New 210 with dual overflows

[RedDelPaPa]

Hi folks. Not new to freshwater aquariums but new to drilled tanks with overflows. I just bought a 210 with dual overflows. This tank will be a big freshwater african cichlid tank. Plan is to use to 500gph aquatop canister filters plumbed into the overflow boxes without a sump. In looking at this carefully, I'm not seeing how this is going to work. How do I use the overflow boxes and the plumbing kits they come with to skim the water surface and keep the canisters primed with no chance of sucking dry with a minimal drop in the water level?

Thanks for any help folks,
Nate

 

[Bono]

The only way this could work would be an auto top off on the tank itself. With most reef tanks we use sumps and the topoff sits there. On a 210 why not use a large wet/dry with bioballs?

 

[RedDelPaPa]

Thanks for the reply. Seems to me even that would be highly dangerous. Reach in the tank and pull out a decent sized rock and the pumps suck dry and burn up.

Tell me more about this wet/dry idea. How does that work?