Waterbox overflow design

arcangelreef · May 20, 2023

Has anyone with a waterbox out there modified your overflow setup at all?
I’m convinced it’s impossible to get this thing silent if you push any kind of flow through it. The design is flawed.
The emergency drain is way too low below the weir teeth so you are constantly in the zone of either water crashing down into the box from the weir teeth or water falling down the emergency drain.
If one was never running any kind of power heads or wavemakers this design might work but it just can’t handle any kind of variance in flow entering the overflow.

If I run my return pump super low I can get it quiet as long as I don’t make alot of surface agitation.

What I’m thinking of doing is removing one side of the dual return so I can raise the emergency drain 1/2-3/4 of an inch. I believe this should allow me to really silence the overflow box and not have to worry about how much flow I’m pushing.

But I am worried removing one of the outlets is really going to hinder my output from the return pump? thoughts? Could more then likely just increase wattage to the return to make up the difference.

Reefing Madness · May 25, 2023

arcangelreef · Oct 9, 2023

Had enough, I went ahead and modified the overflow.
Cant believe I waited so long. What a difference. I can absolutely crank the flow in my display now and I don't get a single peep of water splashing or gurgling out of the overflow...

I pulled the top manifold off the return pipe, cut it about in half, capped the one side and then cut the threads off the other end so I could block off the open hole on the other side where the 2nd outlet was.

Then added a coupler to the emergency overflow to raise it up.

After a year and a half of fighting with this thing, making serious concessions in my flow to keep it bearably quiet. Being told I just need to "tune it properly". No. The overflow design on these waterbox aquariums is just bad. PLain and simple. One small, simple modification and it is WHISPER quiet. With 4! Mp40s in the 180 cranking flow and tons of surface agitation not a single gurgle or splash.

I was worried it would affect my return volume, but no. I didn't touch my return pump setting, when I turned it back on I didn't even have to adjust the drain valve. So that tells me I am receiving basically the same return volume as before. Its just being pumped through the one nozzle at a higher velocity now.

If anyone is interested in more details let me know, I can send or attach a pic.
This is on a Waterbox Reef 180.5.

JTP424 · Oct 9, 2023

Could you post pictures to show how it was done?

neonreef3d · Oct 9, 2023

did you try contacting the about this issue?

arcangelreef · Oct 9, 2023

Here’s a picture of the modification.
You can see I just cut and capped the upper manifold so it is only returning out of the one nozzle now. This allowed me to put a coupling on the emergency drain to raise it up.
Simple.
And yes I have talked to waterbox, I was told I just need to “find the sweet spot”.
Which is great and perfectly possible if you don’t want to run any flow in your tank. But to push any kind of real flow, like in a sps tank, with their design it’s just not possible to keep the overflow quiet.
If they cut the weir teeth a half an inch lower this wouldn’t be an issue.