[Lance]

People! Check Your Overflow Emercency Drain More Often!


When I came home for lunch today I went to check on the tanks like I always do and was greeted by the sound of a pump sucking air. The water level in the 90g was close to overflowing. WTF! Looked into the sump and both overflow drains are barely trickling. Turned off the return pump which was sucking air, (return portion of the sump holds about 10 gallons which the display can handle.) Checked out the overflow and sure enough a large snail was upside down wedged tightly in the stand pipe. Pulled it out and away went the water; but why wasn't the emergency drain working? Went and got my electrical fish tape and ran it down the standpipe. Out of the drain and into the filter sock comes 6 good sized Valonia bubbles. I get a flashlight and look into the overflow box and way down deep, and in almost total darkness, is a colony of Valonia. Hardy buggers living in darkness like that.
It could have been so much worse: If I hadn't been so careful to make sure the display could handle the water volume of the return portion of the sump there would have been a nasty flood in the living room. And the pump could have burnt out. Either it must not have been sucking air for too long or Eheim's are indestructible.

In Conclusion:
1. Check your emergency drain more often.
2. Make sure your display tank can handle the volume from the sump.
3. Clean out the overflow box more often.
4. If possible, use 45's on the drain lines instead of 90's (I don't think the
Valonia would have got caught up if I had used 45's.

P.S. I'm going to the shop tonight to make a cover for the overflow box to keep the bloody snails out!