water problem

[jennabee]

set up 90 gal tank however tank didnt completly fill to top when trying to fill to the top it automatically went down to sump, sump didnt over flow but it worries me that if I add more water to tank it will overflow the sump what do I do?
Oh there is no fish in tank and the tank has been running now for over 2mos. and salt level is too high dont know how to level it off. Please help me:-)

[SoLiD]

Keep in mind that "fresh" will evaporate everyday out of your aquarium, but not the salt. If you don't have any fish or corals you can take some saltwater out and store it in a 5 gallon bucket. Replace it with fresh RO/DI water and the salinity level should go back down. If it goes down to much put some of the saltwater from the bucket back in a little at a time and allow it to equalize. When you get to your desired tank water level check the salinity again. Be mindful that there will always be an evaporation of the fresh water as it is unavoidable. You will have to monitor the salinity value for your tank and make slight adjustments as needed. After you have done it for a while, you will know the fresh water top off requirements for your tank. My system loses about 1 gallon of fresh water per day.

BTW: Do you have a pump in your sump running the water back up to your aquarium. If you could give us some pictures and some more details on your set up it would make it easier to help you.

-David

[SoLiD]

Details such as:

Tank: 90g
Overflow Type: Drilled Center??? Calfo??? External Overflow Box???
Sump: 20g??
Return Pump: Mag 9.5???
Skimmer: ???
Salinity: 1.025???

And so on...

[Jamie]

JennaBee,

It seems that you are saying that the water level in the main tank won't fill all the way up to the top...which is normal. It will only fill as high as your drain/overflow will let it...then it flows down to your sump where your return pump sends it back up to your main tank. Like David said...posting details will help a little. As David said, to bring your salinity down, you must remove salt water and replace it with fresh water. How far off is your salinity?

R, Jamie

[bronck83]

I think Jamie is right, assuming you have your return pump on and you sump water level is at the desired height then your overflow is probably positioned too low if you want the water level higher in the main display tank. You'll have to live with it or partially drain it & reposition your overflow higher(assuming your overflow design allows this).

[CoryDude]

I'm in-line w/everyone else. I'm assuming there's an external overflow that is set too low. You should be able to adjust the height w/a couple of screws located on the overflow box.

If there's no fish/corals in your tank, and your salinity is not TOO FAR OFF, then I'd just syphon tank h2o and replace w/fresh h2o till you get the desired 1.024-1.026 level you need. However, if your salinity is off by more than .005, then you may want to do it over several days.

[jennabee]

Thanks for the great info. Im still new to this so I really dont understand how to reposition my overflow box higher????? It is in external over flow box by the way.
Thanks Again

[PeeJ]

Most siphon based overflow systems are comprised of two main pieces: the internal overflow and the external drain. The overflow "depth" relative to the tank rim is adjusted by moving it up or down via its attachment to the drain (usually a single wingnut/bolt/slot arrangement.) This is shown in the following photo:

http://www.lifereef.com/lg_pre.gif

peej