Sump/fuge Q

[ReeferGoneMad]

hey guys i have a qusetion. im not to good with plumbing or anything that has to do with sump setup. anyway i have a 29 gallon mixed reef. i want to setup a closed loop for my sump/fuge i just bought. the footprint of it is 18x18x16 so i would say it could hold about 20 gallons. what i need to know is if i have a mixed reef. what would be the best turnover. The thing is i dont know how to do this. ive done alittle research. my tank cannot be drilled so i have to buy a overflow box.ive been searchin for a lifereef or a cpr dont know which GPH rating i should get. also for the tank i would want the tank to turn over a little over maybe 300 gallons to 400 gallons an hour bein i have a mixed reef.so im stuck between getting a mag 5,6, or 7 just dont know how it works exactly. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

 

[latino277]

I usually say to stick to a 10x turnover in a sump/fuge. anything higher and you'll have some micro bubble issues. Good luck

 

[nemo]

Hi there:

I ws told not to get an overflow box because it is not completly foolproof. I almost got one and someone else advised me against it. The siphon which sucks the water from your main tank and the sump can potentially stall and water stops from flowing into the sump. This happens when air trapped in there or some object like a snail get in the tube. Your return pump will eventually pump all the water from the sump and overflow your main tank.

 

[GQ22]

not related to the original question but when u set up, go with a ball shut off valve and union combination. for the feed hose/line go with ball valves. this is the fastest way to disconnect your sump for what ever purpose.

 

[meschaefer]

I used an ovreflow box for five years without a problem. I have never heard of someone personally having a problem with an overflow box, losing its siphone. It's always "i heard it from somebody else" or "I read that you could have a problem"..never first hand expereince.

If you have to much flow running through your sump, you will end up with lots of microbubbles in your tank. Melev, from Reef Central, reccomends no more than 300 gph. I think the flow is probably more dependent on the size of the sump, i.e. the larger the sump the more flow you can have as it gives the microbubbles a chance to rise to the surface. A small sump, would need less flow. My sump has a water volume of 12 gallons, and I have a about 500 gallons of flow through an hour... and lots of microbubbles.\

Don't forget to calculate head loss when you figure out the size of your pump. This is a good calculator to figure it out.

 

[scarf_ace1981]

i have been running a HOB overflow box for a year and no problems yet. sometimes the flow slows down being that i don't have a strong pump in the sump(seahorse tank, not too much flow) but the siphon has never stopped.

if you can't drill the tank you have no choice but to go w/ a HOB overflow

 

[latino277]

I have been running my hob overflow for 4 yrs now and never had a problem. I clean it out once a month and it runs fine. I have heard that the CPR units have a bad track record so I would stay away from those.
just make sure that the pump you get pushs out a little less water than you overflow can handle. Ie. if you over flow is rated at 600gph you should only be putting 575 gph or less back into the tank.

 

[latino277]

just came across this:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=972974

 

[meschaefer]

When I used a overflow, I used a Liefreef overflow box and was very happy with it.