Plumbing Question. No Overflow Box

[KSReefing]

Hello all. Quick question for all you plumbing people out there. I am building a frag tank system where I want to use a 20 gallon long for the frag tank and use a 55 gallon as a sump. I plan on using this as only a frag tank and want to use the 55 just to help increase water volume to the tank.

My question is can I drill the 20 long and use a bulkhead with a strainer instead of an overflow box? I have the drill bits for a 1 1/2 drain and 3/4 return or vice versa. If I drilled it with 3/4 for the drain and return would there be an issue? Also trying to decide what pump I would need as well for that combination. And it would be traveling 4-5 feet from sump to return.

 

[KJAG]

You can run your system as described but you'll reap zero benefits of any sort of surface skimming and there is a higher flood risk with your proposed system than with one of an overflow box and at least two standpipes.

 

[ECOKid]

Www.Glass-holes.com

 

[Heliarc19]

Yes you would be fine to use the bulkhead w/ strainer, just drill the hole centered at your desired water level like on commercial/lfs tanks.

 

[Engloid]

Or just drill it a couple inches below the water surface and turn an elbow upwards. You can roll it or change out the length of pvc in it to adjust your water level. It will also give you surface skimming.

 

[Skydvr]

Definately second the addition of a backup drain.

 

[KSReefing]

Thanks for the responses!

 

[dbl]

I know you're using a 55 as the sump, just make sure you leave enough room in the sump in case of a power outage/pump failure. Display will drain to the lowest point of the strainer.

 

[AlexG]

It will work but I would recommend a large overflow drain size. 1" or better yet 1.5" for the drain would be best as it handles clogs better and just has more volume which can help if you increase the flow of the return pump. A threaded strainer can be used or you can purchase an overflow like and H20 overflow or build a DIY overflow like I did

 

[nano reef]

We were planning on plumbing a 72 gallon bowfront we just got with an overflow box and today I saw a 36 gallon bowfront with absolutely everything for 100.00 Same black stand just smaller. I got to thinking My frags will look very tiny and the tank will look bare beside rock until I get growth so I bought the 36 gallon to use for a year or two and just save the other, or might just flip this new one. The 36 has no overflow. It just plubed from the back with bulkhead and 2 holes. How dangerous is this not having an overflow box? If I had a flood would it just be the 10 gallon sump or 36 tank? Any easy modifications I can make? Would i Have a syphon if power wet out. Realizing now, maybe I rushed into this but know its worth 300 hundred or more so can flip. It has an ato, several powerheads a big cobalt heater, sump, nice big skimmer, current orbit led( not sure if one is enough, if that's the case I will just flip) red sea refractometer , sand, pump, a phosphate reactor, tons of marine and coral books. Do yall think I should keep skimmer and flip, or modify it and put to use for a year or so,keep it like it is because its in a tiled room and may only flood 10 gallons..haha. If its not an easy modify. I am a newbie and have never had a sump, or drilled tank, just HOB.

 

[Skydvr]

....The 36 has no overflow. It just plumbed from the back with bulkhead and 2 holes. How dangerous is this not having an overflow box? If I had a flood would it just be the 10 gallon sump or 36 tank? .....

I'd recommend starting a new thread with this question and adding some pictures of the 36 with the drains. This is a three year old thread and your question is likely to get lost as people comment on the original post.

It isn't the overflow box that makes the system safe, it is redundancy and backups that act as fail-safes if a drain gets clogged or an intake strainer gets covered by an anemone, detached soft coral, snail, dead fish, etc. Running two drains should be safe enough, but to keep the system quiet, it is likely that they will both be throttled back, not leaving much room for surges or the capacity of one line to take over if the other gets clogged. I'd prefer to add a third line a little higher with a much larger diameter that will be able to take full flow of the pump on its own and will be noisy when it does start diverting flow to help alert you of the issue. Based on all that you got with it, I would assume it was set up for a while. Maybe reach out to the person you got it from to find out how long it was set up and if they ever had any issues with it overflowing or flooding. Did they run it with both drains full open? Was it quiet run like that?

You can also run some tests with fresh water somewhere that it won't be an issue if you overflow the tank (outside or in a bathtub). Try plugging a drain and see what happens. Would you notice if one drain gets plugged? What happens if one drain gets plugged and you don't notice before the other starts getting restricted or the strainer gets covered?

 

[EdsonReefer]

Yes you can, I use the surface skimming strainer screens and have no issues

 

[ericd545]

It will work but I would recommend a large overflow drain size. 1" or better yet 1.5" for the drain would be best as it handles clogs better and just has more volume which can help if you increase the flow of the return pump. A threaded strainer can be used or you can purchase an overflow like and H20 overflow or build a DIY overflow like I did

Hey I know this is from a long time ago, but I watched this and your vid of you testing it in a bucket… I have a setup where I’m trying to do something similar. I’m new to the whole plumbing aspect, so I was just wondering, do I absolutely need the emergency one, and is the main one siphon or does it just sorta flow in there? Thanks!

also, I guess I should add that I’m not drilling anything at all, and no sump. I’m trying something super unique that I can’t fully share yet, but basically my overflow pipe is going to be concealed in a rock pillar, and my return pump location is going to be in a separate waterproof compartment on one end of the tank. The return nozzles are going to be concealed in a rock structure as well. Sorry that’s all confusing but I’m basically asking can I simply have an overflow that is just like what you built, and have that go to the return pump area? Would it need to be a siphon setup or could I just have the water drain into it non siphoning… thanks