what skimmer to use in a tank with a built in overflow?

[tkblazer]

as i said in the title my 75 gal TRUVU tank has a built in overflow at the back of the tank. my question is what skimmer can i use. i'm not looking into going with a sump or fuge so that is not an option right now. any help is appreciated thanks.

 

[richard rendos]

What kind of filter are you planning on using? The reason most people get overflows is so they can use a sump. Why did you get an overflow if you're not going to use a sump?

 

[tkblazer]

well i bought an established tank so i did not have an option of choosing which tank setup to get. the tank came with 2 canister filters.
so i have done some reading and it looks as if building a sump is my only real option. my question is, how large of a sump do you need? since i have a 75 gal. tank should i make something like 20-30 gal. i'll do more research on how to build one..also the back of the tank is not predrilled and i'm not sure if there are holes drilled in the bottom of the overflow. how should i get around this...my tank is setup and i don't want to tear it all down again.

 

[richard rendos]

More than likely there are holes in the overflow boxes at the bottom of the tank. They should have bulkheads in them.
A sump can be as simple as a rubbermaid container. I use them on some of my tanks and I know some others on here use them also. Then you just need a pump to return the water back to the main display tank. You can then put your heater/skimmer/etc. in the sump.

 

[tkblazer]

thanks a lot richard....i remember seeing some setups with rubbermaid containers and it looks very economical, which is good for me since i'm a college student. i'm glad that my initial costs for getting into this hobby was not that high so i can put my money into the essentials.