overflow/sump questions...
 

hi... i'm not sure if these questions have been asked before. i did a search and was unsucessful. anyways... here are my questions.

1. what size overflow box should i purchase for a 33 gal tank??

2. what size return pump should i purchase for a 33 gal tank??

i'm guessing that the flow rate of the overflow box and the pump should be similar, if not the exact same.

i'm planning on just setting up a sump so that i can move our skimmer and heater down to the bottom of the stand (out of sight).

also... what other questions should i be asking if i wanted to set this up.

thanks in advance.

-scorpion

The overflow should be able to handle more flow than the pump can deliver, but should not be excessivly larger. If the pump can out do the overflow, you need to gate down the flow from the pump to prevent overflilling the tank. I'm not sure how much flow you want, but something in the order of 300- 400 gph would probably be good for your 33. Keep in mind that a pump rated for 300 gph will flow less than that once you add in the head loss in the plumbing. Figure out you plumbing layout, then determine the loss. That will give you an idea of what pump will work. ReefCentral has some good calculators on their site, and I'm sure there are others too.

my plumbing layout will be very simple. just one pipe going down from the overflow to the sump. and another pipe going up from the pump to the tank.

i'm planning on also installing valves to each pump.... just in case we need to dismantle the plumbing.