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Unread 05/17/2018, 11:04 AM   #26
HarrisonMG
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I was able to make it work!
I made the siphon standpipe lower to the bottom of the overflow box, then got rid of the durso and in its place put a very slightly taller standpipe.

Therefore, there is the full siphon, and there is leftover flow just enough to coat the inside of the second standpipe. Since the standpipes are low enough in the box, the siphon has enough flow to match the pump!

To be honest, I only need this to hold me over for a few weeks. The whole thing cost me $30.

In June, I am going to buy the Eshopps Eclipse Large, which comes with a drill bit and a template. This will be a true BeanAnimal overflow.
Unfortunately it will cost me another $150 But still, the look will be cleaner, it will be much safer, even though not adjustable like my current setup.

I think I am gonna drain the tank, remove inhabitants and rock, but keep the sand and put a layer of plastic wrap over it.
Then I will drill the tank from the inside.

So....problem solved. Thanks guys!

Now I just gotta hang my discontinued T5 fixture the DIY way without having it crash into my tank.......


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Unread 05/18/2018, 06:44 PM   #27
Lsufan
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They are a little more expensive but if u go with the ghost type overflow in the future I would consider the 24” modular marine overflow instead of the eshopps. For one u will get better surface skimming with the 24” weir. More importantly u have to be careful with those types of overflows because a lot of them have so small of exterior boxes that it causes issues. The small boxes that some of those companies make can cause issues on startup purging the air from the syphon. That is the reason they started putting the holes in top of the U bends is because the small boxes were causing issues on startup. The small boxes are also inconsistent & u will have to adjust on the valve way more then u should have to. I made my own box because I wanted it 60” long & it would have cost a lot of money for mm to custom build the box for me, but if I purchased one I would purchase the modular marine unless it was going on a small tank. If I had a small tank I may consider the shadow overflow. 40 breeder or larger I would get atleast the 24” box from mm.


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Unread 05/18/2018, 09:33 PM   #28
HarrisonMG
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Thanks for the advice. Although you confused me a bit--the Eshopps I got is basically the exact same product as the Modular Marine but obviously different brand. (I also ordered the 12" wide one)
You then went to talking about U-Tubes which the Eshopps im describing does not have.
Clarification?

Thanks for your input!


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Unread 05/18/2018, 09:38 PM   #29
HarrisonMG
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http://www.eshopps.com/products/over...xes/eclipse-l/



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Unread 05/20/2018, 12:42 AM   #30
Lsufan
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What I meant by the U bends are the standpipes inside of the exterior box. If u use a beananimal u will have a U bend on the syphon & open channel & a straight pipe for the emergency. I believe Modular marine, reef savy & the shadow overflows all come with the U bends. With the eshopps u will have to make your own by connecting two 90’s to each other, because it only comes with the straight standpipe for the emergency.

There are quite a few differences between the mm & eshopps boxes. To me a big difference is the size of the boxes themselves. Although mm makes a small 12” box for small tanks they also make boxes 16”, 24” & 36” long. IMO the bigger the box the better & I would always get as long of a box as possible.

I’m not saying a eshopps box won’t work but it can have some issues with the small box. So be prepared to make some mods which should take care of most issues. The one thing u won’t be able to mod is u will have to adjust the valve more often then u should. With the small box Any flunctuation in the system makes such a big difference in water level inside of the box that u will have to adjust the valve to get it back quiet. It’s a decent option for a small tank if u are on a tight budget like I always am & cant afford the more expensive boxes. That’s why I always make my own, I get what I want at a price I can afford.



Last edited by Lsufan; 05/20/2018 at 08:13 PM.
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Unread 05/29/2018, 04:45 AM   #31
HarrisonMG
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lsufan View Post
They are a little more expensive but if u go with the ghost type overflow in the future I would consider the 24” modular marine overflow instead of the eshopps. For one u will get better surface skimming with the 24” weir. More importantly u have to be careful with those types of overflows because a lot of them have so small of exterior boxes that it causes issues. The small boxes that some of those companies make can cause issues on startup purging the air from the syphon. That is the reason they started putting the holes in top of the U bends is because the small boxes were causing issues on startup. The small boxes are also inconsistent & u will have to adjust on the valve way more then u should have to. I made my own box because I wanted it 60” long & it would have cost a lot of money for mm to custom build the box for me, but if I purchased one I would purchase the modular marine unless it was going on a small tank. If I had a small tank I may consider the shadow overflow. 40 breeder or larger I would get atleast the 24” box from mm.


After looking into the Eshopps more I realized when I cut the drainlines, the box would overflow bc the top edge is below the waterline in the tank and below the slits in the weir.

Just ordered a MM


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Unread 05/29/2018, 03:49 PM   #32
Lsufan
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I don’t quite understand what u mean. If the drains are setup correctly it is impossible for the exterior box to overflow. The valve on the syphon drain is what adjusts the water level inside of the exterior box. The top of the emergency drain is what will set the water level if the syphon happens to get clogged. In the pic u posted of the eshopps the red pipe would be the emergency because it is just a straight pipe. The water level couldn’t get much above the top of that pipe because it would drain into the pipe keeping the water level from rising any further. The water level in the exterior box isn’t related to the water level inside the tank. I could very well be misunderstanding what u mean. Regardless, I think u will be much happier & have less issues with the MM.

