quick opinions on new sump/refurgium....not sure yet...

[riggs2k]

i am plain sick and tired of the sight of machines in my tank!!! sorry...had to get it out....lol :lol:
i just put a 5 gal under m 40 gal , mainly to be able to pump the h20 from main tank to bottom back to main, and in the process use it as a filter or maybe a refugium....not sure yet....
i am aware this setup is not safe ( two equal powerheads- ne intake from maintank and another output back to tank) because if one fails = major flooding possibility. which is why i am shopping for a overflow box for the next couple of days. Are the overflow boxes THat effective and do they have any effects that could cause problems?(suction, gpm??) i understand the way it works...but i'm sceptical of it's reliability...
i've never used one of these and before jumping on one, i wanted to run it by you guys....thanks :coolbeans:

[Condiman]

Well I know the feeling it is so nice to get rid of all that nasty equipment. As for the reliability of the overflow. As long as you keep the tube where the water goes threw clean and clear of algae and you have enough water flow threw it you should not have a problem with it overflowing. I think my tank did it twice in the past 6 years. But that was due to my negligence.

[redleader]

overflow boxes are the only "good" alternative for aquaria without overflow bulk heads. I've had one for a year now, and never had any problem with it. I actually use one overflow box with two siphon tubes for a flow rate of +-1800 g/h. They do just fine, and never lost prime. Never had a "suction accident".

Just specify to your LFS dealer the flow rate you're planing to have, and he/she will recomend the right size. Alway have a bit more flow rate capacity than your pump. :)