Sump/Protein Skimmer/overflow

[ThisCityIsDead]

OVERFLOW: okay, i learn so much everyday. at first, i thought i had the whole idea for what a sump was. today, i heard what an overflow is. i am confused though. can i buy an overflow? i saw many people who made their own, and some people's tank came with one. i do not want to make holes in my tank.

SUMP I'm planning on using my 20G tank for as the sump for my 75G aquarium. i found this image a while back and helped me understand a sump better.

from what i understand, after reading and watching videos on overflows, is that the overflow pipe connects to the sump, in my case my 20G tank, on the left side where the skimmer is placed. i am not sure what the middle part of the sump is for... I'm assuming its to keep live rock and plants/coral to cycle the bacteria? and lastly, the 3d chamber is where the return pump, such as a koi pond pump, sends the water back to the tank... right?

Skimmer any recommendations on skimmers? I'm thinking of the octopus or the corallife.

if i choose to make my own overflow, what will i need? does anyone have some sort of tutorial they followed and recommend? I've seen PVC Pipes running up the tank, but i've also seen these black pipes that seem to be more for aquariums. where can i get the black ones?

thanks in advance!

 

[RocketEngineer]

Drilling holes in your tank is more about nerves then being difficult. I drilled my 75g with no problems. You just need to make sure you go relatively slow and use plenty of water.

The best overflow setup isn't available commercially at the moment. A BeanAnimal Overflow uses three seperate lines to get water from the tank into the sump AND provide an emergency drain if something gets plugged. While some companies are catching up, for the most part they still use tall boxes and drill the bottom of the tank. The purpose of the overflow is to pull water from the top of the tank therefore carrying all the junk that gathers on the surface into the sump to be processed by the skimmer. You want as long a lip on the overflow as possible. Avoid teeth, they don't keep things out of the overflow box and cut down on surface skimming which is the entire point of an overflow.

The overflow pipe doesn't have to connect to the sump, it just empties into it.

The middle chamber is a refugium. Personally I like having my return pump in the middle and supply the refugium from the return pump so I don't have all the drain flow through there but that is purely a preference.

The pump shown is one type. I ran two different ones made by that company but there are other options out there. Do your research.

I recommend the Reef Octopus over the corallife any day. I've owned two and other than replacing a pump after two years of service, I have no complaints.

Making your own overflow depends on the material of your tank. Glass would involve a diamond hole saw, glass and silicone to make the internal box and a little time. Acrylic involves cutting the pieces and gluing them to the tank.

Most tanks are plumbed with PVC as it is readily available at any hardware store. Some folks use flexible vinyl tubing but because the clear stuff grows algae they use black vinyl tubing instead. It prevents algae from growing in the pipes but gives you the flexibility.

HTH,

 

[ThisCityIsDead]

a few questions, what teeth are you referring to?
how can i make my own overflow chamber?

and this is what I'm talking about. I don't know what these are called, i just simply typed in "return pump" on google and found this. where can i find these?

 

[ThisCityIsDead]

first of all, i love that design (Silent & Fail-Safe Aquarium Overflow System). is there a way i can have the PVC pipes hang over the aquarium? i do not feel comfortable drilling holes on my tank.:/

also, what is the chamber made out of? I'm curious to know if there is a video tutorial or a step by step instruction on making this.

 

[RocketEngineer]

The teeth I'm referring to are those on the overflow box.

If the tank is glass (all mine are) making an overflow box simply involves some silicone ADHESIVE (the stuff at the box stores is junk) and cut pieces of glass. I got my glass at a local place that does window repair. The most basic design is two pieces, one for the bottom and one for the front. The ends of the tank make up the end of the box. You need to get the rest of the pieces before you buy the glass if you go that route.

You can get one at most sponsors, they are normally called a Return. I built my own out of PVC:

Hanging on the side of the sump:

Hanging off the back of the tank:

I made this design because it sits flat on the edge of my tank where as the purchased one tends to be tilted.

Having the water go up and over the edge of the tank is asking for trouble. Drilling a tank isn't hard, you just have to be willing to take the risk. For me I have standard size tanks so getting a replacement is easy (not cheap, just easy). You don't list a location but if you ask around at local reef clubs I bet you will find plenty of people who have done it and are willing to help you out.

When I built my sump, I started with a purchased tank and siliconed in pieces of 1/4" plate glass (don't use thin glass, it is much easier to break). I think with buying the silicone online to get the good stuff and the four pieces of glass it was $60 not including the original tank. Maybe $100 all total for the tank, silicone and glass.

 

[ThisCityIsDead]

would i be able to use acrylic instead of glass? i saw another tutorial on making an overflow box, this design was a 3 wall design box/rectangle that went from top to bottom of the tank. i like it because it doesnt require any hole drilling. not sure if the design you provided requires the drilling. bitter sweet, because i want to try it out but i dont at the same time considering it's my first tank.

 

[W1ngz]

I went through this process of questioning drain and return methods back in July when I got my tank. The idea of drilling scared me too, and I was looking and researching ways around the 'scary' option. There are hang-on overflows that use a siphon to drain from the tank, but if (when) the perfect storm of blockage, pump and/or and power failure hits, you're going to end up with a problem. A lot of people use them and it's fine. Others end up pumping 20 gallons of water all over the floor if the siphon doesn't restart...

I managed to turn my fear into anticipation because I scored a free 75gal. Drilling all 4 holes went just fine. 3 for the bean drain, and 1 for the return. I covered the 3 drain bulkheads and PVC elbows with an internal overflow. It's virtually invisible along the top rear edge. And dead silent.

 

[ThisCityIsDead]

i saw and read people's concerns about the flood. i saw one tutorial where it is a hang over the tank and it also prevented flood. i purchased acrylic sheets today. if i spray paint the sheets, will it harm the animals/water...?ive seen people spray paint their pvc pipes and their boxes, but I'm not sure if they use special spray paint...?