Sump worth it or not???

[Ryanbrs]

The overflow I'm looking at is not suppose to lose siphone

Yeah, a lot of them have been marketed that way over the years but I haven't seen one that truely lives up to that claim. Maybe this is the one : )

The most common issues are related to quick power outages and how they handle that. If the siphon breaks the return pump will empty the sump into the tank which can flood onto the floor. Depending on the sump size and design this might not be an issue and just burning out the return pump is the only real concern. This is much less significant than other issues.

Certainly, doesn't happen to everyone. Probably largely related t0 selecting the one which the most people have had success with, proper maintenance and frequency of short term power outages in your area.

Again I would look at your system and how it would behave in a situation like that as well as the potential damage to your home. If a flood just results in a mess on the tile no big deal. If you have to buy $5,000+ in new hardwood floors I would put a significant amount of thought into doing it as safely as possible.

I will say that draining most of the water out of the tank and drilling it for a proper overflow is a lot easier than most people think. Maybe a two hour project from end to end.

 

[Jayson Ledbetter]

That's what worries me the whole flooding, I do have hard wood floors, I'm definitely starting to second guess the whole sump, my tank has done great with the hob filters and skimmer I have now. May just be best to wait and use that money for a bigger tank that is drilled. Be a good reason to go to a 150-180 gallon. Lol

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yeah, a lot of them have been marketed that way over the years but I haven't seen one that truely lives up to that claim. Maybe this is the one : )

The most common issues are related to quick power outages and how they handle that. If the siphon breaks the return pump will empty the sump into the tank which can flood onto the floor. Depending on the sump size and design this might not be an issue and just burning out the return pump is the only real concern. This is much less significant than other issues.

Certainly, doesn't happen to everyone. Probably largely related t0 selecting the one which the most people have had success with, proper maintenance and frequency of short term power outages in your area.

Again I would look at your system and how it would behave in a situation like that as well as the potential damage to your home. If a flood just results in a mess on the tile no big deal. If you have to buy $5,000+ in new hardwood floors I would put a significant amount of thought into doing it as safely as possible.

I will say that draining most of the water out of the tank and drilling it for a proper overflow is a lot easier than most people think. Maybe a two hour project from end to end.

I turn off my pumps every night to feed my my fish. Just sayin.

 

[Big G]

my tank has been established for about 7 months. It's a mixed reef. Is the cost worth it to go from my two hob filters and hob skimmer to a sump with a hang on back overflow? The hang on back over flow looking at is at marine depot and has a continuous siphone. Is this worth up graded to and adding a refugium?

Sump is a great place to grow a continuous source of copepods for your display tank.

 

[Jayson Ledbetter]

Sump is a great place to grow a continuous source of copepods for your display tank.

I'm now worried about a hob over flow more than. Anything

 

[Jayson Ledbetter]

Sump is a great place to grow a continuous source of copepods for your display tank.

I'm just mostly worried about a hob overflow

 

[Big G]

I'm just mostly worried about a hob overflow

Yep, me too. That's why I drilled my old tank. Worked out great. Just drill slow-ly with just a bit of pressure. Just enough to keep the bit grinding through the glass.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I'm just mostly worried about a hob overflow

Yep, me too. That's why I drilled my old tank. Worked out great. Just drill slow-ly with just a bit of pressure. Just enough to keep the bit grinding through the glass.

Lol. That's why I'm not if folks who havent had one saying it's bad.

Personally Im scared of drilling a full tank. But people have done it.

 

[Big G]

Got to have plan "B" if the drilling goes badly; but you have to have plan "B" if the HOB fails too. Dilemma . . .

Watch Ryan's tank drilling video on BRS tv a couple of times. Then decide.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Got to have plan "B" if the drilling goes badly; but you have to have plan "B" if the HOB fails too. Dilemma . . .

Watch Ryan's tank drilling video on BRS tv a couple of times. Then decide.

True. But after two and a half years with the hob , I put the plan b in the garage and don't know where it is.

 

[BrettMallette]

Only reason i see to running a sump is if you cant stand looking at equipment in your tank or you are running a small tank. Otherwise totally up to you. More things to fail if you do run a sump. But also more room for error. I wouldnt even run the HOB most of the time if it was me. But to each their own And my plan B is 2000 bucks sitting in the garage currently(sump and skimmer never used)

 

[Reefer40b]

To me it's only positives to running with a sump.

 

[Midrats]

Or get this and never worry about a flood... Ever.

 

[Gweeds1980]

Personally I'd never run a reef without a sump... the refuge and extra water volume are the biggest benefit for me. I even ran FW tanks with sumps.

Having said that, I wouldn't trust a HOB overflow either... got disaster written all over it, eventually.

A friend of mine added a sump by drilling a surface overflow to his sump by drilling through the glass only 4 inches or so below the water surface. I wouldn't recommend it and certainly not if your tank isn't braced, but it worked for him. Now he runs a sump having only had to empty the top 6" of water... I don't think he even removed any coral or rocks or even fish to drill it.

The added benefit is that you don't have to worry about a pump failing even, as long as you have enough headroom in the sump for the volume of water that would drain out.

I must admit that I live in fear of my return pump failing as my weir is no longer watertight, meaning that potentially the whole DT could empty into the sump if the pump failed... in my case that's 1000 litres emptying into 120 litre sump = massive flood!! [emoji47]

 

[Bowin]

I've ran a Lifereef hob overflow for almost six years now and never lost siphon. I'd personally not run a system without a sump. I like the extra water volume and place for equipment.

 

[George Lopez]

As long as you run a full siphon over flow and make sure your returns have a siphon break you should be good. I made sure to test the free capacity in the sump of course before anything in case of a power falure.

 

[Phiilip]

if you go with an overflow box, research the different methods of siphon design. Compare the "Herbie" to the Bean Animal" methods. One thing about a pure siphon is they're noisy as hell since they suck air into them. The above designs use a couple of tricks to completely silence the siphon. I think there are aftermarket overflows that utilize, or at least allow you to construct a version. I built my own Herbie, pretty easy.

 

[Mark Gray]

My first 90 was all hang on and I would have called it ultra successful. You certainly don't "need" a sump but like anything there are advantages. Larger system water volume, room for better equipment and most important the ability to hide the equipment so it's not in the tank itself.

That said if my options were hang on the back overflow VS not having a sump I would not transition to the sump. Hang on overflows are a pretty significant flood risk. At a minimum, I would look at the damage a flood could do. If you are on tile maybe no big deal. If it is on hardwood floors that's a different thing.

I have runn both a drilledtank and a hang on the back overflow, as long as you have a Lifereef or and Eshops overflow no risk of flooding and have never had it not restart. Sumps do make it easier to maintain in my Opinion

 

[watdachuck]

Lifereef makes some nice reliable, time-tested overflows. You could also consider some Tunze Comline equipment. It is discreet and effective and easily installed with magnetic mounts into the corner of the tank if you decide against a sump.

Second!

 

[Jayson Ledbetter]

I have runn both a drilledtank and a hang on the back overflow, as long as you have a Lifereef or and Eshops overflow no risk of flooding and have never had it not restart. Sumps do make it easier to maintain in my Opinion

The one I look at was eshopps, I would really like to go that route but the possible flooding has me worried.