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Water Level


SubMariner0805

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SubMariner0805

Hey everyone,

 

Just a question about the water level in the back chamber of my IM fusion 10. The diagram shows that the water level should decrease in like a cascade across all three chambers (highest in the first, then gradually getting lower). Mine appear to be all equally high in all three chambers.

 

I have an in tank media basket in the first chamber with a little bit of filter floss, some chemipure elite and phosguard. Heater in the second. And my stock return pump in the third with my ATO.

 

Is this a problem? If so, how can I fix it?

 

Thanks!

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The return section should be just slightly lower than the other chambers. However, don't worry if it doesn't get progressively lower in each.

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I had this. Its from over filling the display.

 

Take a turkey baster and syphon out water from the return chamber, that always works for me when I add too much water

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SubMariner0805

Thank you everyone for the replies. I do like to keep my display tank water level higher than suggested (i.e. approximately 1/2 inch from the rim). This is mainly for aesthetic reasons. The grate into chamber one isn't completely filled though. I will take out some water from chamber 3 like suggested.

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I have my chambers filled all the way up because I wasn't a fan of the trickling water sound and like the look of a higher water level. I keep my water level just high enough to be touching the bottom part of the cover mounts, otherwise it will leak/syphon water out via the mounts. This also allows me to fit both my neo-therm heater and pump in chamber 3. I have a decent amount of surface water agitation so I haven't worried too much about gas exchange. It's been running fine like this for a few months now.

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I will take out some water from chamber 3 like suggested.

It really shouldn't matter where you remove the water from. How well the water flows through each chamber will dictate the level in each (besides the return chamber). Once you have an appropriate amount of water in the tank, the return chamber will be the one that fluctuates. The display section should have a fixed water level (which would only change slightly if you got a different return pump).

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It shouldn't but I found in the IM that it was easier and faster to correct the return chambers water level which corrected the rest.

 

In the IM i found a high even level in the rear chambers made the filteration not perform properly. The intake needs a drop into the floss to catch particles, with the even water level, the floss just sits in water and particles/food passes right by the floss, untrapped,back into display.

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SubMariner0805

It shouldn't but I found in the IM that it was easier and faster to correct the return chambers water level which corrected the rest.

 

In the IM i found a high even level in the rear chambers made the filteration not perform properly. The intake needs a drop into the floss to catch particles, with the even water level, the floss just sits in water and particles/food passes right by the floss, untrapped,back into display.

 

How low do you have the water in the display tank then? I feel like I'd have to take out a decent amount of water for it to have the correct water levels in the back chamber.

 

My filter floss is in the top compartment of the In Tank media basket followed by the chemipure/phosguard. So I'm not sure what you mean by having the intake dropping into the floss. There is definitely flow into the first chamber with the floss (I can visibly see it) and I have already changed my floss several times because it gets all filled with detritus so it must be working somewhat properly. My main concern is that in the second and third chambers the water appears stagnant.

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The water level in chamber 3 should be below the wall separating it and chamber 2. Evaporation will lower the level (so it will fluctuate somewhat). When you top off your tank, you are basically filling up chamber 3 to the previous level (prior to evaporation).

 

When you do this, the water level in the display will essentially remain the same. The overflow is setup to control this level. You will notice that, once you have the water level correct, removing some water from the display will end up lowering the level in chamber 3.

 

post-3692-0-56061900-1472324774_thumb.jpg

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SubMariner0805

Thanks. I've been looking at that diagram. My only issue is that I never added water directly into the back chambers and it automatically filled up to the level it is now (i.e. way higher than what it should be).

 

 

Like I said before, my display tank water level is about 1/2inch from the rim. Is it possible to keep the water level in my display this high and have the appropriate water levels in the back chambers?

 

Also, how do I go about correcting the problem I have now. My water change day is tomorrow. So my thoughts are I am going to attempt to drain the back chambers with my siphon (there is some gunk back there anyway) and attempt to refill the tank to the appropriate level.

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Thanks. I've been looking at that diagram. My only issue is that I never added water directly into the back chambers and it automatically filled up to the level it is now (i.e. way higher than what it should be).

It doesn't matter where you take water from, or where you add it. However, if the water level in chamber 3 rises above the wall between it and the middle chamber, then you have too much water in the tank.

