Siphon box vs. Surface skimmer... Help!

[rob2]

All my filtration is hang-on (and ugly). I didn't
know there was any other way untill several months ago when I started asking myself,
"Man,that's a nice tank! But where is this guys filtration?"
Anyway, I've recently started shopping for a device to overflow into a sump. (At first I was just going to buy two pumps, exatly the same GPH and pump in and out.) First, I haven't found much and if you have any website suggestions, I'd appreciate it! But I have seen "Siphon over-flow boxes" and "Surface skimmers". Anyone use these? What's the difference, chance of floods?
That's what scares me the most. Before I realized how common these were and how UNcommon predrilled tanks were, I didn't even want to attempt this!! But I've got to get this stuff out of site. And, eventually, create a refugium.
Can anyone help me here?

 

[richard rendos]

First...DO NOT do the two pump thing. I assume you mean one in the tank and one in the sump returning back to the tank. If one of the pumps stops working...flood. If one pump pumps slightly more than the other...flood. You need an overflow box(also acts as a surface skimmer). Water will flow from your tank to your sump via gravity. Water returns from your sump back to your tank via a return pump.
Also you need to make sure the pump and overflow box are rated for the amount of water you want to move. Big tanks need bigger overflows and bigger return pumps. Smaller tanks need smaller. And generally speaking, the return pump needs to pump a little less (like 100-200 GPH) than the overflow can handle. I prefer to put a ball valve on the return line to control the amount of flow back to the tank.
Hope this has helped a little.

 

[panhead]

if there is any way you can I would go with the drilled option overflow boxes can be loud

 

[rob2]

(Don't worry I'm not considering the two-pump idea. I just meant that, untill I realized the overflow concept, that's all I could think of.)
Yea, I wish I'd have thought of this a long time ago. Looks like I'll just have to wait until I upgrade. I can't quite imagine eptying that tank to drill it out.
Thanks alot guys.

 

[joerdie]

there are lots of ways to make an overflow less noisy. you can use filterfloss. Or the porceline balls they make for canister filters also work well.

 

[bluemarlin]

An overflow system will even itself out in time. When I first started mine, it was very noisy. The overflow was gurgling and bubbling with noise as it gulped water. After a few days of running, the systems evened each other out and now the box keeps up with the return very nicely and no longer gurgles or makes noise. In fact, my sump makes more noise then my overflow box does.
When I bought my 180 I didn't want tubing sticking up from the bottom or anywhere else. So I added the overflow box and painted the rear wall of the glass and the overflow box blue. It all mathces and you really can't see the overflow box unless you look for it. Even if you painted the tubes from the bottom of the tank you'd still see them so I'd go with the box.