Help Sizing Return Pump

+1, agree with every post he has made about your problem.

And No- you're not regretting getting a RR tank!

 

When I was younger my father had a 125G reef tank with a HOB overflow down to his sump. I don't remember him ever having the problems i'm having. That's why i'm regretting it. I know once its running and running right ill love it but its getting there, that's my problem.

 

Here are the pictures i'm working with.

My noise is coming from where the water overflows the wier into the corner compartment. Before I had the level the same in both compartments but I got a surface scum that built up.

Thanks for the help everyone!!

 

What do your standpipes look like from above? Its hard to tell from the back what they look like but you do appear to have quite a drop in level between the overflow teeth and the standpipe suction which would be noisy. I think the level in the overflow box could be higher with a taller standpipe.

 

On the top of the stand pipes (the black items you can't really see) it consists of a 1-1/4" tee with a 90 degree elbow coming off of it. Then at the top of the tee is a cap with a hole in it. There are the pipes that came with the tank from the manufacture.

I can control the level in that area by moving up and down a piece of plastic on the inside of the wier. But its either that low or ends up being the same level as the tank. When it's the same level of the tank it doesn't really skim the surface and I get a film on the surface.

 

Point a couple powerheads so they ripple or aerate/agitate the surface and the scum should break up and find its way to the overflow.

 

I put a powerhead up near the surface to move the water. Also, last night I removed all of my plumbing going down to the sump. I don't have a screen over my stand pipe (keep forgetting to get one) and a snail got down and couldn't make it through the 90 degree elbow. Luckily for me, when I got home for work I noticed the water level rising and getting close to overflowing. Went up to the hardware store and bought a piece of 1-1/4" clear tubing and i'm using that now.

This tank is like having another full time job!