overflow

[tenyan45]

just buy this overflow bulkhead 600 gph now wonder how much gph return pump need to buy any sugestion hehe dont want to flood on the floors hehe

[billyr98]

should get a 600gph at 4' head pump.. Mag 7 might work..

[Woodstock]

Originally Posted by billyr98

should get a 600gph at 4' head pump.. Mag 7 might work..

Ditto~

Also, installing a valve after the pump will allow you to reduce the flow if needed.

[kinghokus420]

according to the flow chart a mag 7 puts out 480 gph at 4' head.
that sounds like a pretty safe number

[billyr98]

or like woodstock said, you could always go one size up and valve it down..

[aquaman3680]

It doesnt really matter what size pump you get because the overflow will only take out as much water as whats being pumped back into the tank mag 7 would be fine or if you want more GPH go with the next up

[billyr98]

but if you get too big of a pump, the overflow will not be able to keep up and the tank would overflow, correct?

[aquaman3680]

you know i am not sure because on ZZReef ready tanks you can get any size pump but if the overflow is rated i guss you would be correct.

[BoomerD]

You'll definitely need a pump that is rated smaller than the overflow's capacity. Otherwise, you end up with an empty sump,. and a wet floor...I can't tell much about the o/flow you have pictured, but it looks like a CPR type, that uses a pump of some kind to maintain siphon. If so, those are probably responsible for more wet floors than all the U-tube type o/flows made. IMO, they are a disaster just waiting to happen.

[cracker]

Originally Posted by BoomerD

You'll definitely need a pump that is rated smaller than the overflow's capacity. Otherwise, you end up with an empty sump,. and a wet floor...I can't tell much about the o/flow you have pictured, but it looks like a CPR type, that uses a pump of some kind to maintain siphon. If so, those are probably responsible for more wet floors than all the U-tube type o/flows made. IMO, they are a disaster just waiting to happen.

AGREED!

[morbius18]

Those don't need a pump, the hose is for removing air bubbles that might form. If you flow the 600gph through the weir overflows, the bubbles get washed out of the top, but when you start getting less, they will build up in the top and eventually break the siphon.
The U tube overflows tend to wash out the bubbles, but are more prone to stopping up (snails, fish, macro algae), the weir overflows are less prone to getting stopped up, but more prone to breaking the siphon from bubbles. Either one are just as able to fail as the others. With proper attention and maintainance and attention, they can work excellent.
There are two mechanical ways to stop this. The first is one of the aqua lifter pump which will draw water/air constantly out of the air line and drop it into the back of the overflow box, the second is to hook up the airline to a venturi adaptor for a powerhead and suck the bubbles out.
The third non-mechanical way (not recommended) is to attach a gang valve to the air line and manually suck out the bubbles as needed. This will eventually lead to an overflow, but will work for a short time if one of the other mechanical means go out.

[BoomerD]

I've seen way too many of them fail for me to ever have one. I've used LifeReef overflows for many years, and never had one fail yet. Amiracle makes a decent U-tube overflow as well.
The problem with having one dependant on a pump, is too often, the pump or powerhead fails to restartafter a power outage of some kind, so when the power comes back on, the overflow doesn't restart, and you get a flood...Just too risky for me...
Remember, Murphy was an optimist...

[morbius18]

I agree, anytime that you rely on any non-constant (ie anything but good old gravity) you have the potential for a disaster. For simplicity ease of maintaince and convenience, drilled is the way to go, even if you have to drill the tank yourself.

[fidojoe]

That looks identical to an aquatraders odyssea/jebo overflow. Beware, their products are known for poor quality.

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=78

[tbittner]

I ran across this thread in a search for assistance. My overflow box is a U-tube design and it works fantastic! BUT, snails DO crawl into it and block up the tube. Mine has two tubes and everything is sized so that the tank can hold all of the water from the return section of my refugium so no flood. The refugium is sized so it can hold all the water the overflow can send down in the event the power goes out. So I'm fairly confident that I won't get water on the floor.

How do I stop snails from getting into the U-tubes? I thought about attaching (somehow) a screen to the top of the overflow box with the u-tubes stuck down through it. Heck, I even had a cleaner shrimp make the dive down through the pipes and ended up down in the refugium. Maybe I could use a small piece of egg crate....

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.