Anyone using a DIY pipe overflow?

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I don't understand this design. Do you have an exemple in pics?

So I guess the only disaster scenario is if air gets inside and it lose syphon? then it wont work and the water coming from the sump is going to overflow the tank. I guess putting the pump high enough so not as much water can be sucked if it overflow is a good practice

Looks great anyway. on a 15 gallons nano I don't want to drill or put anything in the tank beside the pump and that overflow pipe. It really look good with only these.

OK, I took another pic, this time with the elbow in place of the cap at the end of the slotted overflow tube. You can cut the top of the elbow to get the 2nd level emergency height to whatever you want.

It doesn't matter where you place your return pump. It is the overflow design itself that regulates the water level in your tank. In my case I actually was using a canister filter, and just stuck the input hose into my sump, with the airline plumbed into the intake side. This way I could switch the input to either my tank and use it as a QT, or to the sump and use the tank as a refugium. Many ways to do it. As long as the siphon airline is connected to the intake side of the return pump, you can't go wrong.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

OK, I took another pic, this time with the elbow in place of the cap at the end of the slotted overflow tube. You can cut the top of the elbow to get the 2nd level emergency height to whatever you want.

It doesn't matter where you place your return pump. It is the overflow design itself that regulates the water level in your tank. In my case I actually was using a canister filter, and just stuck the input hose into my sump, with the airline plumbed into the intake side. This way I could switch the input to either my tank and use it as a QT, or to the sump and use the tank as a refugium. Many ways to do it. As long as the siphon airline is connected to the intake side of the return pump, you can't go wrong.

I like this design with the slotted tube & elbow as emergency. Was thinking it could even be modified by having two emergency drains. The elbow at the end of the slotted tube looks good, but what if you were to replace the 90 that the slotted tube is plumbed to with a Tee? That way the open end of the Tee would be your emergency. Might be better in case the slotted tube gets plugged internally. In that scenario, your elbow at the end of the slotted tube wouldn't help. Anyhow, you could do both & have double protection.

[intarsiabox]

[quote=daniella3d;668817]What I like about those pipe overflow is that they take very little space and are not so ugly as the boxed ones that are sold. I have a black tunzee one that I don't even use as I find it too ugly and if you want the water level to be high in the tank this thing need to be so high that it is really ugly. The pipe overflow is very nice and can be hidden in a beautiful home made box and the water level adjusted very presicely.
QUOTE]

Have you looked at notching the top of the glass and adding an external overflow to your tank? No ugly boxes or pipe in the tank what so ever and no space used up in the tank. I don't know if the tank is empty or not so this may or may not be an option for you.