90 Gallon Overflow

Jacuzzi

Jacuzzi

New member
So I picked up a glass 90 gallon tank but no sump and its not drilled. I really dont want to drill it but wanted to use an overflow box. How dependable are these and what size and flow should i be looking for? I am completely unfamilar with these so any help would be greatly appreciated on how they work and how they fail and such. Thanks all
 
Before you go with an overflow box, do consider drilling again. As long as the glass isn't tempered, you'll be much happier with it in the long run. And it will be cheaper in the short run.
 
Question is how do i know if it is tempered or not? I havent looked for a make on the aquarium but there could be one somewhere. The glass is also very thick. Thanks for the response.
 
There are several threads on here about tempered glass. There is a way to tell using and lcd screen like the ones on cell phones and polarized glasses. i think I saw the most recent on one for the petco tank sale.

do a search using petco or temper and I'm sure it will come up for ya.
 
So why is the overflow box a bad idea? I dont have the tools to do the drilling or really know anyone who does so I just thought the overflow box was a good idea as I have seen them used on many tanks here. Also seperate question but I also wanted to paint the back black so what paint works best?
 
If at all possible, drill. I ran an Eshopps overflow for a little less than a year with no issues other than it's quite noisy.
As far as paint, I used cheap black spray paint from Lowe's.
 
This is what I use on my 90. I bought the tank that way. After spending time researching of to drill or not to drill. I kept it as it was.

I have never had any problems what-so-ever, I shut down the system a lot and never had any issues of restarting or break of a siphoned.

http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html
 
Drill, baby, Drill!

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http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1310585
 
If you do decide to drill. I would strongly recommend taking it to a glass shop, they can also tell you for sure if its tempered, or finding a local reefer who has done it and would help you out.

No point pushing for this person to do something he/she is not comfortable doing.
 
Is the tank brand new or used? If it's used then I wouldn't drill it because used tanks are prone to crack easier than a brand new one.

Just remember all tanks can crack when drilling, so there is always a risk you are taking, but 9/10 times you will not crack it.

Biggest advantage a drilled tank offers is a little less noise *overflow boxes cause a gurgle like noise* A much cleaner look resulting in more space for rock/fish/corals, and much easier to keep snails out of the drain. I've had my tank for five years and just recently twice in one week the snails went in to the overflow box and flooded my aquarium!

I use a mag drive 7 sump pump and a eshopps PF-800 overflow box on my 90g
 
Hi,

I have been using an overflow for about 2 months now. I am still quite nervous about flooding so I have taken some precautions. Have a look below.

(Note I am not an expert in this area. This is just an account of what I have done, and is by no mean a full-proof way to prevent issues with overflows)

...

- Buy the type with the u tubes. Peoples seem to report that these are more more reliable. (I almost got the CPR type, but was lucky they were out of stock)

- Use extra tubes, so if one breaks the siphon the other can still handle the flow. (Some people like fewer tubes and a faster water flow to push air bubbles out - I prefer the redundancy)

- Not everyone does this, but I siliconed a small air outlet at the top on one of my tubes, I attached a Toms Aqua-lifter to pump out water and air and ensure that the siphon is not broken. (Note do not use normal air pump, but one made to pump water. The only pump I know if good for this purpose is the Tom's Aqua-lifter)

- Make sure that your main tank can take on the water in the sump if the siphon does break. I use a purposely small sump for this reason. Some people also raise the level of the pump or use a shutoff switch.

- And if all else fails and the tank does over flow, make sure all exposed electrical is not in a place where water will get to it, and use a GFCI.

- Oh and remove that $10,000 Persian rug from the room :)
 
Last edited:
etepperman said:
Hi,

I have been using an overflow for about 2 months now. I am still quite nervous about flooding so I have taken some precautions. Have a look below.

(Note I am not an expert in this area. This is just an account of what I have done, and is by no mean a full-proof way to prevent issues with overflows)

...

- Buy the type with the u tubes. Peoples seem to report that these are more more reliable. (I almost got the CPR type, but was lucky they were out of stock)

- Use extra tubes, so if one breaks the siphon the other can still handle the flow. (Some people like fewer tubes and a faster water flow to push air bubbles out - I prefer the redundancy)

- Not everyone does this, but I siliconed a small air outlet at the top on one of my tubes, I attached a Toms Aqua-lifter to pump out water and air and ensure that the siphon is not broken. (Note do not use normal air pump, but one made to pump water. The only pump I know if good for this purpose is the Tom's Aqua-lifter)

- Make sure that your main tank can take on the water in the sump if the siphon does break. I use a purposely small sump for this reason. Some people also raise the level of the pump or use a shutoff switch.

- And if all else fails and the tank does over flow, make sure all exposed electrical is not in a place where water will get to it, and use a GFCI.

- Oh and remove that $10,000 Persian rug from the room :)
Click to expand...

Good post. I agree, the Aqua-lifters are very useful. Now if you'd gone ahead and drilled it, assuming you could. The overflow could have been completely silent. You wouldn't need the pumps. The worry of the top tank being able to take on the water from the sump would be gone. Which would be even worse if you had an ATO. Also when you drain the water out of the last compartment of the sump, it means the pump is running without water, not a suggested practice. You'd need less space behind the tank, assuming thats where you placed, I can't see the pictures at work.
 
I am located in alameda but I am researching glass companies nearby and my LFS will possibly do it for me. Thanks for the offer
 
Jacuzzi said:
I really dont want to drill it but wanted to use an overflow box. How dependable are these and what size and flow should i be looking for?
Click to expand...

Rather than attempting to persuade you to do something you originally made very clear you didn't want to do, I'm going to attempt to actually answer your question.

I've got a HOB overflow box, and they are very reliable if done right. They have almost the same likelihood of flooding as a drilled tank, given the circumstances.

The only way it can flood is if you pump into the tank faster than your overflow can handle, or your siphon fails. Allow me to go into more detail on each scenario as those are very broad subjects.

For your pump to go faster than your overflow, one of the following situations have most likely happened:

Your overflow is not as fast as your return pump (can be caused not only by overflow performance, but also poor plumbing causing slow drainage ... can happen on drilled tanks as well)

Your overflow as slowed in performance due to build up of debris, more than likely you are running your pump way too fast for your overflow and it can barely keep up if this were to ever happen (can happen on drilled tanks as well)

Your overflow siphon or somewhere else on your drainage line has clogged (can happen on drilled tanks as well)

For you to lose siphon, really there is only 1 thing that causes this, too slow of flow + bubbles and/or you set it up totally wrong.

When selecting an overflow, make sure to consider how much GPH your return pump is going to be. With a 90gal tank, I would recommend shooting for either 300 or 600gph return (flow through the pump/overflow). My reason for these 2 specific number is, most siphon based overflows are rated for either 300 or 600gph. I recommend getting right at it for a couple of reasons. One reason is, an overflow rated for 300gph typically will do faster, but 300 safely. If you are doing 150gph with a 300gph overflow, if bubbles begin to accumulate inside the U-tube, and the flow will not be fast enough to push them all the way through. This can cause a huge bubble eventually which may cause loss of flow. If you are meeting your overflow's speed, any bubbles that accumulate will quickly be pushed through.

You can generally keep the overflow from being clogged with some gutter guard and other various similar methods. Snails are generally the culprits here. Make sure whatever you use does not impede your flow too much as your overflow needs to always be well more than capable of handling your incoming water.

This is my experience and understanding anyway, I will warn I'm a newbie myself so please critique my advice. When using an overflow these are going to be your obstacles as far as I'm aware.
 
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