To Sump or Not To Sump?

[Chin_Lee]

100% COMPLETELY silent method of overflow is the Herbie method
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=344892
First few pages are the typical snotty skeptical RC posters who envy anybody coming up with good ideas that they haven't thought of already. But it really works. Basically water from the tank flows over the edge of your overflow as it normally would. ALL your water will go through a bulkhead at or near the bottom of your overflow. The pipe from that bulkhead into your sump will be controlled by a gate valve (IMPORTANT MUST USE GATE VALVE (not ball valve) which is more money but its a MUST HAVE). Once you have water running through tank and sump, (and now making lots of noise because the water is getting drained into that one bulkhead) you start dialing (slowly) the gate valve close until the water flow into the tank equals the flow from tank into sump. The water flow will then become dead silent and you can control the level of the water in your overflow with the gate valve. But you will need a fail safe plan in the event that a fish or something clogs up your gate valve and causes water in your tank to rise. Thats why you will need two bulkhead drains in your overflow. The second one will have a pipe that is extended in the overflow to about 2" below tank water level. In the event that the main drain gets clogged the water level will rise in the overflow and water will then drain into your backup drain. Lots of noise will be made and you will quickly be made aware of the malfunction on the first drain. You will be so shocked at how quiet this method is. I often have to check the water in the overflow to make sure the pumps are working properly.

Heres a link to more info on the other durso methods if you don't like complete silence and rather use a method that makes more noise.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...pic=69372&st=0