these work very well, i have them running all my breeding tanks.... iv plumbed them to do two tanks stacked up across the wall lol.
? about the diy overflow
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I'm looking at doing a overflow / sump setup on my 150 and I'm pretty green in the hobby. Just wondering which is more efficient between a overflow box that hangs off the back or the pvc overflow? What is the ups and downs to each system? Thanks.
Specialized,
I can't comment to an overflow box as I haven't used one, and am also new to the hobby. I did however just build a pvc overflow using the directions in this thread (The nice computer drawing, but making the reccomended changes of making sure the bottom bend on the outside is lower than the bottom bend on the inside, and making sure that the T was about 4 inches higher than the bottom bend on the inside). I used 1.25 inch pipe and I am getting great flow. Even for a novice like me, it was easy to understand and build and cheap to boot. The back of my tank is painted black and I painted the overflow black and with a plant in front of it, it isn't noticeable in the tank. For a 150 you could go up to 1.5 or 2 inch pipe to get additional flow.
I can't comment to an overflow box as I haven't used one, and am also new to the hobby. I did however just build a pvc overflow using the directions in this thread (The nice computer drawing, but making the reccomended changes of making sure the bottom bend on the outside is lower than the bottom bend on the inside, and making sure that the T was about 4 inches higher than the bottom bend on the inside). I used 1.25 inch pipe and I am getting great flow. Even for a novice like me, it was easy to understand and build and cheap to boot. The back of my tank is painted black and I painted the overflow black and with a plant in front of it, it isn't noticeable in the tank. For a 150 you could go up to 1.5 or 2 inch pipe to get additional flow.
I planned on doing 2 pvc overflows into a single sump. 1" to 1 1/4" overflow with a 3/4" return, or should I do 2 returns? As long as my pump is capable of handling what's being put in the sump one return should be ok right? Also, what kind of sump are you using, I've seen a few different designs and can't decide how to build. I want it to look nice but be effective obviously. Thanks again.
I didn't have a ton of room under my stand so I used a sterilite 90 quart container for my sump. It's dimensions are similar to a 20 long just slightly taller and a little wider at the top. I used the stacked sterilite drawers for my wet dry.
With the PVC overflow I was reading and noticed a few guys posted that the outside turnaround needs to be lower than the inside and the T fitting should be higher than the inside turnaround. Is this true or should they be the same length?
It is best to keep them even for simplicity. Keep it simple and you can't go wrong.
The guys you heard that from didn't understand how it really worked and were just repeating stuff that had worked (but not knowing why).
The top loop is a simple syphon. The bottom loops keep air out of the top loop. The Tee determines the water levels in the bottom loops (the levels will always be the same because of the syphon effect created by the top loop). If the tee were placed below the inside loop, the water level in it would drop and it would allow the syphon to pull air and quit.
The guys you heard that from didn't understand how it really worked and were just repeating stuff that had worked (but not knowing why).
The top loop is a simple syphon. The bottom loops keep air out of the top loop. The Tee determines the water levels in the bottom loops (the levels will always be the same because of the syphon effect created by the top loop). If the tee were placed below the inside loop, the water level in it would drop and it would allow the syphon to pull air and quit.
Ok, as long as it's gonna work if they're the same length. Thanks for your input, I'm building it in about 10 min...Thanks again.
Is the sump filter more effective than the fx5? I know it depends on size and what kind of combo you use in the sump but if I use a sump with a eheim 2215 will that keep my water clear? I know the sump isn't very good for fine particles.
would you still need a protein skimmer with the first solution?fishdance;1384430; said:I am sure some of you know but this photo is the same concept simplified into a single pipe. (I modified your photo Rallysman) The height of the T will determine the water level height in the tank just like the first photo. I use 40mm PVC pipe for high flow rates which lies flat against the tank unlike this image.
