Which overflow would u reccomend?

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

i believe cpr overflows are the best, i may be wrong and im sure someone will chime in, but its better to get a good overflow or if will end up causing problems later on, when i had mine i tried to save some money and got a cheap one and it sucked, the siphon would always break and the drain started leaking after a couple months.
 
I agree that the U-tube overflow boxes are more reliable. The top of the line U-tube overflow boxes are the ones made made by Jeff at Lifereef. I have used one of them in the past and it never failed me. I am not familiar with the other manufacturers of U-tube overflow boxes.
 
Okay well i need like a answer with some reason behind it.. i currently have a 1000gph u-tube overflow (in the link) and i was wondering if its better than the CPR overflow i listed up there... and why.. which is more reliable... and i also know that u shud have 3x-5x the flow of ur Display tank running through ur sump, is that true? so i would need like 225GPH pump... which seems a lil low for a 45g. but idk..... what do u all think.. should i get a 500gph or 225gph? and would these work on the current utube overflow or should i get the one i listed for $35 thankyou
 
Why would 225 gph be low for a 45 g tank? We're talking drain/return rate here not in tank flow. Any more that this and you will risk micro bubbles and create a lot of turbulence unneccessarily so. I also doubt you can find a skimmer for a 45g that can handle that amount of water per hour

The 1000gph overflow you have is overkill for your tank. Try taking one of the u tube out which should cut that down to 500 gph drain rate.
 
MGDMIRAGE said:
Great, i just ordered the aquatraders one like 3 days ago i plan on using an aqualifter pump on it, hope it proves reliable, the price was right!
Click to expand...


Better make sure you use a black airline tube to connect the overflow to the Aqualifter. Algae build up will be very quick otherwise and clog this tube and then you will have a flood on your hand. Trust me I know ;)


This dependence on the Aqualifter to keep the siphon going is precisely why the C style overflow boxes (like Aquatrader and CPR) are not as reliable as u tube ones. IF your Aqualifter pump fails you will have a flood.
 
so u-tube overflow?
and uhm.. it has 2 bulkheads what would u recomend? idk if i need both then..
and yeah with the 225gph pump? or shud i get like a 500gph?
 
dhnguyen said:
Better make sure you use a black airline tube to connect the overflow to the Aqualifter. Algae build up will be very quick otherwise and clog this tube and then you will have a flood on your hand. Trust me I know ;)


This dependence on the Aqualifter to keep the siphon going is precisely why the C style overflow boxes (like Aquatrader and CPR) are not as reliable as u tube ones. IF your Aqualifter pump fails you will have a flood.
Click to expand...

Wish i had heard this stuff before i was under impression the cpr style was a lot better because you could evacuate air bubbles constantly :(

Thanks for info, and the black air line tubing tip!

Would it be best to hook up the line to a powerhead into the display instead?
 
SmileyFace1995 said:
so u-tube overflow?
and uhm.. it has 2 bulkheads what would u recomend? idk if i need both then..
and yeah with the 225gph pump? or shud i get like a 500gph?
Click to expand...

I think that is up to you as the overflow won't drain any more water then what is being put into the display. 10x your sump volume would be like 200gph i'm unsure of how to calculate the headloss on a pump the 500gph might end up being like 300 something gph by time it gets up to display.
 
You can get a 500-700gph pump and place a gate valve between the return pump and the tank. Using the gate valve, you can vary the flow of water returning to the tank from the sump. Adjust the gate valve until you get a flow rate that does not put allot of microbubbles into your tank. Gate valves typically cost more, but they are better than ball valves for fine tuning water flow.

You already have the 1000gph rated overflow box. Go ahead and give it a try and see how it works for you. Try it with both U-tubes and try it with one U-tube. Sometimes you need to experiment a little before you find what works for your tank. If the overflow box does not work satisfactorily, then you can inveest in another overflow box.

I do recommend using a pump that potentially would provide too much flow. with a gate valve, you can always reduce the flow. If you have an underpowered pump, you cannot do anything to increase the flow from the pump.

If your overflow box makes gurgling noises or sounds like a toilet flushing, then we can talk about installing a Durso or Stockman silencer inside your overflow box.

g
 
I used a CPR overflow for quite a while before I went RR.
I would opt to use a powerhead with a venturi in it (or use a spliter connected to 2 powerheads like I did for double pice of mind) over an aqualifter, and not use black hose for connecting it (if you can see the algea you'll know when to clean it. black tubes slow but don't stop clogging of airline). IMHO the U tube's are fine and alot of people like them but just like the CPR, they can get air acumulating in the tube if you'r not keeping an eye on them, then just like the CPR can do, you will flood the main tank.
I used clear airline so I can see the algea buildup and cleaned out the tube when doing water changes and never once had a flood.

second thing I like is there smaller in tank footprint and covered back compartment to quiet the drain.
just my 2¢
 
gas4544 said:
You can get a 500-700gph pump and place a gate valve between the return pump and the tank. Using the gate valve, you can vary the flow of water returning to the tank from the sump. Adjust the gate valve until you get a flow rate that does not put allot of microbubbles into your tank. Gate valves typically cost more, but they are better than ball valves for fine tuning water flow.

You already have the 1000gph rated overflow box. Go ahead and give it a try and see how it works for you. Try it with both U-tubes and try it with one U-tube. Sometimes you need to experiment a little before you find what works for your tank. If the overflow box does not work satisfactorily, then you can inveest in another overflow box.

I do recommend using a pump that potentially would provide too much flow. with a gate valve, you can always reduce the flow. If you have an underpowered pump, you cannot do anything to increase the flow from the pump.

If your overflow box makes gurgling noises or sounds like a toilet flushing, then we can talk about installing a Durso or Stockman silencer inside your overflow box.

g
Click to expand...

ya but what i heard is if u use a gatevalve on it, it makes ur pump like wear and tear and causes it to break fast. but thanks for the advice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Krish
Problem Algae's: Causes, treatment and control
Replies
6
Views
2K
Krish
Krish
H
Octopus HOB Skimmer is a CPR bakpak on Steroids
Replies
0
Views
1K
happyface888
H
R
RO/DI water change
Replies
12
Views
755
burning2nd
burning2nd
leebca
  • Locked
A Quarantine Process
2
Replies
30
Views
16K
leebca
leebca
Back
Top