Best number of overflows?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I've looked and there's nowhere here that will drill my tank. The bottom of it is tempered so they would have to drill it on the side:/ I've looked at the quiet one pumps and might actually go with the 1500 model over the magdrive md12. I am going to be using the eshopps overflows. My sump is currently looking like it will be a 48x12x18" I have not spaced any baffles yet because I wanted to make sure they would not restrict the water flow. I'm thinking of it going a skimmer/heater section, then refugium then a section with my pump I'm also looking for suggestions on plumbing the return line and how to go about actually returning it to the tank. Should I just make a little spray bar or just have the PVC from the pump go right into the tank?


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I've looked and there's nowhere here that will drill my tank. The bottom of it is tempered so they would have to drill it on the side:/ I've looked at the quiet one pumps and might actually go with the 1500 model over the magdrive md12. I am going to be using the eshopps overflows. My sump is currently looking like it will be a 48x12x18" I have not spaced any baffles yet because I wanted to make sure they would not restrict the water flow. I'm thinking of it going a skimmer/heater section, then refugium then a section with my pump I'm also looking for suggestions on plumbing the return line and how to go about actually returning it to the tank. Should I just make a little spray bar or just have the PVC from the pump go right into the tank?

Ah, that's too bad. Another thing to consider is just doing a set of custom overflows; they'll be much easier to hide.

Which Quiet One pump are you talking about? I'm pretty sure that there isn't a 1500 model any more although there's a 1400 gph one (Model 5000).

Your sump's height is going to be the biggest factor; you must make sure that you leave room in there in case the power should go out as well as to not restrict the water's flow. Leave an extra couple of inches at the top just to be safe.

IMO, something like this would work great plus it's the same exact size as your sump:
View attachment 827644

You could also swap the location of the refugium & return from that picture; just adjust the baffle height(s) as needed.

As for the return, make a spray bar.
 
Question about sumps in general...Unless I'm totally reading the internet the wrong way, it seems that a lot of sump designs out there have the skimmer after the refugium. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the refugium? I mean, the refuge provides a place for your itty-bitty critters to grow and flourish to eventually become snacks for the fish. So doesn't putting the skimmer after, instead of before, kill the critters that are headed to the tank before they get there? Or are they blocked from getting in or something? How does that all work? OR am I just that much of a newb that I'm reading it the wrong way?
 
Ive always read that you want the "critters", pods etc. to go through as little stress as possible when traveling through your system. So as few pumps as possible. My skimmer is before my fuge and it works well that way

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Question about sumps in general...Unless I'm totally reading the internet the wrong way, it seems that a lot of sump designs out there have the skimmer after the refugium. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the refugium? I mean, the refuge provides a place for your itty-bitty critters to grow and flourish to eventually become snacks for the fish. So doesn't putting the skimmer after, instead of before, kill the critters that are headed to the tank before they get there? Or are they blocked from getting in or something? How does that all work? OR am I just that much of a newb that I'm reading it the wrong way?

Ive always read that you want the "critters", pods etc. to go through as little stress as possible when traveling through your system. So as few pumps as possible. My skimmer is before my fuge and it works well that way.

Yes, that's correct; it's ideal to have the skimmer either before the refugium or separate from it in order to avoid killing the pods.
 
the best overflow ever and the only one i will ever put on any of my tanks

http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

i've been using it on my 120g tank for ~18 months now you can hear a little trickle noise that's about it. On start up it evens out after a few minutes and goes completely silent. Hasn't clogged once, I set the ball valves on the overflow and havent touched them since i got it right after i plugged my pump in for the first time.

So best # of overflows? 1 that extends the whole length of your tank.

Always future proof your sump and leave as much extra room for things that you can. I didn't do that with my tank and i have no room to add in a uv sterilizer or an algae scrubber

My return/feed goes into a Y and then into locline pieces and flare nozzles on the end.
 
That's a cool idea but I can't drill the tank. If it was a full tank overflow but had tubes going up and over like the little ones I'm looking at then I could get it. I think I might go with 2 hang ons and put one next to each corner and the spray bar return in the middle.


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I'd recommend pvc over flows. I built 2 for 20$ and Its flood proof
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