Overflow box and sump

Indoboy45 · 10/27/2017, 02:11 PM

Hi, I have a 60 gallon tank with an external filter and am looking to set up a sump but will need an overflow box. Could anyone advise me on the size of overflow box I need, as in how many gallons per hour? And also for the sump, is there a minimum size it should be? I’m looking at 30x50 cm and 40 cm high. Then also, the pump and skimmer, could you please advise on size and maybe suggest some products?

Thank you in advance for your help.

W

Mark Bianco · 10/27/2017, 04:19 PM

W Welcome to Reef Central...

You will probably get many different recommendations for an overflow box, but over the years I have found that a turnover per hour rate of about 4 times the volume of your tank works well, so if your tank is 60 gallons then any that will handle 240 gallons per hour would work great IMO.

As for skimmers I have owned from the crappy little Skillter to a massive SRO 6000 external and for a small tank as yours my favorite is not one for a sump but a Aquamaxx 1.5 HOB this skimmer has been running from day one and never have I had an issue with an overflow or having to readjust and the best thing is is is as close to dead silent as you can get. If you are set on a in sump skimmer I am a fan of the Reef Octopus line. This one would be plenty Classic 110SSS 5" However please keep in mind that if the water level fluctuates in the sump this will effect performance. A more costly solution but works well is the Reef Octopus Classic 110EXT 4” Recirculating Protein Skimmer this is not as finicky about water level.

When it comes to the sump my motto is the bigger the better if you are going to use one however the only room you need will be dependent on what all you will be putting into the sump Pump, pumps, skimmer, planing on a refugeium?

A good pump I prefer DC controllable is the heart of the system Figure out how many gallons of flow you need for return maybe the skimmer as well and multiply that by 2.5 that's what I use for sizing.

HTH
Mark

Indoboy45 · 10/28/2017, 02:40 AM

Thank you so much for this information. I’ll have a look into it.

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10/27/2017, 02:11 PM	#1
Indoboy45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: South West UK Posts: 2	Overflow box and sump Hi, I have a 60 gallon tank with an external filter and am looking to set up a sump but will need an overflow box. Could anyone advise me on the size of overflow box I need, as in how many gallons per hour? And also for the sump, is there a minimum size it should be? I’m looking at 30x50 cm and 40 cm high. Then also, the pump and skimmer, could you please advise on size and maybe suggest some products? Thank you in advance for your help. W

10/27/2017, 04:19 PM	#2
Mark Bianco In Memoriam Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Infinity and Beyond Posts: 2,445	W Welcome to Reef Central... You will probably get many different recommendations for an overflow box, but over the years I have found that a turnover per hour rate of about 4 times the volume of your tank works well, so if your tank is 60 gallons then any that will handle 240 gallons per hour would work great IMO. As for skimmers I have owned from the crappy little Skillter to a massive SRO 6000 external and for a small tank as yours my favorite is not one for a sump but a Aquamaxx 1.5 HOB this skimmer has been running from day one and never have I had an issue with an overflow or having to readjust and the best thing is is is as close to dead silent as you can get. If you are set on a in sump skimmer I am a fan of the Reef Octopus line. This one would be plenty Classic 110SSS 5" However please keep in mind that if the water level fluctuates in the sump this will effect performance. A more costly solution but works well is the Reef Octopus Classic 110EXT 4” Recirculating Protein Skimmer this is not as finicky about water level. When it comes to the sump my motto is the bigger the better if you are going to use one however the only room you need will be dependent on what all you will be putting into the sump Pump, pumps, skimmer, planing on a refugeium? A good pump I prefer DC controllable is the heart of the system Figure out how many gallons of flow you need for return maybe the skimmer as well and multiply that by 2.5 that's what I use for sizing. HTH Mark

10/28/2017, 02:40 AM	#3
Indoboy45 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: South West UK Posts: 2	Thank you so much for this information. I’ll have a look into it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk