Overflow Box and Sump on a non-drilled tank, is it possible without flooding?

[dani5]

One can never live with HOB equipment for so long. I'm thinking about making a sump from a 20gal long tank, then buy an overflow box that is fail-safe. Anyone doing the same and have you had any flood? Would you recommend going this path?

Thanks all!

 

[T-J]

I'm guessing the thing you're concerned about is losing the siphon? If so, the return would eventually run dry. That's a big concern due to a fire hazard. One of the thing people do to prevent floods is to make sure the display has enough room to handle all the sump water going into it. So that would be a pretty small sump for a 20g...or not a lot of water in the display.

 

[dani5]

I'm guessing the thing you're concerned about is losing the siphon? If so, the return would eventually run dry. That's a big concern due to a fire hazard. One of the thing people do to prevent floods is to make sure the display has enough room to handle all the sump water going into it. So that would be a pretty small sump for a 20g...or not a lot of water in the display.

Thanks. I should clarify that my tank is 75gal and sump is 20gal.

 

[HuduVudu]

One can never live with HOB equipment for so long. I'm thinking about making a sump from a 20gal long tank, then buy an overflow box that is fail-safe. Anyone doing the same and have you had any flood? Would you recommend going this path?

Thanks all!

It is shocking how easy and cheap it is to drill glass tanks now.

 

[amps]

I ran an Eshopps overflow box for 2 years. As long as you check it regularly and clean the U-pipe, you'll be fine. Make sure there's some sort of guard on the tank-side so that snails can't get in there and clog the pipe.

The biggest issue I had was algae growing inside the tube and trapping air, creating a bubble right at the bend. Once a month I would run a good pipe brush through it and give it a soak in vinegar.

 

[Tlovely]

Most people would say drill the tank. The problem with the overflow boxes that aren't drilled is that siphon if you lose power and your return nozzles are far enough under the water that siphon pushes the water down into your sump and could overflow it. If there's a power outage and you're safe and brakes all is good until power is restored and your return pump kicks back in if that siphon is an also restored and it won't be in most cases you run the risk of overflowing your tank. There are a few options that address that issue brief CPR has one. I ran across a couple others but they're not companies I've ever heard from and they weren't currently available on the market.

 

[virtual reality]

In the long run, I would drill the tank. It's one less thing to worry about. You did not mention your location. I bet your near some one, or place that would do it for you.

 

[Mjsmallz]

I have been running a 50 gallon tank with a Life Reef overflow for a year now. It has never lost suction and my sump is large enough to handle the water when I turn off the return pump. I couldn't drill my tank because the panels are all tempered but this has worked out great for me.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Drilling a tank is a rite of passage in reefing to a degree. Watch some videos, practice on some test glass, drink a few beers for courage and go for it. I know as a reefer you havn't made it this far without making a mistake costing $150 so what is one more? I did my first tank about a month ago and the relief is euphoric once you are done.

 

[supernanoguy]

I got a simple overflow box that hangs on the back of my 5g tank down to my 2.5g sump. It has 2 chambers where water is held so the siphon never breaks. And my return area is only about a gallon. So no worries about overflowing the tank in power outage or the sump for that matter as the overflow box is set to only let in a small amount of water to the sump.

 

[jd371]

I'm going on over 5 years now with an eshopps HOB on my 75g without any issues at all in that time. I also have a small 20g with an eshopps nano HOB that's been running for close to two years, no issues as well.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

There is no potential for flooding from a HOB overflow box as long as it is set properly. And its siphon will not break when the pump stops. Now the return line will back siphon into the sump and flood if the return is too deep in the tank; so make sure your return is placed no more than a couple of inches below the surface. My return had a small hole drilled in it about an inch or two below the surface, which breaks the back siphon to prevent flooding. Here is a photo of that setup I used to have.....

 

[piranhaman00]

My eshopps overflow from long ago would loose siphon and create bubbles.

I am running a life reef now for 1 year and never a single bubble in the U tube, I trust it. I also have a water sensor in the overflow box so if the box were to fail the tank would start to overflow, tripping the sensor and cutting power to pumps.

I recently drilled a tank and it was stressful haha, much cleaner thought but I trust it equally to my life reef.