Overflow Help!

osuaquarist

osuaquarist

Member
I am trying to decide on an overflow for my 125g.
I want to use a tunze wavebox so I was thinking a small overflow would be ok to get the water into my skimmer/sump/refuge. This overflow box would be rated at 700gph and I would get a 950gph mag return pump. The sump will be a 55g with an octopus skimmer. Would this set up be ok or should I look at getting a larger intake/output system?
My reasoning with the low flow is that I will not need my pump to add flow since I will have the wavebox and probably some supplemental powerheads.
Thanks
 
privatejoker

privatejoker

Member
You may want a little more turn over on the tank. You want the skimmer to work on new water as much as possible. I had two overflow boxes on my 72 and that did a great job. More water turn over the better. That would mean getting a bigger return pump but it would be worth it in the end.
 
osuaquarist

osuaquarist

Member
The skimmer I was looking at has a max intake of 450gph so I thought that the 700gph would be enough, was I wrong in that assumption?
 
matt b

matt b

Active Member
if its not setup then just get it drilled. Its ALOT safer that way. You dont have to worry about the syphon cause its just gravity. Todd at reefsystems does it for pretty cheap.
 
osuaquarist

osuaquarist

Member
Originally Posted by MaTT B
http:///forum/post/2676713
if its not setup then just get it drilled. Its ALOT safer that way. You dont have to worry about the syphon cause its just gravity. Todd at reefsystems does it for pretty cheap.
I am drilling it myself, I'm going to get an overflow kit from *****-holes, I'm just trying to figure out which size to get.
 
privatejoker

privatejoker

Member
That should be fine. The only problem is that your pump is rated for 700 gph but it won't put that much out with elbows and lift you'll lose some of those gph. It won't drop to 450 gph unless you have a long run with alot of 90's. If you have to buy a pump for the skimmer make sure it is the highest gph your skimmer will handle.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
You should be fine with the plans. Indeed, high turn over rates, 99.9% of the time, is only done for more flow. You really don't need a substantial turn over rate. Skimmers only take in a certain percentage of the water (unless you direct feed a re-circ skimmer), and the 'skimming process' only effects a certain percentage of the water running through the skimmer itself. So having lower flow rates (not super-slow though) and even getting a bit of 're-circulation' in the skimmer isn't necessarily a bad thing.
 
osuaquarist

osuaquarist

Member
Thanks for the help I am still on the fence about the whole thing. I can afford the largest overflow plus the 3800gph Dart pump but don't know if I should dump the cash into it. If I did get the 3800 pump how many returns should I put in? I would be using those loc pipe things.
 
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