Overflow box not siphoning

[wetcoast]

The overflow is not a Utube design - it is more like a "Calfo" style or "Weir" style with various baffles inside of it. It has worked flawlessly for 3 months without any issue - which is why there is a big concern with me..

Unfortunately just going back to the way it was is not an option - I woke up this morning to find my fish gasping at the water for oxygen - due to the lack of movement from just the two powerheads. I have thrown an airstone and a couple more powerheads towards the surface for now until I can get home from work. I will have to find a way to get the skimmer to work if this is going to be more than a couple days - either way this is frustrating!

The SEIO powerhead is constantly connected to the air nipple sucking from the top which is how I get the siphon to start in the first place..

Any other thoughts would be appreciated..

[TheReefGeek]

Does it look like this? Is the siphon breaking? Maybe you have a slow leak in it, enough that when the power goes out it leaks and loses siphon?

[wetcoast]

Yes looks very similar to that.

I have taken the box right off and attempted to start the siphon all over again with no such luck. It doesn't LOOK like there are any leaks or holes in the acrylic and I can hear a sucking sound when the hose is attached to the top nipple of the box to suck air out.

I think I may be able to get a utube type box today for testing and will see how it goes - but the fact of the matter is - this doesn't make any sense at all - It wont even start sucking from the "inside of tank" part of the box

.. and everything was going so good lately..

[TheReefGeek]

Maybe your Seio pump is broken?

Try taking a line of 1/4" airline tubing, and fishing it into the middle, and sucking air out yourself to prime the overflow. This is how I started my u-tube overflow.