Help slowing down an Iwaki pump?

jellyfish4me · 07/05/2008, 01:40 PM

I hope that makes sense! I have a 125 gal display tank with a 55 gal refugium. The refugium is designed with a series of baffles and is only about 2/3 full all of the time. The baffles are to slow the water flow in the refugium area AND to stop the display tank from overflowing if the overflow syphons ever become broken. When the refugium is 2/3 full (that's how high the baffles go up to) this will also save me from the refugium ever overflowing if the iwaki return pump gives out. I copied the design from a store bought refugium many years ago, but can't remember the name now. I made it myself from a 55 gal aquarium.

Anyway... This tank has been set up about a month. No fish, No corals. Some old dead rock and some new rock to seed the old rock. Some Chaeto and a WHOLE LOT of nuisance algae, ALL of the slimy/powdering kinds, brown, maroon, green. <--- not concerned with this at this point. I was keeping the lights on and the tank is cycling. So... my bad!

My problem... I have always had a bio ball stuck on the pvc pipe that is attached to an Iwaki30RLT pump tht is returning the water to my main display tank. It is there to keep chunk of algae, snails, whatever from being sucked into the iwaki. It was covered in scraps of cheato and pieces of algae. I cleaned and replaced it and WOW! The iwaki is sucking all of the water out of it's refugium partition and filling my display to the very brim! I keep turning it off to let the overflow catch up AND get way ahead. But it keeps going to fast. I checked all of my overflow tubes and they are working fine. They used to keep up before!?! I had to wrap the bio-ball with a chunk of paper towel and put it back on the return pipe just to slow it down. What gives? Any suggestions?

randomworker · 07/05/2008, 02:25 PM

I take it that you don't have a valve on the outlet of the pump. Because if you did that is what you should close slightly.

Watch out with the Bioball in the inlet because you'll end up cavitating the pump and messing up the impeller.

The size of your overflow piping might be undersized for your pump/tank combination. That's why you end up putting water in faster then draining it out.

Playa-1 · 07/05/2008, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jellyfish4me
I hope that makes sense! I have a 125 gal display tank with a 55 gal refugium. The refugium is designed with a series of baffles and is only about 2/3 full all of the time. The baffles are to slow the water flow in the refugium area AND to stop the display tank from overflowing if the overflow syphons ever become broken. When the refugium is 2/3 full (that's how high the baffles go up to) this will also save me from the refugium ever overflowing if the iwaki return pump gives out. I copied the design from a store bought refugium many years ago, but can't remember the name now. I made it myself from a 55 gal aquarium.

This part doesn't make sense to me. A drawing of the sump and or photo's would be great.

As far as slowing the pump down. What you need to do Is put in a ball valve between the pump and the display. You partially close the ball valve to restrict flow. These types of pumps will not suffer damage by restricting flow, unlike some larger industrial pumps. This is assuming that you are using gravity to drain your display to the sump/fuge.

It sounds like your pump is oversized for your drain capability, Or your drain is partially clogged. Either way restricting flow with the ball valve will likely solve your problem. Quiet micro-bubble free operation will likely be a side effect.

uscharalph · 07/05/2008, 03:28 PM

Personally I'd get a pump that's volume is naturally at the level you desire.

Sk8r · 07/05/2008, 03:33 PM

Lol! I know what you mean: I have an Iwaki 100 downstairs. I have to throttle it back. Big ball valve intervening in the return line. It doesn't hurt the pump: it's the same as if it were lifting water against the weight of gravity---it's just meant to push, is all, and if you restrict how much it can push out at once, no big deal.

snorvich · 07/05/2008, 04:05 PM

I agree with Sk8r but you need to know the maximum head for the specific pump. In effect when you valve it back you are creating head. Some pumps can sustain very little head.

jherrin215 · 07/05/2008, 06:23 PM

Mine is set up so that there is a return line going to the tank, as well as 1 looped around going back into the sump. That way if you have too much flow on one line you can open the line going back to the sump.

jellyfish4me · 07/05/2008, 07:29 PM

This is a picture I just drew in paint. So don't laugh! A photo is hard to understand because the refugium is under my stand and you have to have 3 doors open to see the whole thing.

My drawing: This is made with glass sheets that I had cut for me and I siliconed them into the 55 gallon tank. There is a piece of egg crate in the bottom of the far right section. It was placed there to catch any critters who might travel thru the overflow tubes. It has come in handy in the past! The arrows represent water movement.

Not shown in my drawing: The water enters this on the right side from my external overflow box. On the left side there is a long pvc pipe that extends almost to the bottom that is attached to the Iwaki that returns the water to the display. At the end of this pipe is were I put the bioball.

I'm not sure how much head this pump clears but it is clearing about 4 feet right now and still going to fast! lol

"BALL VALVE"... This sounds like what I need! Is this a fish store thing or a hardware store thing?

Or maybe I should try larger hose for the overflow? The more flow the better, right? Within reason of coarse.

Thanks everybody!

Playa-1 · 07/05/2008, 10:18 PM

The drawing makes perfect sense. The ball valve can be purchased at the hardware store. It will be less expensive there.
Make sure your get a plastic one.