 

Like I said before, my display tank water level is about 1/2inch from the rim. Is it possible to keep the water level in my display this high and have the appropriate water levels in the back chambers?

You might want it 1/2" from the top, but it's the overflow that dictates how high the water is in your display. You can't raise this level without overfilling your tank, and you can't lower it without running your return pump dry (no matter where you add water to or remove water from).

 

Also, how do I go about correcting the problem I have now. My water change day is tomorrow. So my thoughts are I am going to attempt to drain the back chambers with my siphon (there is some gunk back there anyway) and attempt to refill the tank to the appropriate level.

If you have too much water in it, just take some out. If you don't have enough, then add some. Again, it doesn't matter if you take water out of the back chambers or the display. After a bit, it will be distributed to the proper sections. In the end, it's the water level in chamber 3 that you should be concentrating on.

 

If it helps, you can do like Clown79 posted and adjust the level in chamber 3 (so that you see a more immediate change). However, in the end, it doesn't matter where it is taken from, or added to.

 

If you don't believe me, do this experiment when you are doing your water change. Leave the return pump on and siphon out a few quarts of water from the display. After a few minutes, you should see that the water level in the third camber has been lowered. Now place a piece of tape where the water line is, in the display. Then siphon out a couple more quarts of water from the display. In a few minutes, you'll see that the water level in the display has returned to the same level (marked by the tape), but the level in chamber 3 is now even lower.

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SubMariner0805

Thank you for your help. So I played around with it and what I found was that the water level has to be about 1.5inches in the display in order for the back chambers to cascade like designed in the picture. Honestly, I hate the way it looks this way.

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Welcome to an AIO tank. :)

 

Your tank isn't designed to work like this; but if you truly hate it, do as HybridOfHe does, and just run it over filled.

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SubMariner0805

Hahah I appreciate all of your help. Don't get me wrong, I love the tank. But the look of the tank with the water level so low reminds me of getting a bag of chips with it half filled with air.

 

I am going to keep it slightly overfilled for now and if I notice problems with my water chemistry I will run as designed.

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Seabass answered it all.

 

I had the same issue when I set up my tank.

 

1- no explanation on the chamber water levels in instructions, it was my first aio, i had no clue.

 

2- i filled the display but the back was overfilled so there was no difference between chamber 2 and three. There should be about 1/2 inch drop from the glass wall from chamber 2 to 3...i hope that makes sense.

 

My display is filled to about 1.5 inches from the the top.

 

 

Wht you said about chamber 1- is correct. What i ment was when the water flows into chamber 1, the water should flow like a fountain onto the filter floss, often high water levels in the back chambers cause it not to- leaving the media basket in a pool of water.

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Awesome!!! Thank you!

 

That does look pretty nice. I might get one in the future.

 

Like other have pointed out, since I overfill my tank, I notice scum floating out of the first chamber when I turn off the return pump. Its a small amount, so I just extract it by laying a paper towel occasionally on the water in front of the inlet when I turn off the pump before feeding time. Then I just throw the towel away, this works relatively well for catching crap that collects on the surface. It looks like it might just be oil leftover from sticking my hands in the tank. I find the extra work worth it for the larger water volume.

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SubMariner0805

Hey everyone,

 

Just wanted to give a quick update. I bought the universal surface skimmer from Intank (link is above) and it fixed my problem immediately. I can now happily have a high water level as well as the correct water level in the back chambers. If anyone wants pics let me know and I can post some.

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That's awesome, I'm glad there was a good solution (leave it to inTank). So how sturdy is the surface skimmer when it doesn't line up directly with the top of your tank's overflow? I assume that you adjusted it opposite of this:

Installed-adj-down.jpg

 

Or do you have it even with the top:

Installed(6).jpg

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SubMariner0805

That's awesome, I'm glad there was a good solution (leave it to inTank). So how sturdy is the surface skimmer when it doesn't line up directly with the top of your tank's overflow? I assume that you adjusted it opposite of this

 

inTank has never ceased to impress thus far. I have it more like the second picture so that it is flush against the top almost. I used both clips to keep it sturdy because any slight changes in the placement changes the water level. The only thing is that the skimmer is universal so it is a little large for the IM 10 but it doesn't look bad at all.

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