Overflow box, safe or risky?

L

LiveRoker

New member
Greetings, I am fairly new to the hobby. I have a 55 gallon reef, just starting to add some frags now. Currently I have a hang on the back skimmer as well as penguin biowheel filter (though not sure I need it with 60+ lbs of live rock). To cut down on noice as well as maximize effective tank volume I was thinking of adding a sump, only problem is the tank is not drilled. What are your thoughts on using an external hang on overflow box??? I have heard some pretty terrible stories where the siphon is lost and the entire volume of the sump ends up on the floor. Others swear by it.

thanks
Steve
 
[welcome]

Glad to see another reefer in NC. :)
Just by their nature, all HOB overflow boxes have an inherent amount of risk.
However, if you are not going to get your tank drilled, I would suggest using the "U" tube variety and steer clear of the kind made by CPR.
Liferref makes some great ones.
In fact there is one for sale right now in the used forum.

Sean
 
i had a power outage once....wasn't thinking and the dog bumped the tank running around....i went back to bed to only awaken to the sound of a dry pump running and about 10 gallons of water on my pergo floor, which was ruined ! What happened was when the dog bumped the tank, i believe the the u-tube "burped" and let air in...and it wasn't pretty after that....i now have nothing but drilled tanks !
 
I had a U tube on my 60g hex for 6+ months, had 3 problems which ended up in 1 small floor

Every tank I have now is drilled, including my 30g tank
125g dual 1.5" bulkheads
75g 1.5" bulkhead + 1" bulkhead
55g single 1.5" bulkhead
30g 1" bulkhead
also drilled a friends cube

actually I do have a 10g that isn't drilled

There can be problems with drilled tanks
Drill to close & the tank can crack
Move a rock in the wrong place (hit bulkhead) and the tank will crack
too much pressure & the tank will crack
drill too low (or bottom) and a leak could drain your tank too low causing losses
 
All overflows are not created equal. Get a quality overflow and you wont have a problem. Lifereef is the best.
 
yikes

yikes

Yeah, I am pretty worried about that scenario!

I have seen overflow boxes on the web where there is a small line that runs from the U Tube to a small continuously running pump. I guess it can re-establish suction??

The problem I have, if there is even a small tweak that can be done to the system or better yet a chance to play with more plumbing, I can help myself. Like a moth to a bright light. Of course, 15 gallons of salt water on the floor with likely lead to my eviceration at the hands of my wife. :( . . Internal organs on the floor mixed with sump water is an even worse sight..... so where was that overflow box for sale??
 
A good overflow will not lose siphon and does not need a vacuum pump. It it needs one, that is a sure sign that you dont want it.

Most people just dont understand how a siphon overflow works. If you are that nervous about it, just have it drilled.
 
feeling better

feeling better

SJM

good, you are starting to make me feel better about this!!

To be honest, to get all the sh_t off the back of the tank would be worth the risk. My previous tank was 90 gallons, drilled. I used it as a fish only tank, having a sump is a real pleasure. I could even get crazy at set up a refugium in it!

thanks
 
Adding a sump is a great idea. Besides getting all the stuff off the back, you have a constant display level, which is a huge improvement, a place to dose, add topoff, easier water changes, more water volume, etc etc.

If you are do go HOB overflow, get a Lifereef and dont worry about it. They have been selling them for 20 years without a single reported problem. Those are pretty good odds.
 
I use a CPR overflow, if bought with a siphon pump there should be no worries. It's been running for more than 5-6 months never a problem. (Just monitor it from time to time)
 
I just hooked up my Lifereef last night and it is amazing. I would definitely go with Lifereef. They claim to have only had 1 fail in 18 years or something like that.
 
I've used both Amiracle and CPR and the "U" tube Amiracle gave me more problems than the CPR. Just my opinion...The CPR ran for 2 years. I am going with a drilled tank now simply for asthetics.
 
If you have everything set up correctly then you will never have a flood due to an overflow box. I have used bith U-tube and CPR overflows with no problems.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6661301#post6661301 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by okinawafish
I just hooked up my Lifereef last night and it is amazing. I would definitely go with Lifereef. They claim to have only had 1 fail in 18 years or something like that.
Click to expand...
If you had some physics classes when you were young, you will know that, the siphon in a overflow box should never break without an external force (such as dog, cat, snail, algae, earthquake, vanishing earth gravitational field ......). Therefore, I would like to know how that one particular case happened, if it wasn't the customer's fault :rolleyes:
 
The risk comes from the possibility of bubbles collecting in the top of the U tube and eventually breaking the siphon. That's the purpose of the evacuation line at the top of the U.
 
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