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superman1981 
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 Topic: How do I stop my sump from splashing?
Posted: February 12 2017 at 7:31pm |
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Right now, my drain pipe is about 3" below the water level in my sump. Consequently, there are continuous air bubbles coming up to the surface and the splash from them is making a mess inside my stand. How do I stop this?
My first thought is to drill a small hole in the pipe just above the water line so that the air releases above water. Will this work or will I just have a small stream of spraying water to deal with?
Thanks!
Edited by superman1981 - February 12 2017 at 7:31pm
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badfinger
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Posted: February 12 2017 at 9:29pm |
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What type of overflow system are you using?
Durso, Bean, Herbie?
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superman1981
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Posted: February 12 2017 at 9:34pm |
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Durso.
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: February 12 2017 at 10:25pm |
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Have it dump into a sock. Stops the bubbles and makes good quiet sounds lol.
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 13 2017 at 9:15am |
What Dennis said.
The biggest negative about filter socks is that they must be changed every 1-4 weeks and washed in bleach. Also, not many spouses/mothers like those bags to be washed in the family washing machine.  The speed/volume of water coming down the drain line partly determines which method will work best. Other methods I use successfully are:
1- Set a piece of acrylic or glass above the area where the bubbles pop. Salt spray collects on the underside and drips back into the sump. This is by far the easiest method and it can be combined with additional methods below.
2- Attach a length of flexible, thin wall, white bilge tubing (available at HD and Lowes) to the drain line and have it extend down into the water. A curl or loop at some point in the bilge line, usually at the end, sometimes helps if there is room for the loop/curl. Bubbles combine - less foam, less salt spray. As time progresses the growth of algae and bacterial slime on the inside surfaces of the bilge line make this method work better and better.
3- Insert the drain line through a hole in a flat ~5" wide styrofoam piece floating on the water. Bubbles combine and come out from under the styrofoam larger and less messy.
A combination of 1 and 2 are currently used on my main system which also uses a Modified Durso. Feel free to call/text and come over to see it in action.
Aloha, Mark 
P.S. - 1" Bilge Tubing fits snug into 1" PVC fittings.  - A small hole drilled in the drain line above the water line just causes bubbles to come out at another point. It has never worked well for me.
Edited by Mark Peterson - February 13 2017 at 9:24am
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: February 13 2017 at 9:50am |
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1 to 4 weeks ummmmmmmmmmm no lol. I change mine every 2 to 4 days as I run a single 4" sock and when it gets close to over flowing I change out and makes for some crystal clear tank water. Think floaties in a 3 year olds drink cup. I'm not a fan of floaties
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 13 2017 at 9:51am |
Wow. That's too much maintenance for me.  "Floaties" are food for some animals. It's okay to let the sock overflow for a little while or even leave it off from time to time.
I found some pics. Please note, this is the sump tank for this system, not a clean display, just a place to keep stuff.
In this pic on the left top of the tank, you can see the left and right edges of the glass piece under the light. This is a piece of glass that I had saved in my fishy stuff. It happened to fit exactly across this tank in the frame lip so there is no chance that it can fall in. It stops about 90% of the salt spray.
In the top left center of the pic above you can see the corrugated bilge line coming down from above and in the pic below at top left, it is seen entering the water. No filter sock has been used on this tank for 2 years. "Floaties" don't leave this tank, being eaten by the fish and other animals. I don't like small baffled sumps. I like large, full tank Refugiums.
Edited by Mark Peterson - February 13 2017 at 10:06am
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Hogie
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Posted: February 13 2017 at 12:16pm |
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You have to keep a filter sock changed or it can become a nitrate factory. The frequency depends on what you have in your tank (a softie/macro tank like Marks can handle and needs more nitrates then a SPS tank like Dennis) how much you feed, water flow through the sump, etc. For me, every 2 to 4 days...wow. I'd never keep up on that, but if I go more than a week, I start to see it in my nitrates. So, I find, for my tank, changing once a week works great.
But, that's a side note to your original question! If you want to go the filter sock way, there are different ways you can attached the sock so you don't have to buy a holder. Let us know if that's how you want to go and need ideas!
Edited by Hogie - February 13 2017 at 12:16pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 14 2017 at 9:06am |
I agree that a filter sock, changed too infrequently, will produce Nitrates, but other filtration should exist in the system to compensate, via consumption and/or decomposition of the Nitrates. There are innumerable ways to filter a reef tank. A wise hobbyist will go beyond today's "plug and play" to learn about all the filtration methods. That wise hobbyist will use those that can help his pets, including choosing from a plethora of biological, chemical and mechanical methods.
Fortunately, mechanical removal of small particles, via a filter sock, is not a sole determining factor for keeping SPS. The pic below is a small example of a system that had a large Refugium, an extensive and lively sand bed, lively LR, only a small skimmer and no filter socks.
Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - February 14 2017 at 9:38am
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: February 14 2017 at 9:43pm |
Mark, that's a very small example. 
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: February 15 2017 at 12:01pm |
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