Another overflow, another day in the life....of me

[xcali1985]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me#post_3448512
I was always afraid of predrilled reef ready tanks...the seal around the bulkheads can spring a leak too you know....nothing is for certain that you will never have a flood. . Given a choice right now..I also would opt for predrilled...at least I wouldn't need a lifter pump.
I place my sumps directly under the overflows for this very reason. I figure if it is going to leak at least its down into the sumps. Secondly, I worry about my bulkheads going out to my return pump. That will easily be 10 gallons of water onto a hardwood floor. Ugh.
Flower, I feel for you, after my first flood similar to yours, I couldn't sleep well. I actually make a stand pipe in the overflow the same height as the teeth on it, so that if I heard water at all I knew it was dripping somewhere. Over the last 2 years, I have now become comfortable with it that I allow the trickle again.
I would think overall a sump would be safer than a canister at least with a built in overflow, as there is only so much that can overflow or leak due to the way they are built. There's only so much water in the overflow or return section that can flood.
A canister filter that has a leak, will siphon almost the entire tank, depending on where it is placed inside, now that scares me.

 

[xandrew245x]

Well, unless you have a major leak with your canister, I think you would catch a leak, unless you were gone for a week or something, then you could potentially have a problem, I kinda feel safer with a canister, I check it every day and make sure nothings leaking.

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me#post_3448282
i dont know why a pump not working would overflow the sump? would the sump overflow if the power went out?
can you just raise the return pump off the sump bottom?

I'm pretty sure the returns are a bit extended into the DT, and thereby when the pump quit it back siphoned through the return line and kept draining till it did loose siphon or Flower caught it. Should have siphon breaks though.......

 

[flower]

Acrylic...my post was misunderstood...I have siphon breaks, the sump did not overflow, it was the lifter pump again that failed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448582

I'm pretty sure the returns are a bit extended into the DT, and thereby when the pump quit it back siphoned through the return line and kept draining till it did loose siphon or Flower caught it. Should have siphon breaks though.......
Xcali1985....LOL...I must agree with Xandrew245x, you would have to be pretty unattentive for a canister to leak that much unnoticed. They usually leak a drop of water at a time. Mostly the result of us replacing the cover lopsoded or a seal breaks on the cover.
The main problem with them is that they are out of sight out of mind, they run silent, and it's easy to just forget about them, then after a while.... it makes the tank worse harboring nitrates rather than filtering as it should. Also all the equipment then must go in the display...I had so much stuff hanging on the back of my tank it was comical. A sump not only makes a good hiding spot, but adds water volume, my 30g tank had 55g worth of water circulating.
I liked my canister filters, they all ran flawless for the 20+ years that I used them. It was great while I kept only fish, my reef didn't like it near as much. I love my sump system... and while I have had to tweek with it, I can't imagine life with a saltwater fish tank without it now.

 

[xandrew245x]

I just scored a 75 gallon tanks and all the goodies inlcuding a sump for less than what I would have payed for the rest of my other equipment, luckly the tank I bought has an internal overflow, so hopefully I don't see any overflowing tanks(crosses fingers) I think i would be devastated, I would probably just lay on the soaking wet floor and cry myself to sleep LOL, ok maybe I wouldn't be that dramatic, but I would be pretty upset over it.

 

[al&burke]

Aw Flower sorry to hear this - pain in the butt eh. I am going to come to your house one of these days and drill that tank yours, LOL. Would one of your old canister filters work as a cleaner for the bottom of your sump. I am actually running a canister on my lion tank sump to help with the cleaning for a bit.

 

[acrylic51]

Flower I think I'd be ready to crush the lifter pump!!!!! Sorry!!!!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448709
Flower I think I'd be ready to crush the lifter pump!!!!! Sorry!!!!
LOL...I replaced the lifter pump with a venturi like you told me to on the 90g, but I got the exact same venturi power head for the SH tank but it wouldn't work...it kept trying to overflow and I got disgusted and left the lifter on that one. I don't know why it won't work on the SH tank...I tried everything I could think of..even a different little air hose...it just won't pull the water into the overflow

I still have the PH on the tank but no line to the overflow...I just use it for circulation. It is the SAME venturi pump too.

 

[xcali1985]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448697
Acrylic...my post was misunderstood...I have siphon breaks, the sump did not overflow, it was the lifter pump again that failed.
Xcali1985....LOL...I must agree with Xandrew245x, you would have to be pretty unattentive for a canister to leak that much unnoticed. They usually leak a drop of water at a time. Mostly the result of us replacing the cover lopsoded or a seal breaks on the cover.
The main problem with them is that they are out of sight out of mind, they run silent, and it's easy to just forget about them, then after a while.... it makes the tank worse harboring nitrates rather than filtering as it should. Also all the equipment then must go in the display...I had so much stuff hanging on the back of my tank it was comical. A sump not only makes a good hiding spot, but adds water volume, my 30g tank had 55g worth of water circulating.
I liked my canister filters, they all ran flawless for the 20+ years that I used them. It was great while I kept only fish, my reef didn't like it near as much. I love my sump system... and while I have had to tweek with it, I can't imagine life with a saltwater fish tank without it now.
Agreed, I was just stating the possibilities. I had a friend who had a hose blow off his canister filter and started pumping water onto his floor. There is no for sure way to be 100% safe. On my local reef site, we just had a member whose 300G bust at a seam. Just bad luck. Imagine that 300G fully stocked reef and you are helpless to stop it all from draining onto the floor.
She managed to only save 60G of water, and she stuck most of her live stock in huge containers, so over 240G of water in your house. It made me go out and buy 3 50G rubbermaid tubs, they now sit in my backyard shed waiting for that emergency.
If I was her, I would have curled up in a ball and cried for days on end. That would have probably been the last day of my hobby. She went out and bought a 125G 2 days later to temp house her fish and some corals, and placed an order for another 300G.
So Flower, hope that cheers you up a little it's my odd way of saying it could have been way worst.

