direct plumbing an external skimmer.

[Dr Begalke]

my next tank is (most likely) going to be a 45g cube. i will have a 24" by 25" space to work with under the cabinet, so was planning on a sump roughly 24" by 10" with an external recirc. skimmer, maybe an octopus or ER.

i thought i would plumb it direct from the overflow, as this would save me from needing a dictated pump or t-ing the return pump...

are there any good threads/pics on how to do this and the best way to regulate the flow without reducing the capacity of the overflow too much?

[Dr Begalke]

bump

[Dr Begalke]

Hmm...

[jasert39]

why not "T" the plumbing from the overflow?

[Dr Begalke]

ya, i figured a T... but it doesn't seem like a good idea to put a valve on the drain line to the sump (would mean you have zero excess capcity in in case something clogs)... and if you don't put a valve there, how do you regulate the flow to the skimmer?

[kuyatwo]

i have a pci recirculating skimmer and i asked them if it was a good idea to plumb from my overflow into my skimmer...he said you can but fluctuations in water incoming from overflow said will make the skimmer not very efficient

[pjf]

Here is a sketch by UCanDoIt:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/583/118362Gravity_Feed_Plumbing.jpg
The annotations in blue should answer your concern with fluctuations in flow.