rr or not?

[hurtback]

my tanks are in the basement, so not being close to the wall is no big deal.
I've had the HOTB overflow for awhile now with no problems, just on the 55 gal. i guess its just a matter of what you have, what you like, what works for you. i just think that with those long black boxes inside the tank, means you have to build a lr wall to try and hide them, but the HOTB boxes hang on the inside--so ,i guess either way, your gonna have something hangin in the tank--so , these are the only ways to get water from your tank, thru a sump and back into the tank again, a HOTB overflow, or a overflow inside the tank

 

[JohnS_323]

so ,i guess either way, your gonna have something hangin in the tank--so , these are the only ways to get water from your tank, thru a sump and back into the tank again, a HOTB overflow, or a overflow inside the tank

Not really. The best of both worlds is an external overflow box. There is little chance for failure and there's nothing in the tank. The only downside is that you can't put the tank right up against the wall, which wouldn't be a problem for you.

 

[hurtback]

The best of both worlds is an external overflow box

not sure i know what that is---explain?
thanks
steve

 

[hurtback]

ok, i just googled external overflows---so alls it is is a hole drilled into the back of the tank, either flowing into a box mounted on the back of the tank, or does it go directly down into a sump? now that sounds better then a HOTB overflow---any sites that might have ' plans'?
thanks again
steve

 

[JohnS_323]

One of our members (Steve68) has fantastic site that does a great job of walking you through the steps he took to convert one of his tanks to an external overflow.

Here is the link to Steve68's DIY overflow box

HTH.

 

[hurtback]

hey thanks JohnS_323 for the link---very interesting, does sure look easy
gonna have to give it a try
thanks
steve

 

[hurtback]

hey--i just looked over that diy site again---it looks like he cut the glass also, and the overflow seems to fit into the area he cut from the tank-----i now takwe back-does sure look easy--, i'm gonna email this guy steve, i just gotta ask him some quiestions
thanks
steve

 

[JohnS_323]

Steve68 is a great guy and should be able to answer all of you questions.

Good luck.

 

[Carlo]

I have a question,

Anyone ever fill up the inside part of an overflow with live rock?
good/bad idea? just wondering

Generally speaking I'd think it's a bad idea for a number of reasons. You would be decreasing the volume in the overflow which sooner or later will probably come back to haunt you one way or another. Also the water will be pretty oxygenated in there so the bacteria population will favor breakdown of ammonia to nitrates and not do anything to help you breakdown nitrates as will normally happen when the rock is in the tank. This will skew the former bacteria population causing further problems with nitrate breakdown from the rock in the tank. Obviously this is extreme "talk" since there won't be that much rock in the overflow but non the less the effect will be the same.

The water going into the overflow is going to be high in DOCs and proteins. All this "junk" is going to make it's way inside the rock and breakdown. In effect it will become a "nitrate sponge".

Besides all the above it's going to become a detritus trap.

Carlo

 

[mladencovic]

I have a question,

Anyone ever fill up the inside part of an overflow with live rock?
good/bad idea? just wondering

...
Besides all the above it's going to become a detritus trap.
...

Specially if you use the durso standpipe.