Need Advice on overflow choice..

[anin]

hello all, first of all sorry, i know this must be like the 50,000th thread like this, but i honestly need some advice:( First of all, i'm in the process of downgrading from 75g to a 50g breeder(stand and canopy almost done building). I cant decide on what to do with a overflow design..I need something that will be silent , since it's going in my bedroom. On the 75 i currently have, it has a standard no brand U tube with 1" drain, i recently did the hofer gurgle buster on it and it got quieter but surface skimming wasn't like it used to be, so its all up in the air but i am looking at
CPR CS90 w/aqualifter
Lifereef 600gph unit
Eshopps 800gph box
External durso, with the 90degree to a strainer
Glass-holes.com 700gph kit
- thought of the also doing a external durso on this if it makes it quieter
Bean's 3 standpipe design, but i think to take full advantage of that, i would need run a calfo style box? which may take up much space?

Any advice is greatly appreciated, which setup would work best for me..Thanks in advance

[wbond]

I would drill if you can. You will still need something to quiet it down though.

[anin]

also forgot to add, i can get silencer for the lifereef, for the eshopps/cpr, i can make another hofer gurgle buster..i'm just not sure which setup would the quiestest, plus since tank is brand new, if i was to drill, it would to be do it now..

[anin]

bump!

[anin]

bump for inputs

[Madfronter]

I really like the CPR continuous siphon overflow boxes. Its very quiet. I use a maxi jet powerhead instead of the aqualifter pump and it works great.

[anin]

well, i actually like cpr and it was my original plan, but many say it horrible to depend on a pump to keep a siphon..I know the best U tube box is the lifereef unit, but is it worth to spend $150 on a lifereef unit, where instead i can have it drilled and everything for $75, but i still need opinions from people to see if the glass holes unit is quiet or not..from the video on their website, it seems relatively quiet, but would like to confirm from others..

[Madfronter]

The pump is only to prime the overflow and lift out the air so this way you will always have a continuous flow. Though you do run the lifter or powerhead constantly. I hated always having to manually siphon the air out of the u tube on my old overflow every few days to make sure everything is flowing as well as it can.

[kgross]

I will say, drill the tank, and make you own long calf style overflow box with 2 drains. Run one drain as a full siphon with a valve on it to adjust the flow, second drain can be setup as an external durso, and with the small amount of water that will flow through it, it will be silent as well.

Kim

[anin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14311504#post14311504 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kgross
I will say, drill the tank, and make you own long calf style overflow box with 2 drains. Run one drain as a full siphon with a valve on it to adjust the flow, second drain can be setup as an external durso, and with the small amount of water that will flow through it, it will be silent as well.

Kim

sorry for my ignorance, but when you say first drain at full sipon, is done like with the street elbow? like bean style? facing down?

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14309076#post14309076 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Madfronter
The pump is only to prime the overflow and lift out the air so this way you will always have a continuous flow. Though you do run the lifter or powerhead constantly. I hated always having to manually siphon the air out of the u tube on my old overflow every few days to make sure everything is flowing as well as it can.
The pump must run continuously on the CPR or the C Channel will accumulate air. This is how they typically fail. The pump stops working, the airline or air nipple clogs or leaks, the flow stops and the tank overflows.

A U Tube overflow only needs sufficient velocity though it to keep bubbles pushed through. It should never accumulate any air. If a U Tube accumulates air at the apex, flow needs to be increased.

To answer the question, since this is a new tank being set up, there is no reason not to drill it. A simple setup like what Glass-Holes offers works well, or if you want to go with something like a long horizontal overflow with full siphon drains, that is a nice option. Both are better than using a HOB.

[MeuserReef]

Drill Baby Drill!...

I used Bean's 3-pipe design and would NEVER EVER even think of using something different. Its reliable and silent... exactly what an overflow should be.

[coralfragger101]

My vote is for BeanAnimal's style. You don't have to run a full calfo. You just need the box large enough to fit 3 pipes.

That's the route I went. Love it.

[anin]

so drilling is what i'll do! either glass holes kit, or i may just do beanAnimal's setup, so for the 3 bulkheads, how close can each be drilled next to each other? for the box it self.. i can just make it out of 1/4 acrylic?

[anin]

also the overflow box will be supported by the 3 bulkheads? so as to like drill 3 holes through the box also? then connect bulkhead?

[kgross]

You can do the box that way, or just make it a 4 sided box and silicone it to the back of the tank.

Kim

[rguyler]

Here's Bean's thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1541946

I plan to do this on my 150G under construction.

[rguyler]

Sorry...didn't see where you found the thread. I'm not sure how Bean supported the overflow. I read the entire thread through but lost track of that detail. How you described drilling through both the tank and overflow and allowing the bulkheads to support the overflow box is how I plan to set mine up. Of course a little silicon on the back of the box will be applied as well. :)

I plan to make the box out of black acrylic but haven't decided on whether to use the entire length of the back glass or just part of it.

[kgross]

You will have to make sure you seal around each bulkhead between the tank and the overflow box to keep it from leaking.

Kim

[rguyler]

I always silicon my bulkheads anyway. I've had those gaskets leak before and you can only crank on those plastic nuts so tight with the 18" Channelocks. :D

[kgross]

Overtighting the bulkheads is what causes them to leak. What I was trying to tell you is the you have to seal between the box and glass, unless you put the nut on the inside of the tank.

Kim

[anin]

do you guys think there will be drastic amount of difference in noise from Bean's setup compared to the glass holes? has anyone setup the glass holes kit? i really liked it because it incorporated a durso into a very small unit, and the overall size of the box itself is small, so for like a smaller tank like mine its good..Bean's setup is definitely better, as far as safety features and quietness, but just not sure...thanks for all the inputs, greatly appreciated..

[MeuserReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14321556#post14321556 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by anin
do you guys think there will be drastic amount of difference in noise from Bean's setup compared to the glass holes?...

YES. Bean's design is S-I-L-E-N-T

[Harry_Fish]

I have 2 glass-holes 700 GPH overflows in my 180

All I hear is a little trickling sound (that I like)

The fans in my light are louder

[anin]

yea actually spent some more time reading bean's setup, since its fully submerged,there no chance of air, so it dead silent..but i also hear good things about the glass holes kit, which could a little space inside the tank..

[kgross]

With a full siphon setup like Beans or done with 2 drains, the only noise you have is the water moving in the pipes. It is silent. There is no vent to allow air, so no gurgling, no trickling just quite.

Kim

[token]

I am going to add a word for lifereef.com.

Excellent.

I have used external overflow's almost exclusively and this one is top-notch. If enough water is moving through the box to make a difference to the tank, I don't think that one can "fail", except through serious neglect.

That said, I am always pondering a Calfo-style drain and the gl*******s solution is simple if you don't mind drilling.

Good luck!