 

[eric b 125]

Flower, sorry to hear about this! My buddy uses an overflow box that doesn't loose siphon, and doesn't require an aqualifter. I think it's an Eshopps. He's never had any problems with it and it runs more quietly than my glassholes overflows.

 

[deejeff442]

i run a dual eshopps.it is very loud.sometimes i think there is a leak listining to it.although my durso pipes made noise also.i dont think there is a way around keeping flowing water through pipes quiet

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448852
i run a dual eshopps.it is very loud.sometimes i think there is a leak listining to it.although my durso pipes made noise also.i dont think there is a way around keeping flowing water through pipes quiet
Check out BeanAnimal overflow design.....Might interest you on your new build, and is quiet.....Plus has safety measures built in....

 

[deejeff442]

i will thanks.that reminds me i need to call the guy back for the price on the new tank.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric B 125 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448844
Flower, sorry to hear about this! My buddy uses an overflow box that doesn't loose siphon, and doesn't require an aqualifter. I think it's an Eshopps. He's never had any problems with it and it runs more quietly than my glassholes overflows.
My little Eshopps nano is pretty dang quiet compared to some of the internal overflows that I have had in the past. Plus, it's never lost siphon either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448852
i run a dual eshopps.it is very loud.sometimes i think there is a leak listining to it.although my durso pipes made noise also.i dont think there is a way around keeping flowing water through pipes quiet
I've found that if you run a little extra flow through it, it will quiet it down a lot. It will occasionally "burp" if you run too much flow through it, but the additional flow makes the box have a whirlpool effect and it naturally sucks water down without any noise...
Maybe adding a maggie muffler to it will silence it for good?

 

[deejeff442]

i dont really care if its noisy now.when i do the new tank it will be an inwall then i really wont care.
i looked up the bean animal overflow.it looks like an awesome set up.but do they sell it or is it just a setup you build yourself? i dont see any for sale just pics of it.and i like it.an overflow across the back top of the tank is a great set up.it dont look but 4 inches down into the tank .i see you drill the tank but that is no big deal.kinda looks like an external durso

 

[flower]

Can someone explain the difference between the CPR overflow and how it works and the Eshopps for me please. Why does the CPR type need a lifter pump and the other does not?

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448911
i dont really care if its noisy now.when i do the new tank it will be an inwall then i really wont care.
i looked up the bean animal overflow.it looks like an awesome set up.but do they sell it or is it just a setup you build yourself? i dont see any for sale just pics of it.and i like it.an overflow across the back top of the tank is a great set up.it dont look but 4 inches down into the tank .i see you drill the tank but that is no big deal.kinda looks like an external durso
No they aren't sold in any stores, something you build from basic parts from Lowes/HD or any hardware store....Similar to a Durso, but major difference. You won't quiet a Durso like this will run, and Durso you have no fail safe. This system has been tested, and tested trying to screw it up, and even if you full siphon becomes clogged your open channel picks up, and if that can't keep up your emergency steps in. You could do the same thing with basic stand pipes, but the quiet part is an issue. Even with a fish room noise is still an issue.....The last 2 setups I've had have had fish rooms, and you still want it as quiet as possible....

 

[deejeff442]

well thanks acrylic.i am more than intregued.i am going to read up on this system and try it on the new tank.i feel you lose alot of options having the durso out of the bottom of the tank.draining from the top you can drain water to anything outside of the tank bottom.meaning i can drain to a sump tank half way up the tank and have that sump drain to another lower.cant beat that.
flower i have had both kinds of over flows.if you mean you need an air pump to keep the overflow primed.i would never get the one where you need the air pump again.i have run the "U" tube one for a long time and never had an issue.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389848/another-overflow-another-day-in-the-life-of-me/20#post_3448979
well thanks acrylic.i am more than intregued.i am going to read up on this system and try it on the new tank.i feel you lose alot of options having the durso out of the bottom of the tank.draining from the top you can drain water to anything outside of the tank bottom.meaning i can drain to a sump tank half way up the tank and have that sump drain to another lower.cant beat that.
flower i have had both kinds of over flows.if you mean you need an air pump to keep the overflow primed.i would never get the one where you need the air pump again.i have run the "U" tube one for a long time and never had an issue.
This is a seahorse tank, and the power gets shut down once each day and sometimes two...for feeding, the constant stop and restart is a concern. You may not lose siphon simply because you have not lost power. For most tanks that is the norm, because the tank is seldom shut down. How dependable is a U tube overflow type under my circumstances?

 

[deejeff442]

the U tube has water on both boxes inside and out so it never loses its prime unless of course you take it out to clean it.i found a small snail crawling through mine last week.he made it to the outside box where i took him out.it didnt slow the overflow down .well not enough to cause a problem.
hey acrylic i sent an email to the tank builder to see if he can make the inside overflow box and drill the holes for that set up.i will plumb it.we will see what he says