Drilled or External Overflow?

[GMGQ]

No worries man, you dont have to listen to a schmuck like me.

Lots of other posts on this thread to read.

P.S. U R # 1!

Originally Posted by gobytron

Again, with a high quality external, there is no break in siphon.

I would not use one of the ones that relies on an aqualifter, these are made to fail...

bit do some due dilligence on Life Reef, my experience is the norm and not the exception.

you sound like a guy who has never actually used one of these.

I have used drilled tanks and both the utube and aqualifter pumps and the only reason I would drill a tank would be for a closed loop because my experience with both my life reef as well as the DIY I made are reliable and gove me so much more tank to work with, though they are not fool proof and need to be set up (and constructed) appropriately.

You are spreading misinformation based on your inexperience IMO.

I wont say one is better than the other, just that they are both viable and reliable options depending on your needs.

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by GMGQ

No worries man, you dont have to listen to a schmuck like me.

Lots of other posts on this thread to read.

P.S. U R # 1!

No worries my friend.
When I am out of intellectal ammo, I often patronize people too.

[fkshiu]

There is a third way. First some clarification on terminology:

- an "external" overflow as used in this thread is more commonly known as an HOB overflow. This is the type of overflow that Lifereef makes.

- an "internal" overflow usually consists of a drilled hole or two enveloped by an internal overflow box.

There is another kiind of external overflow that involves no drilling and no u-tubes. Here's mine:


Glass is notched out of the top of the back pane and the water overflows into the attached external glass box and down to the sump via the Herbie pipes. No chance of flood, no unsightly boxes inside the aquarium, and easily Herbie-able. Does cost a bit more to build, though. My mistake is not going wider or even coast-to-coast.

[GMGQ]

Not really, I can go on forever. But like with my gf, when she's got her opinion about something, I know when to shut up.

You seem very passionate to make your point. I just dont see the need to explain my opinion any further. (i.e. water reaches hole, water goes down hole).

But maybe you're right, maybe I dont have the intellect to properly setup a HOB overflow. I guess that's why me and the majority prefer the brainless drilled method.

Listen, I have one opinion, and you have one opinion.

OP: Please google "drilled vs overflow" to see what turns up, and use that research to make your OWN educated decision. We're just canreef, what do we know, right?

Enough said.


P.S. Off topic, but I bet u the earth is flat.

Originally Posted by gobytron

No worries my friend.
When I am out of intellectal ammo, I often patronize people too.

[cale262]

I have one of each, all with herbies. One with a HOB overflow, one with an internal overflow and one with an external overflow…

• The HOB has never spilt a drop and if set up properly I can’t see how it could**, I turn my return pumps off twice a day every day at feeding times.

• The Internal is nice and fool proof, but it takes allot of realty which doesn’t look very appealing to me.

• The External is my favorite as there as there is no box in the tank, just an overflow cut into the rim of the tank with the box on the back of the tank and nothing more…

** Unless something is plugged none will overflow…IME

[Aquattro]

Thanks Brian, that's probably the most qualified answer! While my internal doesn't take up too much room, an external box would have worked better. Oh well, next tank

[lastlight]

Even if both are considered reliable I'd choose an external (not HOB) overflow anyday. No holes drilled in the tank itself and it's strictly gravity without any reliance on a siphon. Even if both are safe I'd choose the external. Better with resale too since 99% of reefers would prefer a true overflow as opposed to a tank that's not 'reef-ready'.

[cale262]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

... Oh well, next tank

LOL, thinking like this is how I ended up with 3 SW Sytems now,...Picking up number 4 this wkend so I can shut down two of them, the new one is also external overflow with some other niceties incorporated into the build.

[bigbadbrent]

This got a lot of replies, more then i could have hoped for. Thanks for the advice guys.

To get the true 'external' overflow, are they normally custom built?