Setting up first sump: overflow box selection

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JuniorMonsterKeeper

JuniorMonsterKeeper

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2017
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Halifax, Nova Scotia
hey everyone I’m currently planning to settup my first sump on my 65gal this is a tentative test settup before I move onto both my 125 and potentially my first salt water tank settup. I’m gettin a bit tired of running cannister filters mainly the time consumption of maintaining 3 of them and the different periods of which they need the maintenance as they are all different capacity level canisters.

The issue I’m having is my 65 has a considerably wide rim of xxx inches thus making my hunt for the appropriate hang on back overflow difficult. Drilling the tank is out of the question as it’s filled and stocked and for all things considered just more trouble for me than I’m willing to deal with at this time. Does anyone know of a overflow system with 2 outlets with the flow rate of 600 that will fit this sized rim tank?
 
Eshopps makes HOB overflows. I have two of them and did exactly as you are doing and for the same reasons. My 1st was set up as a practice sump, i loved the ease of maintenance soo much i switch my canisters on another tank out for a sump.

Like you both tanks were stocked with fish so drilling wasnt possible.

Beware though that the U tube on the HOB overflows is a point of failure. If it becomes dislodged the overflow will lose siphon cutting off the drains BUT your return pump will still be moving water from the sump to the display which will eventually overflow. I flooded my garage becauae of this.

Just food for thought.

Btw Theres another company (i forgot their name) that makes a box that has an aqua lift that helps the u tube maintain siphon but will do nothing in the event it becomes dislodged
 
The other point of failure on overflow box siphons, is when air bubbles get trapped in the tube, causing a break in siphon.
If the flow from your pump is "perfect" this may seldom happen, but is a possibility.
A small piece of something can also get in, and debris collects around it causing an interruption in flow.
I have used both overflow boxes and drilled tanks, and hd siphon fail, and just as the previous poster said, the pump continues to run overflowing the tank to the floor, and if not caught in time, the pump runs dry and can burn out.

CPR uses a small pump which sucks any air from the siphon tube to prevent that kind of loss, below is a CPR overflow, you can see the tube attached to the overflow compartment, and I have attached a powerhead venturi to it to pull out any air build up.

I do prefer a drilled tank, as a more secure and foolproof way of transferring water to the sump (no siphon to break or fail), as water just flows with gravity
and by the way, I have drilled tanks with fish in them, just taking the water level down to below the line of the drill hole. I always drill tanks within about 2-3: from the top.


And I drill near the top, so if a pump fails or there is a power outage only water empties to the height of the drain hole.
 
If i was going with an overflow box i would also add a float switch to shut the pump off if the level rises. This way no overflowing on your floor.
 
Yes the float switch is something I’m looking into as well actually.

The issue I have with drilling aside from it being stocked is that it would be my first tank drilling. I’d rather attempt my first drilling session on a 10 gal or a spare sheet of glass as to limit the chances of me ruining the tank. Believe me when I say that I have thought of it and have the appropriate tools to do so but I d rather not experiment with that part of the settup just yet. I have to also decide if I’m goin to keep the 65 as freshwater or if I’m goin to convert it to saltwater which will also impact what i decide to do in the end with the final settup for the sump on this tank. If I keep it freshwater I m not going to bother drilling it if i do decide to convert it I will undoubtedly drill it.

I really appreciate you all and sharing your individual and collective experiences with this. This is why I didn’t just jump into the sump filtration in the beginning anyway and why My sump is the only thing I ve purchased. As I want to dry fit and get an idea of spacing and see what I can feasibly pull off and what I will be in the end comfortable and confident with whatever I decide to do. I expect some hiccups and will most likely do this settup when my wife and kids go away in a month or so - so if I do flood my tank no one will b home to yell at me lol and no one will know but you guys and myself. I ve had this tank for quite some time which is long before I joined mfk so my knowledge and experience and support resources was very limited. Will keep you all updated and any more suggestions or experiences are still welcome and wanted so please anyone who reads this thread and has any experience please still post your thoughts.
 
One thing I find interesting, is its much harder to drill a small tank, than a large one.
The thin glass on tiny tanks is easily cracked with only the slightest mistake, whereas the thick glass on large tanks is much more forgiving.
The only tank glass I have cracked while drilling was on a 20 gal, but never on 75 gal, on up.
Probably best to practice drilling technique on small tanks, but large tanks are easy in comparison.
I agree about dry fit, though.
On my sumps I use PVC and dry-fit it all first, not only to find proper sizing, but to see how easy it will be to get around doing maintenance, and to find where union couplings need to be. Being able to comfortably disassemble for pump maintenance and cleaning out pipes, is just as important as the initial assembly. I tend to put unions every couple feet, for that purpose alone.

Note the union in the lower right hand corner, I also put them near the bulkhead, so if something needs to be moved, I don't mess with the bulkhead seal, so I use the union for disassembly. It's much easier, and less stressful to replace a union, than to refit a bulkhead.
I run multiple tanks on each sump, to although the tank piping may be 1" or 1.5", the drain for multiple tank to converge on is usually 2" or even 3" PVC. And you can see by the random pipe splicing, my sump configuration plumbing has gone thru many incarnations over the decades.
 
Yes this dry fitting is extremely important for all the obvious reasons and also because this tank is in my living room so whatever I do with it I have to do so without creating an eye sore or my wife will have a conniption.
 
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