What is an overflow???
- Thread starter puffdad
- Start date
option720
Member
An overflow is basically a device that is used to get water out of your tank and into another container. Overflows can come in many different forms and shapes. Some tanks have built-in overflows- you would know if you had one. The other type of overflow is called surface skimmer. This principal involves the use of a siphon that connect two boxes to each other. One of those boxes sits inside the tank and collects water while the siphon draws water to the other box that has a hose that goes down to the sump/ wet-dry. Go to search engine and type in “DIY overflow” or “Surface skimmer” and you should see a good example of what one looks like. You could also look at the CPR and Lifereef webpages. Good luck.
Emile
Emile
orby
Member
Excellent explaination Emile. I would like to add that the benefit of having a surface skimmer is that it removes many of the wastes that collect at the top in liquid form. It looks kind of like oil on the surface of the water. having it removed this way ensures that your getting it directly to your filtration instead of it being mixed in with the water.
puffdad
Member
Thanks!
So, it seems like they serve more of a plumbing function than a filtration function. I thought that maybe they remove undesired nutrients that had special properties which made them go to the surface of the water.
I am not planning on using a sump for my aquarium. Do I have any need for an overflow for my Hang on Back skimmer?
If they do serve a filtration function, I might want one, but if it is plumbing then I know I don't need it.
So, it seems like they serve more of a plumbing function than a filtration function. I thought that maybe they remove undesired nutrients that had special properties which made them go to the surface of the water.
I am not planning on using a sump for my aquarium. Do I have any need for an overflow for my Hang on Back skimmer?
If they do serve a filtration function, I might want one, but if it is plumbing then I know I don't need it.
broomer5
Active Member
Hey puffdad,
What type and manufacture skimmer you got ?
Some like CPR Bak-Pak skimmers have an optional surface skimming device that sort of fits over the powerhead, and you adjust it up or down to allow only the surface water to be pulled down into this device, thus pulling the nasty surface scum into the skimmer. They work GREAT ! If your skimmer does not make this, you can easily DIY using a variety of stuff you'd find around the house or at your local hardware store.
Much of the nasty organic wastes that we remove with a skimmer actually collect at the surface of our tank water, you can see it, and if you can pull that crud into the skimmer you are ahead of the game !
Brian
What type and manufacture skimmer you got ?
Some like CPR Bak-Pak skimmers have an optional surface skimming device that sort of fits over the powerhead, and you adjust it up or down to allow only the surface water to be pulled down into this device, thus pulling the nasty surface scum into the skimmer. They work GREAT ! If your skimmer does not make this, you can easily DIY using a variety of stuff you'd find around the house or at your local hardware store.
Much of the nasty organic wastes that we remove with a skimmer actually collect at the surface of our tank water, you can see it, and if you can pull that crud into the skimmer you are ahead of the game !
Brian
option720
Member
Puffdad-
You do not need an overflow for a hang on skimmer. If you really wanted to use an overflow for the purpose of surface skimming, here is a thought to toss around. You make a box that is very similar to the part of the overflow that sits in the tank. However, you do not have the additional box that has water siphoned into it (the box that runs to the sump). So basically you have this box that sits in you tank and this ”skimmer box” has notches cut into it to allow water to skim of the surface and fall in to the box. Then you position you hang on skimmer so that it pulls water out of the skimmer box instead of directly out of the tank. The challenge here is making sure that there is always enough water inside the skimmer box so that the protein skimmer doesn’t run dry. This will be trial and error type of project as far as how many notches and width of them etc. On my overflow that I DIY my notches are 1 ¼” long by 3/8” wide. Just gets some acrylics scrap and have some fun with it.
Emile
[ July 13, 2001: Message edited by: option720 ]
You do not need an overflow for a hang on skimmer. If you really wanted to use an overflow for the purpose of surface skimming, here is a thought to toss around. You make a box that is very similar to the part of the overflow that sits in the tank. However, you do not have the additional box that has water siphoned into it (the box that runs to the sump). So basically you have this box that sits in you tank and this ”skimmer box” has notches cut into it to allow water to skim of the surface and fall in to the box. Then you position you hang on skimmer so that it pulls water out of the skimmer box instead of directly out of the tank. The challenge here is making sure that there is always enough water inside the skimmer box so that the protein skimmer doesn’t run dry. This will be trial and error type of project as far as how many notches and width of them etc. On my overflow that I DIY my notches are 1 ¼” long by 3/8” wide. Just gets some acrylics scrap and have some fun with it.
Emile
[ July 13, 2001: Message edited by: option720 ]