Need advice for overflow idea...

[ReefRian]

I was thinking of purchasing a CPR hang on overflow box to skim the surface of my tank. I don't have a sump and don't have room for a sump, so I was thinking of running a tube/hose from the overflow drain directly to the intake of my protein skimmer pump. Will this work or is this going to be a recipe for disaster? Any one have any advice they could share with me? Thank you.

Rian

 

[Will C1]

so you are going to run the overflow into the pump for youre skimmer? if so it probably wont get enough water to work properly. or if it dosent require a pump how will you get the water back to the tank? if you use a pump you will have the same problem. youre best bet is to buy a small tank put it on the floor drain into it run youre skimmer in there and then pump it back up with a seperate pump.

 

[seahawkjohnny]

stay away from the CPR overflows, any model that requires a pump to operate will fail at some time..I would suggest lifereef, or a lifereef copy, Premium Aquatics sells one for about $50, it is designed that in the case of a power outage it wont lose its siphon, this is important because if it loses the siphon, and the power goes back on and your not there it wont work, and this will reselt in a VERY WET floor

 

[Will C1]

thats why you do a test and pull the plug on your pump to make shure youre sump can handle the excess water. as long as you keep the syphon and return close to the top of the water level you shouldent loose too much water and your sump shouldent overflow.

 

[LFS42]

Bad Idea
IMO, I would build on overflow box to place the skimmer pump into. Much like the boxes CPR makes for the Bak-Pak's.


The only thing to watch for then is water level. If it gets too low, the pump will run dry.

 

[Will C1]

why bad idea i have been running 3 tanks with a system like this for years with no problems?

 

[LFS42]

They make these neat little things things that attach to pump and they skim the top surface, Why would you want to spend the $ on the overflow box when there is a cheaper method with the same results.

 

[Will C1]

because i keep my ammonia tower and refugium there also