07/05/2008, 01:40 PM	#1
jellyfish4me Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Midwest Posts: 395	Help slowing down an Iwaki pump? I hope that makes sense! I have a 125 gal display tank with a 55 gal refugium. The refugium is designed with a series of baffles and is only about 2/3 full all of the time. The baffles are to slow the water flow in the refugium area AND to stop the display tank from overflowing if the overflow syphons ever become broken. When the refugium is 2/3 full (that's how high the baffles go up to) this will also save me from the refugium ever overflowing if the iwaki return pump gives out. I copied the design from a store bought refugium many years ago, but can't remember the name now. I made it myself from a 55 gal aquarium. Anyway... This tank has been set up about a month. No fish, No corals. Some old dead rock and some new rock to seed the old rock. Some Chaeto and a WHOLE LOT of nuisance algae, ALL of the slimy/powdering kinds, brown, maroon, green. <--- not concerned with this at this point. I was keeping the lights on and the tank is cycling. So... my bad! My problem... I have always had a bio ball stuck on the pvc pipe that is attached to an Iwaki30RLT pump tht is returning the water to my main display tank. It is there to keep chunk of algae, snails, whatever from being sucked into the iwaki. It was covered in scraps of cheato and pieces of algae. I cleaned and replaced it and WOW! The iwaki is sucking all of the water out of it's refugium partition and filling my display to the very brim! I keep turning it off to let the overflow catch up AND get way ahead. But it keeps going to fast. I checked all of my overflow tubes and they are working fine. They used to keep up before!?! I had to wrap the bio-ball with a chunk of paper towel and put it back on the return pipe just to slow it down. What gives? Any suggestions? __________________ Wouldn't the world be a better place if EVERYONE had a prescription for Prozac? Current Tank Info: Set up 2/23/14 Fluval Spec V 5.6 Gallon, Marineland Mini-Jet 606 (153GPH), 36W 10,000K PC Lighting, 2.5" Sandbed, 12lbs live rock, 3 sexy shrimp, peppermint shrimp, brittle starfish,zoos, green star polyps, green ricordia mushroom, pulsing pink xenia

07/05/2008, 03:28 PM	#4
uscharalph Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 1,248	Personally I'd get a pump that's volume is naturally at the level you desire. __________________ Ralph Mendoza Jr. Long Beach, CA Current Tank Info: 80 Gallon Reef Tank

07/05/2008, 03:33 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Lol! I know what you mean: I have an Iwaki 100 downstairs. I have to throttle it back. Big ball valve intervening in the return line. It doesn't hurt the pump: it's the same as if it were lifting water against the weight of gravity---it's just meant to push, is all, and if you restrict how much it can push out at once, no big deal. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/05/2008, 04:05 PM	#6
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	I agree with Sk8r but you need to know the maximum head for the specific pump. In effect when you valve it back you are creating head. Some pumps can sustain very little head. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

07/05/2008, 07:29 PM	#8
jellyfish4me Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Midwest Posts: 395	This is a picture I just drew in paint. So don't laugh! A photo is hard to understand because the refugium is under my stand and you have to have 3 doors open to see the whole thing. My drawing: This is made with glass sheets that I had cut for me and I siliconed them into the 55 gallon tank. There is a piece of egg crate in the bottom of the far right section. It was placed there to catch any critters who might travel thru the overflow tubes. It has come in handy in the past! The arrows represent water movement. Not shown in my drawing: The water enters this on the right side from my external overflow box. On the left side there is a long pvc pipe that extends almost to the bottom that is attached to the Iwaki that returns the water to the display. At the end of this pipe is were I put the bioball. I'm not sure how much head this pump clears but it is clearing about 4 feet right now and still going to fast! lol "BALL VALVE"... This sounds like what I need! Is this a fish store thing or a hardware store thing? Or maybe I should try larger hose for the overflow? The more flow the better, right? Within reason of coarse. Thanks everybody! __________________ Wouldn't the world be a better place if EVERYONE had a prescription for Prozac? Current Tank Info: Set up 2/23/14 Fluval Spec V 5.6 Gallon, Marineland Mini-Jet 606 (153GPH), 36W 10,000K PC Lighting, 2.5" Sandbed, 12lbs live rock, 3 sexy shrimp, peppermint shrimp, brittle starfish,zoos, green star polyps, green ricordia mushroom, pulsing pink xenia

07/05/2008, 02:25 PM	#2
randomworker Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Northern NJ, USA Posts: 101	I take it that you don't have a valve on the outlet of the pump. Because if you did that is what you should close slightly. Watch out with the Bioball in the inlet because you'll end up cavitating the pump and messing up the impeller. The size of your overflow piping might be undersized for your pump/tank combination. That's why you end up putting water in faster then draining it out.

07/05/2008, 06:23 PM	#7
jherrin215 GO COLTS!! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Kentucky Posts: 854	Mine is set up so that there is a return line going to the tank, as well as 1 looped around going back into the sump. That way if you have too much flow on one line you can open the line going back to the sump.

07/05/2008, 10:18 PM	#9
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	The drawing makes perfect sense. The ball valve can be purchased at the hardware store. It will be less expensive there. Make sure your get a plastic one.