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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Overflow & Sump Questions


aspinn

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Ok i am looking at doing a basic sump ( i only plan on sticking the heater and skimmer in it) hooked up to a 20-24gallon long aquirium.... my questions are....

 

Should i go for an overflow box? what are the pros/cons of using this box.... im honestly not handy nor do i have the tools to make my own custom box... i was concidering buying one of those stock overflow box's.... my question is for this box what happens if the water lvls get to low? will it cut out on me?, do i constantly have to monitor/refill the water lvl or will it be OK if it is left for a day or so (Say if i have to leave town for the night).... would you recomend getting one or?

 

Second is the sump.... does anyone have a decent guide on how to do up a sump using a stock aquirium as the sump with an overflow box? (i checked out melvs aquirium and that but he always uses custom acrylic sumps)....

 

Lastly how can i set up the return pump? can anyone show me pics of how they have theirs set up (or links)

 

 

well thanks... and leme know!

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i've tried a number of overflow boxes thru my time and i can say definitively...if you can drill the tank, drill it.

 

but if not then i'd go with one of the cpr slim overflows but definitely get an airlifter to maintan the siphon. the u-tubes do fail eventually and it's more likely that a tube can get stoppd up than a wide (but low) profile that the cpr's offer.

 

melev's plans are pretty descriptive imo. just substitute the custom acrylic outer box with any standard tank you wish to use. i would suggest a longer tank rather than a taller tank for the sump to allow for more room/devices. you can use cheapie tank dividers (e.g. Lee's) as the separators depicted by the glued-in sheets in melev's examples.

 

the pump isn't really the trick in sumps. it's the return pumps re-entry configuration that's more of the issue. e.g. should you use a spray bar, multiple nozzles/returns, a wavemaker/swcd, hose diameter, locations, etc. the pump itself is simply like a sump pump concept, pump + hose/tube. "how/where you re-enter the display tank?" is the real trick.

 

check out the member tank sub-forum for various ideas, examples, and suggestions. hth

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thanks for the links, and thta helps alot =)... and yes i never thoughtof it that way... but thank you very mu8ch bud and ill have t olook more closly at his designs... see if i can incorporate bits of it into my own =P... i would love anyone elses opinion too =) and thanks!

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thanks for the links, and thta helps alot =)... and yes i never thoughtof it that way... but thank you very mu8ch bud and ill have t olook more closly at his designs... see if i can incorporate bits of it into my own =P... i would love anyone elses opinion too =) and thanks!

Hang ON Back Needle Wheel Skimmer

 

 

BH-100

Size (mm) = 450x250x80

Air intake: 300l/h

Pump type/power: Needle Wheel/20W

Maximum tank size 350 liters

Place of installation: Exterior Hang on

post-31705-1201888893_thumb.jpg

 

Maybe this can help. If your intention is just a skimmer and heater for your sump. JMHO

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Go for the Eshopps overflow box if you end up getting one.....the cpr is ugly and I hear a lot of complaints about the whole continuous siphon thing.

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Hey there!

 

Like others have said, drill if you can. It's not difficult, and it is well worth it. Regarding return pump configurations, here are some articles that might be useful to you:

 

Saltwater Aquarium Return Pump Q&A - Commonly Asked Questions about Pumps in an Open System

 

Choosing a Return Pump - Understand Head Pressure Before Plumbing Your Aquarium

 

Calculating Head Pressure - Determine Your Marine Aquarium's Back-Pressure and Flow Rate

 

Two of my saltwater tanks employ both return nozzels (the OM ones are awesome!--I just put six of them on my 135) and spray bars. Be sure to be realistic about head pressure (see the above article) so that you go with an appropriate pump. Please keep us posted!

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