Looking at an siphon overflow box...

Scorchx1245 · Jun 7, 2018

Been researching and I've heard great things about this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ2575K/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1

I can't drill my 40g breeder due where my tank is located, space, etc....I really want to drill but my apartment door doesn't make lugging the aquarium up and down the stairs easy( we actually used a rope and straps and lifted up 4 stories.) Since are "elevator" barely fits a wheelchair. Condos smh... anyways any onow of this is a good deal and if it will work for my 15g sump?

Crabs McJones · Jun 7, 2018

Scorchx1245 said:
Been researching and I've heard great things about this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ2575K/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1

I can't drill my 40g breeder due where my tank is located, space, etc....I really want to drill but my apartment door doesn't make lugging the aquarium up and down the stairs easy( we actually used a rope and straps and lifted up 4 stories.) Since are "elevator" barely fits a wheelchair. Condos smh... anyways any onow of this is a good deal and if it will work for my 15g sump?

I used this exact same overflow for 2 years on my 40 breeder. It never broke siphon, and for the most part it was good to me. The only issue I ran into with it was that it can be noisy if you don't modify the drain pipe. On a single overflow I don't recommend a gate valve or anything like that because if it clogs, then you got water everywhere, what I did with mine was the standpipe mod. Another user here @jsker just did the exact same mod on his overflow.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d...pe-wow-what-a-difference.402227/#post-4802291

Retro Reefer · Jun 7, 2018

That’s the right size for your 40 Breeder the pf-300 is rated up to 300 GPH.. although I think it’s a good deal at $65 you may be able to do better on the price I just purchased the same one last weekend for $48 free shipping from dr. Foster & Smith with a coupon they had running.

Scorchx1245 · Jun 7, 2018

Oh man thanks man I'll keep an eye out!

cracker · Jun 7, 2018

I used hob overflows for yrears never had one fail .

DesertReefT4r · Jun 7, 2018

Doing aquairum maintenance I have seen many HOB overflows loose syphon and cause a flood. I did use an old Seaclear hob overflow on my first tanks. It never failed on me but did come close a few times. I dont trust them.

Retro Reefer · Jun 8, 2018

DesertReefT4r said:
Doing aquairum maintenance I have seen many HOB overflows loose syphon and cause a flood. I did use an old Seaclear hob overflow on my first tanks. It never failed on me but did come close a few times. I dont trust them.

I would agree that anyone unable or to lazy to preform their own tank maintenance should probably avoid HOB’s.. that being said in the 35 years of reefing it’s the only thing I have ever used and have never had a failure.. Just do a quick search of this forum and you will find countless instances of drilled overflows failing so they are not bulletproof either..

Water Dog · Jun 8, 2018

Most failures are a result of that prefilter sponge in the external part of the box getting clogged. Get rid of that and replace it with a Stockman standpipe. Prior to having a drilled tank, I ran an HOB overflow with a Stockman standpipe with no issues for many years.

Pntbll687 · Jun 8, 2018

Scorchx1245 said:
Been researching and I've heard great things about this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ2575K/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1

I can't drill my 40g breeder due where my tank is located, space, etc....I really want to drill but my apartment door doesn't make lugging the aquarium up and down the stairs easy( we actually used a rope and straps and lifted up 4 stories.) Since are "elevator" barely fits a wheelchair. Condos smh... anyways any onow of this is a good deal and if it will work for my 15g sump?

If you're into DIY stuff, you can make one yourself for about $20.

I built one of these for my 29g tank. I siliconed the outside pipe to the bottom of the tank.

Retro Reefer · Jun 8, 2018

Water Dog said:
Most failures are a result of that prefilter sponge in the external part of the box getting clogged. Get rid of that and replace it with a Stockman standpipe. Prior to having a drilled tank, I ran an HOB overflow with a Stockman standpipe with no issues for many years.

The prefilter sponge is my favorite part of HOB’s, for me it adds a extra layer of mechanical filtration before my sump and keeps critters and crud from clogging my down flow pipe.. I just keep a couple extra sponges on hand and change them out every few weeks just like doing filter sock maintenance and if any additional cleaning is needed it takes less than 5 minutes to pull my complete over flow system down pipe and all and take it outside for a complete and thorough scrubbing with the garden hose.. The biggest issue I have seen with HOB’s is the “U” tube becoming air locked if there isn’t sufficient flow through the system to keep air bubbles from being trapped inside the tube.

Water Dog · Jun 8, 2018

Retro Reefer said:
The prefilter sponge is my favorite part of HOB’s, for me it adds a extra layer of mechanical filtration before my sump and keeps critters and crud from clogging my down flow pipe.. I just keep a couple extra sponges on hand and change them out every few weeks just like doing filter sock maintenance and if any additional cleaning is needed it takes less than 5 minutes to pull my complete over flow system down pipe and all and take it outside for a complete and thorough scrubbing with the garden hose.. The biggest issue I have seen with HOB’s is the “U” tube becoming air locked if there isn’t sufficient flow through the system to keep air bubbles from being trapped inside the tube.

I found the sponge to be the cause of the slow down of flow as it gets clogged over time, leading to air build up in the U-tube and potential loss of siphon. It was so inconsistent with how quickly it clogged up that it led to inconsistencies with my sump levels with the fluctuation of flow due to the clogging. Here is a thread from last year where I chimed in where someone was experiencing exactly what I am referring to with the sponge issue.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sump-overflow-issue.296231/#post-3621629

Retro Reefer · Jun 8, 2018

The density of the prefilter foam would play a huge part in how quickly it clogs.. I always use a very open cell type of foam just like the pf-300 comes with, if someone is quickly clogging this type prefilter they probably need to be addressing other issues within their system.

AlexStinson · Jun 8, 2018

I used a similar one on my 40, but I got the version with 2 siphon pipes. I then drilled holes in the top of each one, and glued in a port for 1/4" tubing. Ran each of those through a toms aqualifter pump that went back into the front of the overflow. 1 siphon could handle all my flow so 2 was redundant with added redundancy from the pumps in case of power outages etc. It was also nice that I never had to prime them after install or cleanings.