions and posting up some pics of your current overflow setup.

 

[Joe]

Thanks, I'll take a look at some of your suggestions! Below are a few pictures of the overflow. View attachment 940

 

[mossjer]

Wow, that is high. And you are running dursos. So could the returns being submerged that far into the water be causing some back pressure? I just lengthened mine to go from a free fall to just under the surface to cut down on some noise. I had to shorten it a little more to keep it from belching. I'm just spit balling here.

 

[integra3g]

 Looks like you are using the durso standpipe method.  I think you might have the drains too deep in the sump.  Mine are only a couple of inches under the water in my bubble tower.  Do you see the water level in your overflow changing with the gulping?

 

[mossjer]

Oh, and mine also runs into a filter sock. And like he said his runs into a bubble tower. Some things to take into consideration there. As filter socks and bubble towers do help to cut down the micro bubbles in the sump.

 

[Joe]

The level doesn't change drastically... Or I should say for a prolonged period of time. It does overflow into the next section for a moment.  So you think cutting the tubing might help? 

 

[integra3g]

I mean the level of the water in the overflow up top.  Trying to see if your standpipes are set correctly.  If you are just getting a lot of air built up in the tubing and then it burps out (most likely what is going on), then bringing the tubing up should reduce the pressure in the line and allow it to burp more regularly.  Also, feeding into a bubble tower or filter socks will help reduce bubbles (as Jeremy stated above).  I would try and not cut the tubing just yet.  Try and lift it up as a test first.  Try different placements.  I keep mine longer so that I can move them if I need to add socks.

 

[jenkinscrew]

Mine bubbles like that too, but that cut down a bit after a week or 2 along with putting the drain into a mesh filter sock with cover.Do you have a full sump pic so we can see where your baffles are? Your first chamber level shouldn't change, everything should stair step down to your return. Sounds like you either have too much water in your system or maybe your return pump is a little under-powered maybe?

 

[Joe]

I'll attach a photo..... I've turned my return pump down a few notches and it seems to be doing it a lot less.  I was considering the idea that I might just have too much water. Would I take it out of the sump or the main tank, if I took some out? View attachment 942

 

[jenkinscrew]

Yep you have too much water.Do you have an ATO setup on it yet? If so, make sure and lower the level before you remove any water so it doesn't fill it back up and change your salinity.You can just take a little out of your sump at a time until your water level is right about at the green line of the thermometer in the pic.If you don't have a ATO setup yet, when you do, you can set your water level there.Here is a pic of mine, see how it kind of steps down from drain section to return section.View attachment 943

 

[Mike R]

What size are your drain lines?  They appear to have a pretty small diameter in the video.

 

[Joe]

943[/ATTACH]   "]You do indeed have a nice stair step effect! haha.... wow.... I could have saved myself some time and money making RO/DI water. Your set up is SO clean and has so much light! I don't eve see one wire.... Did you design it all and create it all at once? 

 

[mossjer]

Is that a trigger systems sump? If so it may no step down from drain/skimmer to refugium the way Chris' does. There is no over/under baffle between the two. At least that's the way mine is. I have a constant level between the skimmer section and the fuge, then it goes through the bubble trap into the return section. where the level is much lower. That is the section I use to control the water level in the sump.

 

[Joe]

It is indeed a Trigger Sump. So would I still have too much water possibly? 

 

[Joe]

It says they are 1'' vinyl on the flexible tubing. 

 

[jenkinscrew]

I had a pretty good idea of my setup as far as sump placement in stand and where wires would run so I knew where I wanted my power cable trays to go to hide the wire. Th rest was more of see what will fit where and how to run all the hoses as clean as I could. Lighting is LED strip lighting.Yes your sump has one less baffle than mine and your baffles are at different heights, so your drop from section #1 to section #2 is very small but your return section I would remove water so level is just below section #2.

 

[mossjer]

Yes, still too much water. This is what mine looks like. I do have the return pump turned down for feeding right now though. and excuse the cord mess. I'm in the middle of routing all that stuff through the cord track things.View attachment 944

 

[mossjer]

The skimmer and fuge sections stay at that level unless I completely shut the pump down.

 

[Joe]

Mossjer, that is really helpful, thanks!