HOB Overflow advice for innovative marine 30L

[Billerbong]

Hi all,

I recently went through a few tank transfers/upgrades/downgrades---- here I am left with one nuvo 10 and a nuvo 30L. My 10 gallon has turned into a mess but a maintained mess full of macro algae and pods that I figure could benefit my main tank (the 30L). I'v been in the hobby for 5 years now but have always gone the AIO tank to avoid dealing with plumbing and such for fear of flooding due to my lack of plumbing abilities.

I'v read people have had luck with overflow siphons and this would avoid the need to empty and drill my display. Can anyone weight in here and tell me exactly what product they would recommend to connect both tanks. I have an ATO on my main tank, would this need to be moved downstairs to the 10g if I were to treat it as a sump/fuge?

definitely novice in this area!

 

[DaveK]

... I'v read people have had luck with overflow siphons ...

IMHO, when people talk about luck with overflow siphons, it's generally bad luck.

I have a siphon overflow on my 125 gal reef. It works OK, but even so I have still had floods with it. It's really easy for a snail to crawl over the overflow edge and up a siphon tube and get stuck.

By far the best way to setup an overflow is to drill the tank. However, this is not often possible. If you are going to get a siphon overflow, The best brand I have ever seen and used is Lifereef. You can see them here - http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html The downside is that they cost about twice as much as the others. The eshops overflows are not too bad. I do not recommend CPR overflows at all, because they contain a number of serious design problems that can't be corrected.

You would need to move the ATO sensor to the sump, and install it in the main return pump area.