Wet/Dry Filter problem

[Nero558]

First off, I apologize if this question has been asked before, I'm quite a busy fellow and have not had the time to search the forums adequetly for this one.

I have a 75g fish tank that used to have two Hagen Aquaclear 500 filters on it and about 4 weeks ago I purchased a wet/dry filter for it. I have never used or even read much of anything on wet/dry filters and was given a quick crash course (solely so I could set it up and get it working) by the guy at the fish store.

It has a hang on the back overflow box.

My problem is that the guy at the store took a sharpie and made a small line where the water level in the sump should be. So I set it there and then adjust the overflow box accordingly. (there are two screws so it can hang lower or higher in the tank. Well what I have found is that I can get it so its all working great, but after about 2-3 days I find that I have to readjust the overflow box or else the water level in my sump drops and then the pump sucks in little bursts of air and fills my tank with bubbles. Also after only about 2 weeks my tank water is starting to turn a lil off color. I'm going to do a water change and vacuum the gravel to fix that, but my aquaclears could go way longer than that without messing up the water quality.

Is this because the bacteria hasn't had sufficient time to build up on the bio balls?

Also I find that if I clean the prefilter and the filter pads from the filter, my water level stays good for 2-3days again. but then it drops again. The filters dont get very dirty visibly, but they do release some dirt when cleaned and squeezed out.

Am I doing anything wrong? I figured the wet dry would be less maintanence than my aquaclears... was I wrong in thinking that?

Any help would be much appreciated.

I also appologize for being uneducated about something that is probably quite simple. Fish are a little new to me as I keep reptiles and just recently decided to try some fish.

 

[chemicall]

Did you leave your Aqua clears running? they need to be or else just starting the sump would be like starting a whole new tank.

I'm gonna have to say your pump is flowing more than your over flow, how many gph overflow? what size tubing is it running?, and what model/brand of pump? sounds like the match is TOO close on the overflow and pump.

 

[Nero558]

Okay, yes, it was a whole new tank set up. I just moved from one house to another and before moving the fish, I set up a whole new 75g tank and added the wet dry and let it run for about a week. then I brought over 2 fish then about a week later the others came.

the pump is a Rio2500 - 55w 2970 LPH return line is 3/4"

for the overflow box, i have no idea of the gph/lph. umm its a 1" U-tube that goes from the inside the tank box to the outside the tank box. then it goes down another tube that is an inch in diameter to the sump.

I was assuming that the filter might be to fast for it but the place where i bought it all said that this was everything i needed and that it would suffice a tank up to 125g.

Now, that being said, I am aware that not all fish stores know what they are talking about, as in the reptile world... also i found out from one of my friends that there is supposed to be a hole drilled in my return at the water line so that if the power goes out it doesn't siphon back into my sump (note: that hole is not drilled, so I came to the conclusion that the guy at the store might not have known what he was talking about 100%) My problem is that I also did not know, and I currently am still trying to learn.

Well Ill be back later, I have to go to work. THanks for your help everyone