Overflow tube adjustment

I have a 90gal reef tank which has been set up for about 1 month now. PH 8.0, nitrates 0, nitries 0, alot of micro bubbles which i can not stop. My filteration system consists of a ASM G3 skimmer in a 29 gallon sump. My pump is a RIO 12 hf 750gph (do i need larger pump?).

My question has to do with the adjustable overflow tube. Where should i have it set, as high or as low????? No instruction any where or is this just a preference? I do not notice any difference in high or low setting. Why is this tube adjustable, for different tank heights?

Thanks in advance!!

 

Are you talking about an overflow box that hangs on the back of your main display tank? If so the box that goes into your aquarium and skims the water is the only part that is adjustable, and you can adjust that depending on how high you want the water in your display tank to be. If you have it raised very high then you will need to add more water to your sump to raise the water level in the display tank.

Almost forgot your return pump should be matched up with the flow rate of your overflow box. For instance if you have an overflow box that can handle up to 900gph you should find a pump that has around that much flow. Don't forget to take head loss into consideration. If you have a pump that is much greater then what your overflow can handle you can always put a ball valve on it to regulate the flow.

Hope that helps.

 

sorry more detail is needed.

I have a 90gal with overflow kit (drilled tank) no backpack system. The overflow tube is gravity feed to my sump below. In the overflow there is an adjustable tube the alows air and water down. Why is this tube adjustable?

 

I suspect that the tube is there to let air escape from the overlow tube and to reduce the amount of gurgling noise that might occur because of air getting mixed in the overflow. I have similar tubes on my CPR hob overflows and I do believe they help. As for adjusting them I think its trial and error. If your overflow is not gurgling then I would leave them where they are. If your overflow gurgles and makes noise then adjust the tube up or down and see if it helps.

All else fails contact the manufacturer and see what they say.

S

 

90 Berlin Joe - Welcome to 3reef!

From your original post, I think your question about the overflow was really about getting rid of the microbubbles? The overflow probably has nothing to do with it. The likely culprit is the output from your skimmer. Where is your skimmer in the scheme of things? If your skimmer output goes directly into the box where your return pump is, it is likely that the bubbles created by the skimmer are being returned to the display. There should be some form of baffle system between the skimmer and the return pump. A lot of people have success with a cut off piece of pantyhose on the output of the skimmer, but don't forget to check for clogging every once in a while. Hope this helps!

Mike

 

I think that he means the dump tube on the skimmer it should be set high enough that the skimmer makes skimimate that is not so wet that it is like water and not so low that none is produced it is kind of a feel thing you will get use to it as for the microbubbles, is your return pump on the opposite side of the skimmer,away from the dump tube? and does the water from the tube break onto the foam pad?

 

it is not the sump below my display tank. In the display tank, i have an overflow kit installed on the back wall of the tank. The bottom of the tank is drilled so there is an over flow tube that is installed that is adjustable. That is what i am trying to find out where to set it. how do you attach pictures?

 

this is a pic of the overflow

 

The tube is to set how high or low you want your water level in your overflow box. I will eliminate the waterfall effect.