Overflow questions.

[Hetfield6j]

I set up my first SW tank about 5-6 months ago. It is a 55g tank with 40lbs live rock, 40lbs live sand, 260 pc lighting, two 800gph power heads, hob filter, and hob seaclone 100. After going through all my baby steps in reefkeeping, i have come to kick myself for my set up. The seaclone was a waste of money. It takes me an hour to get it skimming well, and then after about two days it isnt getting anything. The tank is also covered in coraline algea now, and my wife hates it. Everytime we see another tank with spotless glass on all four sides she just stares at me thinking "Why doesnt our tank look like that!". I'm thinking its time to make some changes.

I was looking into getting a expensive deltec hob skimmer, and a hob refurgium to help me combat the algea problems, when i noticed a hob overflow box. With a hob overflow box, can i still actually set up a sump/refurgium under my display tank??? If so i would definetly like to go this route as everytime i mention hob skimmer i get pretty negative feedback. Also if i can use a hob overflow to make a sump for the tank, i dont know where to get started. Can i just buy a 20g tank to put underneath it, and if so how is all the plumbing done?

Thanks in advance for any help. This site really helped me get through my first few months in the hobby.

 

[Anonymous]

You really, really need one of Ocean Motions mag razor scraper! It takes coraline off the glass slicker than anything. Plus, the replacement blades are 10 for $2 bucks vs Kents that are $6 bucks a hit.

You can just get a 20 gallon tank for your sump, or a rubbermaid tub, or even better, custom build one out of acrylic.

My experience with HOB overflow boxes is they are a pain. You really have to work with them to get them bullet proof. Is there any way you can drill the tank? Some of our local fish stores will come to your house to do it. Do you have any LFS that specialize in marine? You really will be happier in the end if you can get it drilled. But, it is possible to build a overflow box.

The plumbing is easy. H2O drains from the main display, and a return pump pumps it back. The water level must be able to handle the water volume if the pump goes off, so be sure to test it to know where your water level can be.

 

[shavo]

I agree with horse here. get a scraper and take off the coraline algea. it comes off easy enough with some elbow grease. if your friends have no coraline then they aren't doing something right or they take it off.
also my brother had a HOB refugium. It was extremely lame. it never ever wound up working out for him. I would get a tank like seahorse said and turn that into a fuge. cheaper and better then you could step up and get a decent in sump skimmer. I did some baby steps too and now that I am into this I would always go bigger and better right off the bat in this hobby.
good luck!!!

 

[Ef3s]

FOR HOT skimmer get a AquaC.

If you want an overflow either drill your tank, or buy a prefab overflow box.

You def should leave the coraline on the back of the tank, just scrape it off with a razor and net it out of the tank, otherwise let if drift around til it settles. If You hate it that bad, just net it out like I said...

For refug....get a sump or seperate small tank/stand place it right next to your other aquarium and plumb them together.... If you'd like you can add baffles with plexi glass peices from hardware store....

I have seen these hang on ones...always kinda worried me about tipping the tank over lol...

 

[mr_X]

someone can jump in here to correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't think a refugium will stop the growth of CORALLINE algae.
coralline is fueled by calcium, and GOOD water. so, the better you make your tank, the more coralline will grow...
read this to understand coralline-
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutc ... alline.htm

i agree with drilling the tank, however, if it's already filled and stocked,
it's quite the pain in the butt.
i suggest buying a CPR overflow that uses a suction pump. i have one on my 125 and it hasn't failed me yet(1 year).
when you implement a sump, it will need to be somewhat lower than the display. in the stand would be the logical choice if you have room. you will need to create baffles in order to separate the skimmer area from the refugium area, and also the return area. the return area must be baffled in such a way as to not have any rushing water/bubbles in it, because those bubbles will make it to the display, and that's uglier than an overgrowth of coralline.
you will also need a return pump to draw water back to the display. make sure it's not pumping more water than your overflow can drain. and most importantly, the return area of your sump will be the place your evaporation is noticed, no where else...so make sure you make that large enough to accomidate your needs, or think about an auto top-off.
here is a page i found that could shed some light on things for you-
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/refugium.htm
i would ignore the mechanical filter sponges though. just use the construction diagram to get you started.

 

[Hetfield6j]

Thanks for the help guys. The tank is already stocked and i dont want to risk drilling it. My wife is very attached to the fish, and would be very upset if one died. I think im going to go ahead and get that cpr overflow box. I have about two feet by four feet of room underneath the display, so ill probably look for a 20 gal to make into a sump, or just look for one of those sump/refurg combo's.

My next couple of questions are is there any good websites that show how to set up all the plumbing/baffles if i try to make my own sump/refurg, and what should i do for a skimmer. I'm not going to have room for a very tall skimmer, but would like a good quality one.

 

[metalac]

Thanks for the help guys. The tank is already stocked and i dont want to risk drilling it. My wife is very attached to the fish, and would be very upset if one died. I think im going to go ahead and get that cpr overflow box. I have about two feet by four feet of room underneath the display, so ill probably look for a 20 gal to make into a sump, or just look for one of those sump/refurg combo's.

My next couple of questions are is there any good websites that show how to set up all the plumbing/baffles if i try to make my own sump/refurg, and what should i do for a skimmer. I'm not going to have room for a very tall skimmer, but would like a good quality one.

I'm in the process of doing exactly what you are doing. I have a 20 gallon sump setup and I just finished overflow to sump connection, I'll have the return done soon, tonight hopefully. I'll be posting pictures so if you want to take a look at it go to the "Member's tanks specifications" and you'll see "metalac's first reef" post. So far it's been pretty painless, just joining PVC and stuff like that. We'll see what happens when I turn on the pump and let the water out

 

[mr_X]

the euro-reef RS100 is 20" tall.
i suggest getting a 20 gallon "breeder" tank, not a standard 20 gallon.
in this thread:
http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... t=refugium
page 2 or so, i added a few diagrams...

 

[metalac]

the euro-reef RS100 is 20" tall.
i suggest getting a 20 gallon "breeder" tank, not a standard 20 gallon.
in this thread:
http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... t=refugium
page 2 or so, i added a few diagrams...

Hey I got a 20 gallon tall tank, is that what you meant by "breeder" tank? Also how did you put those glass separators? I was thinking of doing it myself, just by some glass and glue it in with some silicone but I'm not sure if that's ok or not.

 

[mr_X]

no. a 20 gallon breeder is shorter, and wider than a regular 20. you'll find you'll want a wider tank(more room for skimmer, return...macroalgae..

i used plastic cutting boards from walmart for my baffles, because i couldn't find anything strong enough and large enough for the width of a 75 gallon tank, and still be cheap.
but yes, you get whatever you plan on using for a baffle and silicone it in. that's it.
even though there will be water on both sides of the glass/plastic/cutting board, there will still be pressure against it. make sure you secure it well.