Building an in tank overflow box

[rustyjames]

I'd like to build an in tank overflow. No sump, just a place to hide a heater, ato sensor and the intake for a hob power filter.

I've seen it done with 6" PVC cut in half but was wondering how hard it would be to build a three sided box out glass or acrylic?

 

[jmm]

Don't let it run dry to the HOB power filter.

 

[stgla]

I think the key is to get the teeth just the right height and width. Too wide and critters will fall in (happened to me in a similar setup). Too narrow or shallow and it won't drain off water properly. I bought a pre-made one (I think it was a 6" box) and it wasn't that expensive, or at least I remember it was totally worth it. THis was many years ago when I had a setup just like you're describing. Good luck.

 

[Diana A]

I bought the RSS18 for my 40B just for that purpose. No sump. Inside the overflow I have the heater, intake for skimmer, & intake for filter. I created a filter sock that sits on eggcrate inside the overflow that sit above the intakes.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cpr-retrofit-overflow-box.html

 

[capecodder]

I bought the RSS18 for my 40B just for that purpose. No sump. Inside the overflow I have the heater, intake for skimmer, & intake for filter. I created a filter sock that sits on eggcrate inside the overflow that sit above the intakes.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cpr-retrofit-overflow-box.html

Be careful of this. It's nice to have it out of your display area, but there are fire risks here if something happens to your water levels and it stays dry for too long. My sump got too low one time and exposed my heater. It melted the protective plastic around it... Smoke everywhere and the fire dept came while we were away.