Will this work? overflow 2 to 1

ok, its a 55 gallon tank, I have a AGA MegaFlow 2 sump with 1 input from overflow. I'm using a dual overflow box that came with my Sealife pro series 150. I'm trying. I got a mag 7 for return!
 

small triggers

Active Member
isnt that supposed to be a trickle filter? Itll work,, but it may back up when the filter media gets any kind of detritus in it.
 
yes its a wet/dry. I'm gonna take out the bioballs and add some rock. put a sand bed in the bottom and add this light. I was more worried about taking the 1 inch or 1 1/4 inch overflow hose being cut down to 3/4 tubing a t-bone.
What do u mean when u say filter media clogging it? That would be the second chamber after the 1st chamber. first being input chamber, overflowing into chamber two thru filter media and bioballs into sump.
I mean if u can tell me some better ideas, I'll try to work with them.
 

beckto

Member
Water will flow, but much slower than the OF is rated for. It will also be quite loud as it enters the filter. When it reduces, it will trap the air, causing big "gulping" bubbles. I see no reason for the ball valve, it only reduces flow even more. For all sump/fuge designs to work, the overflow needs to have more gph flow than the return. In this situation, I would try to decrease any restrictions from the overflows. Make two seperate inlets off your flex tubing. If not for more flow, for redundancy. (safer the better, if one clogs the other will keep flowing)
 
Also the LR idea i don't think will work. LR needs to be completly under water all the time or the benficial stuff will die off. Atleast from the pictures it looks like those bio-balls aren't always submerged and water trickles through them, this won't keep the LR live and would not be of any benefit. Good thought but I don't believe it will work.
 

natclanwy

Active Member
If you are using both U-tubes in that overflow your return pump is far too small and you at risk of having a flood because the flow rate through the U-tubes is not fast enough to evacuate any airbubbles that accumulate at the top.
 
OK, so I constructed a new one. Used all 1" PVC with no flow switch. Does this look better?
Also, will this CPVC cement hurt our tanks?
 

natclanwy

Active Member
CPVC is fine to use, and it looks much better. Have you adressed the issue with your return pump yet? You could probably just remove one of the U-tubes to fix the issue, one U-tube should be more the enough to handle the flow from a mag 7.
 

nordy

Active Member
I have an older Sealife wet/dry sump for my 55, but it's not like yours. What is the third chamber after the bioballs designed for?
If you did stick with the dual overflow, I think you should make them discreet from the overflow to the wet/dry by drilling another hole in the wet/dry to handle the second overflow, as mentioned above by beckto. Otherwise, theres not much point in staying with two overflow drains if they both restrict down into one main drain.
I have a mag5 return in my sump, and with the single overflow it seems to wrk just fine-I up graded the return pump when I added a remote chiller that's about 7' away from the sump.
 

nordy

Active Member
Here's an idea I picked up from another swf.com member: put a pvc union on your pump output so it can be changed/pulled/maintained without having to cut and re-glue the pvc. Also a pic of my chiller bypass valve setup.

 
OK, I got my fug made! LOL. Took all of your advise I heard (i think). bio-balls are underwater, carbon is in direct flow through water (there is no making holes through it!), added spounge on right side to keep sand from getting in pump. I also eliminated the overflow valve! No restrictions.What u cant see is another divider behind the sticker which holds the eggcrate in. It keeps the bio-balls in place. No bubbbles, no leaks, staying level.
So, I know its not the best pictures, but tell me what u think! Hey, Its a first time build! The motor can go to the next one if this isn't good enough!


 
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