Unique overflow design?

[305to615reefer]

Has anyone seen this before? These are from the Frost Aquarium in Miami. Looks like both the overflow and return in the same tube to/from the sump. How does this work? Loved the look of the 360 view and being able disguise the overflow.

 

[Timfish]

I've done it a couple times. Return lines can be run in drain lines to help hide them and help make a cleaner look.

On this system the drain is in the middle left of the tank in front of the mangrove and has two return lines snaked up through it and everything is hidden by the aquascaping.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Honestly looks like a good idea. Unlike alot of overflows it won't infinitely flow into the sump if the return pump is off. Put it in an overflow box and it's good!

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Honestly looks like a good idea. Unlike alot of overflows it won't infinitely flow into the sump if the return pump is off. Put it in an overflow box and it's good!

Why does this stop infinite flow to sump? Sorry I’m a bit of a plumbing noob

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Why does this stop infinite flow to sump? Sorry I’m a bit of a plumbing noob

If the power goes out it dosent drain the tank it stops where the pipe ends. Some have holes directly on the bottom of the tank (in the overflow box) that would drain the entire tank if the power went out and this also dosent cause a siphon effect

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

If the power goes out it dosent drain the tank it stops where the pipe ends. Some have holes directly on the bottom of the tank (in the overflow box) that would drain the entire tank if the power went out and this also dosent cause a siphon effect

So you’re basically getting the benefit of an external overflow box while keeping it interior to the tank?

I’d think the sacrifice (And hence why hobbyists rarely if ever use this type of system) is the fact that the water is trickling down without any really significant siphon, so probably a lot more noise. But with a remote sump, At a public aquarium, that feels like not a big deal

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

@Reefkeepers Archive
Not to hijack this post but if you’re passionate about overflows and overflow methodology would you mind taking a look at my most recent thread?

Sump Overflow Direct or Indirect?

Included diagram should hopefully give a good sense of what I’m asking. Do people prefer sumps that dump water directly to the mechanical filtration or should they have some sort of spillover “staging area”? I’m assuming the spillover staging area might keep things a little quieter, right? Also...

www.reef2reef.com

Perhaps you’d have some valuable feedback on the matter?