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Wtb: Overflow/prefilter Box

Charlutz

Members
The DIY solutions are tough to make efficiently, especially if you want them in a show tank as the DIY's often look like they are DIY. Hurricanefilters.com has them for about $40 plus shipping, but they need a durso or stockman standpipe to quiet them down. I like the tidepool SOS, but they need 400 gph or so to keep air out of them. Doing a DIY would cost $15 if you did it with pvc pipe. To me, it's worth it to spend another $20 to have a professional look inside the tank. If it's for your fishroom, Robert, a DIY pvc one may suit you. Ebay is a good place to pick brand name ones up cheaply. Is it an empty tank? Have you considered drilling it?
 

Spine

Members
Robert
What size Tank are you using the overflow on ? How much flow are you planning on having
 

Artee

Members
Thanks Kevin, Charlie, Sarah for taking time to give some great suggestions/advice.

I am switching to all large tank for the tangs and SA, 125's basically and will have a 75 gal as sump, separate of course for each continent. mostly improvised. about 600 gph per tank.
I contacted a guy from Salt solutions single is $25 and double $ 37 plus shipping, sounds like a good deal, about half the price of proclears or cpr. I was hoping to get some used ones out there, hence, the post.

Charlie,

2 female featherfins have successfully hold and I stripped yesterday(these are the same batch you bought), you might be getting some action soon. feed then mysis.

Kevin.

trying to get rid of the cyps group, maybe you know anyone who would be interested.

Robert
 

Charlutz

Members
I've been feeding mysis, but I don't get the growth you do. :( That's ok. I am patient. My males are starting to display quite a bit, but mostly to the other males. No pit digging yet, but they have staked out the two sandy areas for territories.

Do you have a link for the salt solutions product? Not all overflows are built equally. Those are good prices. I can take a look at them and see what features they have/don't.
 

Charlutz

Members
That is a solid design. Basic, but solid. At that price, you can't really go wrong. Try to match the flow to your pump (with some excess power to the pump). If you have an 800 gph pump or less, get the single. If you have a 300 gph pump, do not get the double. Use the double if your pump is over 800 gph. By matching the pump gph correctly with the overflow capacity, it keeps air bubbles from collecting in the siphon tubes. The small bubbles (which always get in there) will be pushed through by the fast moving water. If the water is moving slowly, the bubbles have a chance to collect and can break the siphon - leading to a flood. If your pump exceeds the capacity of the overflow, you can just install a ball valve to bring the flow back down. 6 bucks well spent.

Here are my critiques (again, it's a good basic design) -

1. It may be loud. If it's in your fishroom, you may not care. You can build a durso or stockman standpipe to quiet it down. They cost less than 10 bucks in pvc parts, but you may have to do some shopping, esp if you go with the durso configuration and need a "street el."

2. There isn't a backup drain. The drains rarely clog, but they can if a fish or plant gets in there. Or if for some reason your pump overwhelms the first drain. If your pump is matched right, you don't have to worry about the latter problem. A backup drain is a second drain in the outside box that usually runs straight to the sump and not through the WD filter tower. It stays dry most of the time, but the inlet to it is a little higher than the main drain inside the outside overflow box. IF that drain gets clogged, the water diverts into the backup drain. The Tidepool SOS overflows have them and you can look at a picture of those to see what I mean.

3. No prefilter in the inside box. You can add this. Just a coarse filter pad to collect stuff and keep it out of the drain/outside box/siphon tube.

4. It's clear. Personal preference, but I prefer the smoked glass so I don't have to look at them. Algae and gunk usually collects in the inside tank box and you can see it through the clear glass.

It's a great deal for that price and my critiques are the common ones associated with most of the designs out there.
 

Artee

Members
Charlie.

wow, I am impress with the details you covered on the pros and cons, will take a look at the tidepool version and compare if it's worth upgrading, bascially I am not worried about water spills.

by the way, spiral hose is sold separately, what's a durso, might have to look it up in the dictionary.


Robert
 

Charlutz

Members
The durso is a standpipe. Easy to make. Click on the DIY and popular modifications to see how they are made. I think there is a link there for stockman standpipe as well. http://www.dursostandpipes.com/ There are some simpler ways to do it also, just involving a cap on the pvc to submerge the inlet and stop the flushing toilet bowl sound.

I forget if your tanks were painted. If you have black or blue backgrounds, you might ask salt solutions if they can make your inside boxes with black or blue acrylic. Shouldn't cost much more if anything, but it could be an option.
 

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Anytime is right. I am not sure if we have enough for this issue yet or not. But even if we do, we always want some. Need them in the bank so to speak.
 

