trying to set up sump for my 125 reef

[btwk12]

my tank is not drilled nor does it have an over flow box. i was wondering if i could just use a pump to pump the water to my sump then another pump to bring the water back to the DT. this may be a dumb ? but i dont have a whole lot of $ tryin to go the cheapest way but still with quality.

 

[acrylic51]

I would strongly advise against it. Overflow boxes aren't that expensive or if you search you can find some good DIY plans. Actually I think if you check out melevsreef he might have some plans.

 

[btwk12]

do u need a pump for an over flow box? or how does it work i was lookin at them last night and i couldnt tell. i know i'll need a return pump

 

[6stokes]

Usually the only pump needed for an overflow is a small aqua lifter ($15) that is in place for any power outages. The overflow will break it's siphon when the power goes out and when the power comes back on the aqua lifter will suck the air out and start the overflow process again.
A return pump is required in the sump to pump the water back to the display. The size of the return pump is based on what you are doing with the sump and how big the sump is. This could be a long conversation, so please let us know what your thoughts are about the sump (only extra water capacity and equipment area, refugium for macro algea/copepod development, etc.).
There are lots of knowledgible folks here (and threads) that talk about this. Check the Archives & FAQ section.

 

[mell]

I've actually been talking about this with some people in the New to Hobby section up top...you should check it out, it'll help. It's the Help me build a Sump/Refugium thread.