Sump and Overflow box

[Allanira]

:confused:

Ok everyone bear with me for a few so I can explain this lol. I boought a 55 gal non drilled tank. I would like to make a sump and over flow box for it. Would it be cheaper to buy this stuff online or build it myself? And if building myself how do I go about it? Sorry new to SW. My head is in over load from the last 2 days trying to figure this out. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!! Thanks in advance.

Allanira

[Avi]

You'll get the info you want here, Allanira. First, you need an a hang-on overflow box. They're widely available and they look like this:

http://www.championlighting.com/pics/filterpics/ADHI_Overflow.JPG

The black box (it isn't always black, depending on the manufacturer...in this one's case it was made black to discourage algae from growing inside) hangs on the inside of your reef-tank and the other side, then, on the outside.

I'd strongly recommend getting this kind of overflow...the kind with the U-tube. Once you (very easily) get the flow going from the "inside" box to the "outside" box, you should never have a problem after that. There are people that will tell you that the kind of box with the U-tube are prone to causing floods...IMO that's completely incorrect and you'll be well served by this kind of overflow.

Once the water goes from your "inside" to the "outside" box, then it will flow down to your sump by way of tubing that's made for it. You can also altenatively "hard plumb" it using PVC but the flexible kind of tubing will serve you well, too.

As for the sump itself, once the water goes into the sump, it is sent back to the reef-tank with a return water-pump.

Take a look here:

www.melevsreef.com

for ideas about a sump. If you aren't handy with DIY stuff, you can buy a ready made sump, instead.

I'm sure there'll be more info and ideas to follow, here.

[cloakerpoked]

I think hang on back overflows work fine. What I did with my mother's is tap it with a piece of hard tubing, and hook that up to an aqualifter, that way the lifter regulates the flow like a CPR overflow. While I do like drilled tanks better, I think hang on the back overflows using u-tubes can be just as good as long as they're done right.

[mfinn]

Might be some information here that could be useful.

http://www.glass-holes.com/main.sc;jsessionid=91977194A4ADA12100CD8315EDCE9922.qscstrfrnt01

[Avi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12417052#post12417052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloakerpoked
...What I did with my mother's is tap it with a piece of hard tubing, and hook that up to an aqualifter, that way the lifter regulates the flow like a CPR overflow...

I'm curious, cloaker...what is the benefit of doing that with using a hang-on overflow that has a U-tube as opposed to the CPR, which doesn't?

[robn70]

I've had both the u tube type and the CPR model. The CPR unit requires an optional pump such as the aqualifter to keep it working without it air builds up in the tube and causing it to loose siphon. I'm now using the U tupe type (lifereef) which i've yet to loose siphon in the 2 years that it's been on the tank. Hope this helps.

[Cramz07]

I have no acrylic skills what-so-ever and built my own sump with Weld on 3 and 16 and it's worked really good....BTW if you do build it yourself build it as big as you can or you'll regret it!

[Scott S]

The CPR unit has much larger opening thus reducing flow. The U tube styles flow fast enough to push the air bubbles out. Just the experience that I had with them.

[Allanira]

How would I get it to start syphoning after I got it installed? Thats the part thats got me right now. Cause I am thinking of going with the U tube one.

[Paul_PSU]

I have a continuous siphon overflow box with an aqualifter and they are not "set it and forget it". I went to clean mine the other day and it was a PITA! I could not get all the debris out of the siphon section. I don't know if this is just me and maybe my return pump is not matched properly, but every month I have to shut off the return for a minute and reset the siphon. It seems like the overflow cannot keep up with the return and the water level will rise in the tank and the surface skimmer will be 2 inches below water. It generally happens about every 4 to 6 weeks.

[cloakerpoked]

The aqualifter regulates the flow/starts your overflow automatically. Granted it is about a $20 convenience, but there's now absolutely no way this thing loses its syphon, and if for some reason it did, the lifter will start it right back up. They can also be difficult to start, and this gets rid of that issue as well.

I've seen overflow boxes with only 1 compartment in the back. Do NOT do this, as you will eventually lose your syphon and not be able to get it back. Let me see if I can explain this with words (although a picture is worth a thousand of them, I don't have a picture...maybe someone else does.) The front box hangs into the water, water flows over the top of the box, and fills it. The water is then pulled (by a syphon) over the side via a U-tube and into the back box. This box MUST be divided into 2 chambers. One with the bulkhead going down to the sump, the other with the U-tube exiting into it. The baffle between these two must be higher than the U-tube hanging in the tank. The reason for this is simple. If your power goes out, your sump pump stops running. When this occurs, the syphon will continue to run. This fills your sump, and lowers the height of the water in your tank. If you only have one box in the back, the syphon will eventually break when the tank no longer has sufficient water to overflow the in-tank box. With the baffle, it guarantees that the water pressure eventually reverses and flows back INTO the in-tank box, and reaches an equilibrium with the u-tube still filled with water. A broken syphon means a flooded display tank once the power comes back on unless you catch it right away.



<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12418342#post12418342 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Avi
I'm curious, cloaker...what is the benefit of doing that with using a hang-on overflow that has a U-tube as opposed to the CPR, which doesn't?

[cloakerpoked]

Allanira--with the aqualifter, if both sides of your u-tube are submerged in water, the lifter will pump out all the air, and start the syphon for you. Just tap the very top with some rigid airline tubing, seal it, and hook the lifter up to it. They sell for about $20 on ebay or in some LFS.

Paul--It runs so high because the overflow is undersized for your pump. If you had a U-tube, you could just add another tube. Since I'm guessing yours is more like the kind made by CPR (with a series of baffles and a chamber the lifter hooks up to) it cannot be sped up any. If you put a ball valve on your return line from your return pump, you could slow down the pump every so slightly and that should regulate your system better.

[Paul_PSU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12423451#post12423451 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloakerpoked
Allanira--with the aqualifter, if both sides of your u-tube are submerged in water, the lifter will pump out all the air, and start the syphon for you. Just tap the very top with some rigid airline tubing, seal it, and hook the lifter up to it. They sell for about $20 on ebay or in some LFS.

Paul--It runs so high because the overflow is undersized for your pump. If you had a U-tube, you could just add another tube. Since I'm guessing yours is more like the kind made by CPR (with a series of baffles and a chamber the lifter hooks up to) it cannot be sped up any. If you put a ball valve on your return line from your return pump, you could slow down the pump every so slightly and that should regulate your system better.

I figured as much. I was just thrown off by the fact that it takes almost 6 weeks to happen. It is not a gradual thing either when it starts. The water level in the tank will be even with the skimmer section for about 4 weeks and then over about the course of a week it will start to rise. I have a 75 now and getting a used 90 to drill so, I have just dealt with it since I didn't want to spend the money on another overflow setup. If I did, I would surely go with the U-TUBE style.