Trouble with media basket

[tjwaggoner]

I mentioned in another thread but thought I'd start my own to ask for help.

My new media basket is continuously overflowing. I have new floss (deep blue brand white plain filter pad cut to fit) in the top and a package of purigen in the middle chamber and currently a package of phosguard in the third (put this in after I thought I had the basket working but was overflowing without it in as well).

It takes some time but eventually the basket fills with water and overflows no matter what I seem to do. I running a 115 skimmer in chamber 1, aforementioned media basket in chamber 2 along with a bag of sea chem matrix media (in retrospect I doubt I need this but kind of scared to remove it now), heater and factory pump in chamber 3.

Does anyone have an idea of what I'm doing wrong?

[Robert1969]

Have you tried lowering the water level a little bit?

[Dramad1]

What kind of tank?

[StevieT]

Biocube 29?

[Dramad1]

Sounds like a bc29 with the 115 in chamber 1 and basket in chamber2.

 

Are you using a flow director?

[StevieT]

How is the media placed on the shelves?

What is the water level in the chamber?

How often do you replace the floss?

How much floss are your using?

 

Simple answer, media put back pressure on the incoming water, so it's all in how much you have and if it is blocking too many holes.

[tjwaggoner]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Appreciate everyone trying to help. To answer questions that Stevie has: I'm using it in a BioCube 29 (coral life) with a 115 skimmer in the chamber 1, using the longer of the water directors, using one piece of filter pad floss in the top--not very thick stuff at all cut to fit the bottom of the top chamber touching all sides, second chamber a pouch of purigen tilted on a 45 like your picture shows on website, the bottom chamber I have a same size pouch of phos guard tilted the same way. That's it. Floss was brand new as I've only had the basket for a couple days and it's done this since I installed it. I've tried the water level two different places. Ran it lower--maybe between the max line and the top of the sight port and then ran it higher closer to the bottom of the top shelf of the basket--not quite there but close. No real change that I can see. Water still builds up and starts overflowing the basket within maybe 30 min. Am I using the wrong floss? It's just plain white filter material that I buy in a sheet and cut. It's not super dense or anything that I can tell.

[StevieT]

Have you tried it with no media in the basket? The basket, although almost impossible to install incorrectly has the door facing the false wall or the rear chamber, if not it will block flow. The media inside the basket also can shift and fall down to block too much flow.

 

Is the sponge still in the bottom of chamber two? If so remove it and see if that is blocking flow. The skimmer in chamber one also may be causing it to overfill the top of the basket, yet you stay this takes 30 or so minutes so it

 

If you could post of a picture of the overflow and the set up it may help. If it's just a small amount I wouldn't worry. It's not uncommon depending on set up, return pump etc to have a small amount overflow.

[tjwaggoner]

Thanks for your help with this Stevie. I do have an update: stopped on the way home and got a bag of chemipure elite, came home and sure enough it was overflowing like crazy. I think a lot of water was getting through because I needed to change the floss that was about 48 hours old. New floss, replaced the pouch of phos guard from the bottom replaced with chemi pure elite and it's been running with no water back-up for the last 2.5hrs or so. I've got my fingers crossed that I won't look and find it overflowing again in 20 min. Looks like the phos guard in the bottom might have been causing problems. Maybe...

 

Oh and no there's no sponge. Bio balls and all that was removed when the tank was still new.

[StevieT]

Is this the fist time you have used filter floss?

 

If so it will catch all sorts of crap you never knew you had. Then over time it will clear up as that detritus is removed.

 

Also. Feed with the filtration pump off. It will prolong the floss and help with flow.

 

Make sure that cp elite is tied to the middle self like shown in our pictures.

[tjwaggoner]

No I've always had floss in the tank with the purigen under it with both resting on foam blocks. Trashed the foam and using media basket now. I always turn my pumps off when I feed--learned that fast. And I attached the cpe to middle shelf as shown. I checked it when I got up for work this morning and the top compartment had a water level in it but wasn't overflowing like it had been.