75g Build - Sump/HOB Overflow help

[AmaleeC]

Hello everyone! I‘be owned a Waterbox 20 for about 5 months now and I LOVE that thing! I decided to upgrade and got a 75g tank, stand, and sump for free!
I’m trying to set it up, but am having trouble figuring out the plumbing needed for my sump though...
Also, I believe the HOB overflow is missing pieces. I was told it’d be an eshopps, but found out it’s actually a CS102. I’m not sure which pieces it’s missing, and could be wrong. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Mhart032]

If i remember correctly there should be a U type plastic tube that creates the syphon.

 

[Mhart032]

an aqua lifter pump was needed to make sure the syphon did break. its not a very good setup tbh i used one on my very first tank a 40gal stretch hex heck 15 years ago.

 

[AmaleeC]

an aqua lifter pump was needed to make sure the syphon did break. its not a very good setup tbh i used one on my very first tank a 40gal stretch hex heck 15 years ago.

Should I just go with an eshopps pf300? I know everything eventually breaks, but I want this overflow to last me as long as possible..

 

[Mhart032]

Well if im being honest with you.. I would not use the tank unless i had to.. With a HOB overflow its a matter of when.. There is no protection against flooding the house. if the syphon brakes then your return would continue to pump water into the tank, as the sump empties the auto to off will continue to fill the tank. I had that happen 3 times before i finally said no more and bought a drilled tank with overflow which was my first deep sea aquatics neo 90gal,

 

[Mhart032]

a 75 gal is a pretty regular tank size so you could prob get away with just finding a tank. Or if its non-tempered glass you can drill and do a proper overflow.

 

[lpsouth1978]

If the 75 is not tempered, I would drill it and use an Eshopps Eclipse L overflow. It is really easy to drill a tank and you can find out if the glass is tempered using a pair of polarized glasses and a laptop.

 

[AmaleeC]

There is no protection against flooding the house. if the syphon brakes

I‘ll have to check with some polarized glasses if it’s tempered or glass... But as of rn, there’s a bright orange sticker on the bottom that says, “TEMPERED GLASS”. So idk if I wanna ignore the sticker, do the test and risk it or give up on this setup as a whole. Maybe I could try a canister filter?

 

[AmaleeC]

so you could prob get away with just finding a tank.

I’d hate to give up on this one, but if I really don’t have any other solutions I guess I’ll have to look into that

 

[Mhart032]

You can use it, thats up to you, you can put float switches in place in the tank that if the water gets over a certen hight it can shut the pump off.. but lets give this some thought.. your going to put a ton of hard work to get this setup, do rock work and plumbing get everything setup, stock it with everything you want, you may never have an issue, but you might and once you clean up all that water once or twice, possibly lose livestock and all that. you will never have the piece of mind that you can rely on it, that was my biggest issue. again you could set it up and never have an issue. but i think you should know what is possible prior to setup, because it is a lot of work. mind you its fun work but alot of it.

 

[torresj36]

I have a 75 with a HOB overflow. If you are going to go this route I would suggest the use of a DC adjustable speed pump to help "tune" the overflow and return rates. The HOB that you have pictured is incomplete and you will have to purchase a new one. I would suggest the Marine Depot OF-1200 as this model self starts in the event of power outage or maintenance as long as you do not remove the U tubes. This is what I use and in close to 2 years I have not had any issues. The weir box is adjustable for water height and it has two bulkheads. I use one as an emergency drain should the first one get clogged. Having said all of that if I had to do it all over again I would drill the back of the tank and use the Marine Depot Elite overflow in medium or equivalent. Most 75 gallons are tempered on the bottom only but do not take my word for it without checking. At the moment my reef is stable and I do not want to destabilize just to drill the tank. Secondly if I do take it down I hope that it is because I am upgrading. As stated, I have not had any issues with my current setup, however, i can not say that i don't have the lingering worry that something will go wrong. Drill your tank if you can and have the peace of mind. If you can't or do not feel comfortable go with the Marine Depot unit. That is my 2 cents. Enjoy the hobby.

 

[AmaleeC]

I think I’m going to take the risk and just make sure someone from one of the nearby SW stores comes and installs everything so it’s noise free. Unfortunately, it’ll cost a little more. But it’ll still be less than a whole new tank.

 

[torresj36]

DesertReefT4r......I just found this thread where he took a 75 and drilled it. That is what I should have done.

 

[AmaleeC]

DesertReefT4r......I just found this thread where he took a 75 and drilled it. That is what I should have done.

What a beautiful build! I’m going to save it. Too bad I can’t drill my tank

 

[Marc2952]

Well if im being honest with you.. I would not use the tank unless i had to.. With a HOB overflow its a matter of when.. There is no protection against flooding the house. if the syphon brakes then your return would continue to pump water into the tank, as the sump empties the auto to off will continue to fill the tank. I had that happen 3 times before i finally said no more and bought a drilled tank with overflow which was my first deep sea aquatics neo 90gal,

It depends im currently using an eshopps pf-1000 that has two u tubes and drains. I use the herbie method and its pretty safe. Only thing i suggest is paint the u tubes black or cover it from light because they will start to clog from algae due to the light.