i need help

[tuesdayromo]

i have a 90 gal saltwater tank with a bio balls filtration system, ive never had problems before but now the water is not trickling over the balls they are almost totally submerged. the compartment where the pump is is also full. the section inside the tank behind the black partion has inconsistent water level. it fills up then sucks a lot of air an the water goes down temporarily. my main concern is that the bio balls are under water and the result is that the water being pumped into the tank is full of baceria. how do i solve his problem

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Welcome to Reefland! There is no need to worry about bacteria being pumped into the tank as it already resides in every part that contains water. regarding the change in the water level behind the partition it is likely due to a reduction the return pump output. This may be caused by something stuck in the intake or impeller of the pump. A through cleaning and inspection of the pump will likely correct the problem.

Regards,
Kevin

[Original Fin]

Hello,
Welcome to Reefland! There is no need to worry about bacteria being pumped into the tank as it already resides in every part that contains water. regarding the change in the water level behind the partition it is likely due to a reduction the return pump output. This may be caused by something stuck in the intake or impeller of the pump. A through cleaning and inspection of the pump will likely correct the problem.

Regards,
Kevin

Kevin, do you think this could also be caused by overfilling the system?

[Original Fin]

Welcome!

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Northern Valley Reefers

Northern Valley Reefers

[kevinpo]

Kevin, do you think this could also be caused by overfilling the system?

Yes. That is another option. The excess water has nowhere to go but in the rear compartment.

Cheers,
Kevin

[tuesdayromo]

actually it overflowed my tank and was flooding over the lid while the section under the tank that contains the bio balls was empty. i adjusted the sponge behind the black partition and it drained but its still sucking air and the levels arent staying consistent. it fills up then drains down and sucks air then repeat

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Sounds like an overflow problem. I've heard of surging issues where the overflow fills up and suddenly drains like a toilet flushing. Is there a vent hole on the top of the standpipe? If so, it could be plugged, not allowing air to come in.
If that's not the case, could you post some pictures of the overflow and sump system?

Just read that your tank is overflowing. Not sure a plugged vent would cause that. I guess it still could if your return pump is big.

[kevinpo]

Hello,
A picture would be very helpful If you have a standard reef ready tank with a corner overflow the surging is caused by not enough air being let in the drain pipe. There should be a air vent hole in the top or side of the drain pipe. Check to see that it is not plugged with salt creep.

HTH,
Kevin

[Jessie Nicoletti]

umm just out of my expierience i have a few thoughts

1 excess alagee growth in the return line

2 on some tanks the return pumps have a atached check valve to lessen watter flow if it was returning too much originaly. it may have gotten touched lessening return even more .

3 the sponge of the overflow NEEDS TO BE CLEANED

4 the holes/slots that drain water to the overflow have gotten alagee on them causing a unbalance

5 there is too much water in the tank

6 the medium between the pump and bioballs is dirty

anyone of these or more can be the culprit