What can i do about overflow noise?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
thepresence;3804371; said:
Not a problem, this is my first setup and i'll take any advice i can get. I choose ten as my turnover rate because i read on this forum that 5 was minimum for keeping Oscars. I had to pick something to start with so i thought if i could go double the minimum that would be more then enough. I've also got the impression from MFK that you can't have too much filtration. My bottleneck right now is my overflow GPH. I tried adjusting the size of the overflow once. I don't know what else to do. I can't get enough for a 10 turnover rate. It works fine with the return line throttled off a bit.
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Thanks for not taking my post the wrong way. ;) True you can never have too much filtration but you can outdo what your equipment can handle and that is asking for trouble at some point. Honestly I wish I were able to get 10x turnover from my sumps but it's not going happen on my tanks. Most of the members you here excited about their turn over rates are using sump/canister/HOB combos. 10x turnover on a sump is going to give you great mechanical but 5-6x turn over for a sump will provide the needed bio (love the messy O's too) and decent mechincal. Match your pump to your overflow capabilities and add a canister or HOB to achieve your turn over goal.

The bulkhead size is what will dictate your turnover so start there. How many GPH is your pump rated at and what size bulkhead is the water returning through?
 
JK47;3804424; said:
Thanks for not taking my post the wrong way. ;) True you can never have too much filtration but you can outdo what your equipment can handle and that is asking for trouble at some point. Honestly I wish I were able to get 10x turnover from my sumps but it's not going happen on my tanks. Most of the members you here excited about their turn over rates are using sump/canister/HOB combos. 10x turnover on a sump is going to give you great mechanical but 5-6x turn over for a sump will provide the needed bio (love the messy O's too) and decent mechincal. Match your pump to your overflow capabilities and add a canister or HOB to achieve your turn over goal.

The bulkhead size is what will dictate your turnover so start there. How many GPH is your pump rated at and what size bulkhead is the water returning through?
Click to expand...

My pump will put out 1100 GPH max. It's not right now because the valve is throttled down. My bulkhead opening is 1 and 1/4 inches.
 
thepresence;3804438; said:
My pump will put out 1100 GPH max. It's not right now because the valve is throttled down. My bulkhead opening is 1 and 1/4 inches.
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Rough guess but depending on how much flow your losing from head height (height from pump to return in tank), you'll probably have to throttle that pump back to about 60% to allow a 1 1/4" overflow to keep up (650 GPH range if I remember correctly, I'll look it up).

Have you thought about adding a couple of DIY PVC overflows to your existiung? It would be better than running your pump at half capacity and would lengthen the live of the pump from not being reduced.
 
JK47;3804460; said:
Rough guess but depending on how much flow your losing from head height (height from pump to return in tank), you'll probably have to throttle that pump back to about 60% to allow a 1 1/4" overflow to keep up (650 GPH range if I remember correctly, I'll look it up).

Have you thought about adding a couple of DIY PVC overflows to your existiung? It would be better than running your pump at half capacity and would lengthen the live of the pump from not being reduced.
Click to expand...

the 1100 gph takes into consideration the flow lost to head height.

i have not consider pvc overflows but i will look into it.
 
I'm going to agree with JK on this one. A 1 1/4" PVC overflow will flow about 930 gallons at most. You are kinda pushing the limit of the PVC. I would definitely throttle back the pump a bit. FYI, I get no where near 10x turnover on my setups. I'm probably right around 6x and my fish do well, including my Oscar.

Also, go Durso or The Hofer Gurgle Buster. I haven't tried the Hofer style yet, but I will on my next build.
 
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