what I've done to quieten racket of tank...questions...

Sk8r · 07/16/2007, 12:26 PM

Having done this, and having it work pretty well, and then having someone ask me how I did it---I'm kind of anxious to have some feedback, in that I'm no hydraulics engineer OR plumber, and want to be sure I'm not giving another reefer a bum steer.

Simply put I controlled flow out of the downflow box to let the water level in the downflow rise to a point where it adequately handles the spill the return pump delivers, but the spill doesn't drop more than an inch and a half, no plummeting waterfall to far down in the downflow box.

This means you still have the noise of the light fans, you have the noise of the pumps, and the noise of water where the inflow hits the sump, with a little fall there, but you don't have both, and you don't have that nasty toilet-flushing suck and gurgle that results when the downflow box really empties.

Am I making trouble here, and ought I to add a caveat to my advice to this person, or am I ok? It's been running 3 months now with no problems, and my tank [with the sump in the basement] is very quiet, the water sound actually quieter than the lights' two small fans.

07/16/2007, 12:26 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	what I've done to quieten racket of tank...questions... Having done this, and having it work pretty well, and then having someone ask me how I did it---I'm kind of anxious to have some feedback, in that I'm no hydraulics engineer OR plumber, and want to be sure I'm not giving another reefer a bum steer. Simply put I controlled flow out of the downflow box to let the water level in the downflow rise to a point where it adequately handles the spill the return pump delivers, but the spill doesn't drop more than an inch and a half, no plummeting waterfall to far down in the downflow box. This means you still have the noise of the light fans, you have the noise of the pumps, and the noise of water where the inflow hits the sump, with a little fall there, but you don't have both, and you don't have that nasty toilet-flushing suck and gurgle that results when the downflow box really empties. Am I making trouble here, and ought I to add a caveat to my advice to this person, or am I ok? It's been running 3 months now with no problems, and my tank [with the sump in the basement] is very quiet, the water sound actually quieter than the lights' two small fans. __________________ 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%.