Overflow type between fuge and sump

Tango2 · Mar 27, 2016

I'm about to break ground on my DIY sump that I've been planning for a long time now. One thing I haven't solidified is the type of overflow between my fuge and sump. The designs I'm aware of are:

1. Teeth (water flows through teeth, standard stuff here)
2. Wall (very quiet from what I understand, full surface skimming)
3. Window (this may effectively be the same as a wall depending on the location)

There seem to be pros and cons to each style, although I'm not sure which way I should go. I have the tooth design now, but my fuge is inline. They tend to be hard to clean and get clogged easily. The wall style seems like a good option, as I understand they are dead silent, but not sure how well this would contain cheato. I'd love to hear some opinions before I start cutting in the next couple of days.

Tango2 · Apr 4, 2016

All my acrylic is cutout and I've glued my filter sock holder together. The next step is to glue that assembly to my fuge/sump divider wall, but I'd like to get some input on the above question before I start. What is the preferred overflow style?

dbl · Apr 4, 2016

I personally use a wall, no teeth. Flow is slow enough through my fuge it's completely silent. My guess is it would be with teeth as well. If I were to do this same design again, I would likely use teeth simply to assist in keeping the micro algae out of return section while thinning it out. It's not an issue during normal operation, at least for me.

Tango2 · Apr 4, 2016

Since posting the original post, I've realized that option 3 with a removable egg crate could be an option that could convert from one style to the other. Any thoughts on this?

dbl · Apr 4, 2016

You know, I've actually seen some with that, but didn't think of it. I don't see any issue with it. Could be installed when doing maintenance and run without it in a normal operation if you so choose.