Charlutz

Members
Robert -

Here is a link to the Stockman version of the silent standpipe. It should easily fit in the chamber of the salt solutions box. For some reason, the pics wouldn't load on my firefox at home, but I can see them on internet explorer in the office. It's a DIY.

http://home.nc.rr.com/stockmanreef/aqua-si...r_standpipe.htm

Those sponges may help to muffle the noise. I'd start with what salt solutions sends and see how you feel. You might also ask them how loud the overflows are and whether they recommend a stockman or durso standpipe. They should know exaclty what you mean as the terms are common in the reef community.

Edit - Durso and Stockman took down the links to the original Stockman design. Here it is:

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/standpipe/s...en_stockman.htm
 

Artee

Members
I might just try to make one if the noise is unbearable, right know I have 2 running and seems to be ok with the prefilter sponge on it.

I think I will go for the hurricane overflow, trying to get a discount for 5-6 pcs, but will probably not need the drain hose.





Robert -

Here is a link to the Stockman version of the silent standpipe. It should easily fit in the chamber of the salt solutions box. For some reason, the pics wouldn't load on my firefox at home, but I can see them on internet explorer in the office. It's a DIY.

http://home.nc.rr.com/stockmanreef/aqua-si...r_standpipe.htm

Those sponges may help to muffle the noise. I'd start with what salt solutions sends and see how you feel. You might also ask them how loud the overflows are and whether they recommend a stockman or durso standpipe. They should know exaclty what you mean as the terms are common in the reef community.

Edit - Durso and Stockman took down the links to the original Stockman design. Here it is:

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/standpipe/s...en_stockman.htm[/b]
 

Charlutz

Members
If the noise doesn't bother you with the ones you have, you'll probably be ok. Since I don't have a dedicated fishroom and my tank sits behind the sofa in the tv room, I want it as quiet as possible. I paid extra to have my electrician run dedicated circuits for my tv and audio to avoid feedback, only to listen to noisy overflows! With your floor drains, spills probably aren't the end of the world, but just make sure those sponges are clean. Putting 400-500 gph through them can clog them quickly. Probably not a bad idea to soak them overnight in mild bleach solution like you would to recharge a micron filter pad every so often. Of course, if you're having no clogging or noise problems, keep doing what you're doing. :D You definitely have the edge on me in raising featherfins! Have you seen more color in your F1s than you did the WCs? I remember you mentioning that the WCs were especially finicky about coloring up, consistent with reports.
 

Artee

Members
W/c ones needs to settle down but definitely have more marbling and the green is specially darker , recently the beta male has taken over the female(it's a reverse trio), but both are still flashing their breeding colors.



If the noise doesn't bother you with the ones you have, you'll probably be ok. Since I don't have a dedicated fishroom and my tank sits behind the sofa in the tv room, I want it as quiet as possible. I paid extra to have my electrician run dedicated circuits for my tv and audio to avoid feedback, only to listen to noisy overflows! With your floor drains, spills probably aren't the end of the world, but just make sure those sponges are clean. Putting 400-500 gph through them can clog them quickly. Probably not a bad idea to soak them overnight in mild bleach solution like you would to recharge a micron filter pad every so often. Of course, if you're having no clogging or noise problems, keep doing what you're doing. :D You definitely have the edge on me in raising featherfins! Have you seen more color in your F1s than you did the WCs? I remember you mentioning that the WCs were especially finicky about coloring up, consistent with reports.[/b]
 

Charlutz

Members
W/c ones needs to settle down but definitely have more marbling and the green is specially darker , recently the beta male has taken over the female(it's a reverse trio), but both are still flashing their breeding colors.[/b]

Mine had a light green sheen when they were younger. Now, when the males get torqued up they are mostly blue/black. They have what I thought was good marbling along the back line, but I'd like to someday see your males in action. They were in silver fish mode when I was there. :)

So what are you overflowing into? Sumps and WD? I thought you mostly used sponges, but I could be misremembering as it's been a year since I was at your place.
 

Artee

Members
sponges for the angels mostly, but do have a few sponges on the african for back up in case I need to separate/setup a new tank.

I just acquired a huge sump from a guy in rockville, was advertised in craigslist, came with a double prefilter, this will be use for filtation on 2 -125 gal moba tank growouts, but will have to get 2 single overflow from hurricane.


<div class='quotemain'>W/c ones needs to settle down but definitely have more marbling and the green is specially darker , recently the beta male has taken over the female(it's a reverse trio), but both are still flashing their breeding colors.[/b]

Mine had a light green sheen when they were younger. Now, when the males get torqued up they are mostly blue/black. They have what I thought was good marbling along the back line, but I'd like to someday see your males in action. They were in silver fish mode when I was there. :)

So what are you overflowing into? Sumps and WD? I thought you mostly used sponges, but I could be misremembering as it's been a year since I was at your place.
[/b][/quote]
 
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