Drain blocked?

I have a 135g reef tank with 2 overflows. The tank has been up for about a year now. I have noticed that on the right overflow there has been a lot of "gunk" just circulating around the top of the overflow. I also noticed that the water in the overflow is over the top of the drain pipe

The tank is hard plumbed and both overflows are connected to one pipe to the sump.

Well I decided to remove the drain pipe on the right side and the water did not go down at all in the overflow. So somehow something is blocking that side from draining.

Any suggestions on what needs to be done? The other pipe seems to be working well as water is being pushed out from the sump. I fear that I might have to rip down my tank and remove the bulkhead which will SUCK!

This tank is falling apart I am going to have to get rid of all my main fish as they have all become coral eaters My LPS and my clams have been taking a hit. I had a sailfin decide to eat my oldest clam one day. He then moved to my acans. I get that fish out a couple weeks ago and now I have watched my scribbled rabbit, my regal tang, and blue jaw trigger EATING my candy canes and my acans. I have strawberry baskets over them now, but as soon as I remove them there is a mass exodius to the corals! So will be fishing soon to get all them out.

 

get a pipe snake maybe?

schmackel i dont know if im pronouncing your name right, but every time i think of it i picture a pug eating peanut butter smacking its mouth

 

Man that bites.(literally) Sounds like you need another tank.

 

Pipe Snake may work, as long as it doesn't push the blockage further and cut off both overflows.

Maybe I'm not picturing this right, but does your tank have the two boxed in overflows on either side? If so you could just drain enough water from display so that it no longer enters overflow and take out the piping to get at blockage.

I do think the pipe snake will work though I would try that first.

 

;D;D;D;D I am going to have to get my pug some peanut butter now! ;D;D;D

 

It is drilled tank...with 2 overflows on either side! I am thinking I might set up the frag tank that I was going to do later this summer.....get rid of all the fish that I need by tearing it down (Having to take all rock etc out to get all the fish) which I know will cause a major cycle..hence the frag tank. I can place some of my established rock in there to keep that from cycling while I do that.

Then I can replumb it if need be. But I am waiting to think this out. I have everyhtign I need for the frag tank but a pump.

I cant take the corals to the LFS to hold as I would not trust any of the local tanks with my corals right now....they have RTN, Dino, cyano, red slime, nudi out the whazoo right now. I wont buy any corals now from them so I cant trust them to care for my corals. I just want to cry right now!

What sucks in this is that I have 3 other tanks set up right now but I cant put my coral in ANY of them for various reasons. One is a golden puffer tank...one is my mantis tank (which I can place some in there but the light is just PC) and a scorpion tank with even cheaper lights.

Thanks for allowing me to vent!
Melissa

 

Get a 1/4x 25 Ft sink Rod from a Lowe;s 12.00 and a drill I have had to push many snails and kunk through infact yesterday I had to rod my main line from pump to skimmer and reactors and fuge lime had built up and plugged that latterial from the pump. I keep on on hand all the time and figure how long ut needs to be then cut it a foot or so longer a 25 Ft cable can be a hand ful on a hand drill . It will beand around 3/4" 90's just fine 1" is no problem

 

will try that. One of the other problems is that the LFS really did a horrible job with the install. Will probably redo the entire plumbing bit. If it could have been done wrong initially it was.

I hate the fact that I am going to have to get rid of all my fish....going to be a PIA to get them out. Meanwhile I will probably loose all my LPS corals over it. I am so upset with this whole mess....Cant do anything right with my tanks or anything else

 

Melissa,

You certainly couldn't be expected to know why you don't do some of the things they did. In fact, because you didn't know some of those things, isn't that the reasoning you used to pay "professionals" to handle your install. This isn't your fault at all.

You aren't going to lose your LPS. I've told you they are very resilient. You're not allowed to be in a funk over this. If we can't push the blockage out, I'm already creating a parts list to properly plumb this puppy. It's not a big deal.

Smile. This is a fish tank. Problems happen. You fix the problems and move on.

 

it is not just the tank....

anyway...just caught 1 fish. My female blue jaw. She is in a bucket right now. I would like to get at least the male blue jaw out and/or thr rabbit tonight before the LFS closes so I can take them up. But if I can get one a day I would be happy!

The trap I got is a piece of junk...they forgot to drill the holes in it and the door doesnt drop easily. So I have to push it down with my hands. My goby and my lawnmower keeps pulling the dumb food ou for the other fish. If I wanted to get them out it would be a breeze.

I thought I had the drain unclogged. I turned the pumps off and they drained. But when I turned the pumps back on the overflow filled up again and again is over the drain pipe and when I remove the drain pipe it does not drain? No clue about that one...unless the pressure from the pumps uncloggs it and reclogs it when it is on???