CPR CS90 Overflow Box
- Thread starter prevwon
- Start date
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by PrevWon
Are these any good? I have a 75 gallon and I am looking for an overflow box. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Prev
I am getting a cs100 for my 55.
Are these any good? I have a 75 gallon and I am looking for an overflow box. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Prev
I am getting a cs100 for my 55.
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by PrevWon
Do you HAVE to have the pump?
According to CPR, no, but in practical application, YES. I have 3 of these overflows and the pump has been absolutely necessary. They are not expensive.
With your mag950, the cs90 will work, but do consider upgrading to the cs100 anyway. It's only a bit more expensive and it will work better. I've found that CPR overflows work best when they are run at no more than 80% of their rated output. Having that extra bit of overhead will make it quieter, and overall better performing.
2 other pieces of advice for these.. First, the siphon hose on the pump... use black air hose. The "stealth" tubing works well for this. With the overflow up near your lights, algae can clog the tubing easily. The black prevents this.
Second, keep a spare aqualifter on hand at all times. The aqualifters tend to clog up over time, and they are nearly impossible to take apart and get back together so it's easier to just toss and replace. When they do go, there isn't always time to wait and get a new one in. I replace my aqualifters every 6-8 months just to be proactive. The "filter" that they sell for the aqualifters is a joke.
Do you HAVE to have the pump?
According to CPR, no, but in practical application, YES. I have 3 of these overflows and the pump has been absolutely necessary. They are not expensive.
With your mag950, the cs90 will work, but do consider upgrading to the cs100 anyway. It's only a bit more expensive and it will work better. I've found that CPR overflows work best when they are run at no more than 80% of their rated output. Having that extra bit of overhead will make it quieter, and overall better performing.
2 other pieces of advice for these.. First, the siphon hose on the pump... use black air hose. The "stealth" tubing works well for this. With the overflow up near your lights, algae can clog the tubing easily. The black prevents this.
Second, keep a spare aqualifter on hand at all times. The aqualifters tend to clog up over time, and they are nearly impossible to take apart and get back together so it's easier to just toss and replace. When they do go, there isn't always time to wait and get a new one in. I replace my aqualifters every 6-8 months just to be proactive. The "filter" that they sell for the aqualifters is a joke.
scsinet
Active Member
Absolutely. The ratings on overflows are their maximum. The minimum of a CPR overflow is essentially the flow rate of the aqualifter, which is 3gph... so a CPR overflow will work with any flow rate from 3gph (which is basically 0) up to its maximum (or 80% of it's rated capacity if you want things to run well).
azaintcold
Member
I have a mag 18, cpr cs102 overflow, and the aqualifter. Love the results. About as good as it gets for HOB overflows IME.
prevwon
Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
According to CPR, no, but in practical application, YES. I have 3 of these overflows and the pump has been absolutely necessary. They are not expensive.
With your mag950, the cs90 will work, but do consider upgrading to the cs100 anyway. It's only a bit more expensive and it will work better. I've found that CPR overflows work best when they are run at no more than 80% of their rated output. Having that extra bit of overhead will make it quieter, and overall better performing.
2 other pieces of advice for these.. First, the siphon hose on the pump... use black air hose. The "stealth" tubing works well for this. With the overflow up near your lights, algae can clog the tubing easily. The black prevents this.
Second, keep a spare aqualifter on hand at all times. The aqualifters tend to clog up over time, and they are nearly impossible to take apart and get back together so it's easier to just toss and replace. When they do go, there isn't always time to wait and get a new one in. I replace my aqualifters every 6-8 months just to be proactive. The "filter" that they sell for the aqualifters is a joke.
Ha I misread what you wrote, I thought you said that the CS90 would not work with the Mag 950...
According to CPR, no, but in practical application, YES. I have 3 of these overflows and the pump has been absolutely necessary. They are not expensive.
With your mag950, the cs90 will work, but do consider upgrading to the cs100 anyway. It's only a bit more expensive and it will work better. I've found that CPR overflows work best when they are run at no more than 80% of their rated output. Having that extra bit of overhead will make it quieter, and overall better performing.
2 other pieces of advice for these.. First, the siphon hose on the pump... use black air hose. The "stealth" tubing works well for this. With the overflow up near your lights, algae can clog the tubing easily. The black prevents this.
Second, keep a spare aqualifter on hand at all times. The aqualifters tend to clog up over time, and they are nearly impossible to take apart and get back together so it's easier to just toss and replace. When they do go, there isn't always time to wait and get a new one in. I replace my aqualifters every 6-8 months just to be proactive. The "filter" that they sell for the aqualifters is a joke.
Ha I misread what you wrote, I thought you said that the CS90 would not work with the Mag 950...
scsinet
Active Member
I didn't say it wouldn't work, but I did imply that it might not be the best choice.
A Mag 9.5 at a few feet of head will yield about 600GPH or so. The CS90 is rated at 600GPH, so you'll be running it right at 100% rated flow. I've tried this exact combination before, and ended up upgrading to the CS100 because my mag 9.5 would very slowly get ahead of the CS90, so I'd have to shut it off every few days for a few moments to let it catch up to avoid a flood. If my intake screen got even a bit clogged, I'd nearly flood. I worried about going on vacation because of it.
The thing about any overflow is that it works fine provided there is absolutely no obstruction. Any bubbles in the siphon of the overflow, a slightly clogged intake screen, etc all can diminish performance. If you are running at 100% flow, even a slight cut in performance can cause a flood. True, the aqualifters are supposed to take care of the bubbles, but they don't always get all of them.
The CS100 on the other hand can handle 25% more water, so where you'd be at 100% with the 90, you'll be at 75% with the 100. When I upgraded to the CS100 with the Mag 9.5, all of the problems went away. I even replaced my Mag with an Iwaki 40RLT and things still ran great, and are running great to this day.
For $10 more, it's a wise investment.
A Mag 9.5 at a few feet of head will yield about 600GPH or so. The CS90 is rated at 600GPH, so you'll be running it right at 100% rated flow. I've tried this exact combination before, and ended up upgrading to the CS100 because my mag 9.5 would very slowly get ahead of the CS90, so I'd have to shut it off every few days for a few moments to let it catch up to avoid a flood. If my intake screen got even a bit clogged, I'd nearly flood. I worried about going on vacation because of it.
The thing about any overflow is that it works fine provided there is absolutely no obstruction. Any bubbles in the siphon of the overflow, a slightly clogged intake screen, etc all can diminish performance. If you are running at 100% flow, even a slight cut in performance can cause a flood. True, the aqualifters are supposed to take care of the bubbles, but they don't always get all of them.
The CS100 on the other hand can handle 25% more water, so where you'd be at 100% with the 90, you'll be at 75% with the 100. When I upgraded to the CS100 with the Mag 9.5, all of the problems went away. I even replaced my Mag with an Iwaki 40RLT and things still ran great, and are running great to this day.
For $10 more, it's a wise investment.