beckett skimmer w/o sump?

[fishieness]

hello all. i was lookign to buy a beckett skimmer form another reefer, but at the moment, i dont have a sump. i havent been able to convince my mom to let me get one. would i be able to hook it up to my tank right out of an overflow? just hook and overflow up to it and a return pump going back?
it wont let me post a pic cause all i have is .jpg but let me try to put it on photobucket

[fishieness]

http://photobucket.com/albums/f54/tuv1832/?sc=1

[Shoestring Reefer]

Yes, as long as it was at/above tank level. Some HOB skimmers (I think backpak) have a surface skimming option, similar to what you're thinking of.

It would really suck if that monster was HOB and overflowed, though. I'd go with two skimmate drain lines at different heights, for insurance.

[Fiziksgeek]

You can't run a beckett skimmer off an overflow...you need to force the water through the beckett injector with a pressure rated pump. Though you could have an overflow feed this pump i think.

There are 2 potential problems you might have.

1) I run a PM Bullet 1 off a Pan world 100PX. I have a feeling I would get better performance with a slightly bigger pump too. So make sure your overflow can handle that high flow rate.

2) Returning the skimmed water directly back into the tank is almost surely going to cause a micro bubble problem.

[Fiziksgeek]

PS. You would need to let the skimmer gravity drain back into the tank.

[JonTarutis]

Not possible... having your overflow feed an external pump won't work...sure you'll put water into the pump but you'll also be drawing in air. Secondly you won't see ANYTHING in your tank with all the bubbles that leave a beckett injected skimmer. All the commercially produced ones I have used (MTC HSA and PM Bullet's) dump out tons of bubbles. I had one gravity draining back into my prop tank and couldn't see a thing.
Is this for the 40 gallon? If so...WAY overkill. The amount of water you'll have to move to effectively use a beckett is most likely going to lead to heat issues. Which you'll wind up spending more money and using more energy to try and combat. If it were me I'd get a sump and a different skimmer.
Just my 2 cents!
Jon

[Rockym]

I'm with Jon, way overkill!

[fishieness]

yeah, thanks guys! i had thought about it and realized it was overkill. but my mom did say that i could get a sump!!! so that is good! i told her that it will help maintain everything. she is always worried that something is going to overflow (like my skimmer which has happened... and since we have already had to replace the ceiling under my room once because of my tank...) and she also gets worried about having to do something if im gone. but i do now think a becket would be overkill. plus, it doesnt come with a pump, and i dont have that much money to spend on a skimmer without a pump.