If u are trying to add the overflow to a tank that already has holes drilled then chances are the holes won’t match up. In this scenario u would eighther have to make your own overflow box or get someone like mm to send u a overflow box that is disassembled & assemble it yourself. U would have to do it that way because the boxes come with the bulkheads already inside of the box. The interior weir is so small that u can’t fit a bulkhead inside of the box after it is assembled.


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Unread 05/29/2018, 04:42 PM   #33
HarrisonMG
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I have not yet drilled the tank.

My point with the eshopps overflowing is that (and this happens often when I do lots of work on the tank) if the sump is almost at the top, because I am working on the tank or something happened with the return or whatnot, then I can't let the emergency pipe drain any water into the sump. The sump would overflow. As I understand it, the water in the tank will drain until it has reached the bottom of the weir slits. These slits are quite tall, and if my tank waterline is above the trim, a lot of water would have to drain into my sump (In the range of 5-10 gallons)

Therefore, Im sure that the overflow will work fine for many other people, but for me I risk flooding a few gallons of water onto my floor a little more often than it should happen.

I hope this makes sense


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Unread 05/29/2018, 05:07 PM   #34
Sorcha2
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So I am also in the process of setting up a siphon overflow sort of system and what I'm having to do is add a sensor to control the pump. I haven't found one that works quite the way I want it to yet.

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Unread 05/29/2018, 05:16 PM   #35
HarrisonMG
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How about an ATO?

But not sure why you want a sensor. I don't need a sensor surely for my siphon setup; because my overflow box is as high as the lip of the tank, above the water level....and the water level is only high enough above the weir so that if it drains, the sump does not overflow.


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Unread 05/29/2018, 05:18 PM   #36
HarrisonMG
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You just have to figure:
-How much water will your return pump put into the aquarium if the overflow fails? Make sure you have enough room in your tank for that. Baffles in sump work wonders.
-How much water is above the weir inlet? Make sure your sump can support that amount of water, plus the water in the outer box and pipes.


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Unread 05/29/2018, 06:02 PM   #37
Lsufan
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I believe I know what u mean now. U are talking about your sump overflowing from the extra water when the return pump gets shut down. How far are your returns underwater in the tank? If the returns are below the teeth on the weir then the tank will drain down until the returns suck air regardless. Say your return outlet is 1” below your weir. The tank will drain down 1” below the weir because of the returns. Then u still have the water inside of the overflow box & pipes to account for. The return pump will backsyphon when u turn it off & that is usually where most of the extra water in the sump comes from. Every setup is different but I would say the average tank drains about 2” of water when the return gets shut off. If u are cutting it that close I know I wouldn’t be comfortable at all & would come up with a solution. That’s why most people only run their sumps half full.


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Unread 05/29/2018, 08:34 PM   #38
HarrisonMG
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I'd say I run my sump slightly over half (7 of 12 inches) on average, but baffles change that slightly. Along with ATO

I have a checkvalve on my return--works wonders. No back siphoning; just lowers pump output, which for now is good because my overflow can only barely keep up with pump on lowest setting.
However I actually think its okay to have water moving slower through sump, gives it more time for that specific volume of water to get cleaner.

But the problem I'm describing with the eshopps is since the upper lip of the exterior box is below the waterline until the waterline is at the bottom of the weir teeth, you have two option which are keep the emergency going and the water in your tank drains to that level, maybe an inch or two below original, or the exterior box overflows because its like you basically have to gaping holes in the back of your tank, and the water wants to go out.

I get it, lots of parts with similar names, and specifics are important.
Like if you compare an image of the MM to an Eshopps, you can see the difference of the side view. The MM goes up to the tank rim, the eshopps goes to the bottom of the weir teeth.

I do really appreciate the MM suggestion I hope it works out well for me.

But yeah in normal operation I wouldn't say there is a problem but its that occasional time when I do maintenance and I look down and gasp that my sump is almost to the brim. Sometimes I have no idea where the water comes from, but it is usually my skimmer (that thing is big) and my media reactor moves water around in weird ways too.

I guess it is really just what works for me and works for you is different from what works for everyone else; all about your exact setup and how you treat it and manage it.


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Unread 07/15/2018, 07:41 AM   #39
Steve175
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If you can access the back without moving the tank, drain to just below where you want to drill it (for 1.5" BH). The risk is low if it is even a moderate quality tank. If you cannot access the back, then buy a couple of rubbermaid [50g] containers, drain enough and remove enough to be able to move the tank without a resultant hernia [beer and pizza often induces helpful buddies], drill it and be done in less than a half a day. There is no such thing as a fail-safe overflow. . . they should be renamed "Carpet Overflow". Plus [even with 1"] your max flow will be much higher. With 1.5" it will be nearly double [maybe more lol, I refuse to do the math on a Sun morning]


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