Issue with my DIY sump

[slapnutz]

So I designed my sump after jcardona's sketch.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246132&highlight=diy+sump

All is well, for the most part. The issue I am having is in the bio chamber, the middle of the sump. Once the water goes over the mechanical media, which is on top of the drip tray, it's not letting any air up to the top to take place of the water that's coming in. So the first two chambers of the sump get high, because the flow is slowing down, and can/will overflow. The water also collects on top of the filter pad/drip tray. If I pull the filter pad up and down a few times, the water will exchange places with the air, and the chamber "burps" and gurgles with air bubbles, the water level of the bio chamber and the pump chamber equalize, and the water level in the first two chambers goes down to a normal level. Any ideas? I tried putting an air pump with the air hose going into that chamber from the bottom to provide a constant supply of air, but that doesn't seem to help. Any ideas would be great!

 

[bitteraspects]

Not enough holes in the drip tray?
Or not big enough holes?

 

[Err]

Not enough holes in the drip tray?
Or not big enough holes?

either that or whatever you have covering your drip tray is too fine of a media to allow propper flow, thus you get your blockage.

 

[slapnutz]

90% of the time, it flows fine. Just gets out of hand once in a while. There's plenty of holes, and I just use some plain ol mechanical filter media (like this). it just seems to hate me every now and then and act up.

 

[Err]

That bonded filter pad should flow fine, for like ever esp if you have a filter sock before it. Hmm if it only dose it once in a while idk what to tell you man, if it were me I would try to induce this effect in order to find whats causeing it.

 

[slapnutz]

No filter sock, but I do have some ac110 sponges that I cut and stuffed underneath the glass in between the first two chambers, where the water flows underneath. It catches most of the big stuff, and the pad on top of the drip tray catches the rest.

 

[Err]

No filter sock, but I do have some ac110 sponges that I cut and stuffed underneath the glass in between the first two chambers, where the water flows underneath. It catches most of the big stuff, and the pad on top of the drip tray catches the rest.

yah, still though neither media is fine enough that it would back your sump up as long as you squeeze the chunks out of it once in a while. Which im assuming you do every now and then. Idk man, you got blockage somwhere. Only way you are gonna know for sure is to sit down and play with it, and hope you can spot the problem.