I have a few threads inquiring about different issues with my project and it's progress/setbacks. I decided to start a new thread that will serve as a journal and help with troubleshooting it.

This is the 1" overflow I have built(at least 2/3 of it).



The issue I am having with it now is when there is water flowing in it air is getting into the siphon tube which is slowing the flow. I let the siphon tube sit with water in it all night and no air got into it so I know that it is air tight. The inlet of the overflow sits about 1 7/16" below the waterline and it starts to overflow at roughly 300 GPH (EDIT: I remeasured it as 360 GPH). As far as I know a 1" pipe should be able to handle 375 GPH. There is a slight tornado effect at times and other times it has what looks like a waterfall effect on the inlet. I am open to suggestions as to what to do.

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75 Gallon Planted

Good luck with this I am really interested in how it turns out. what are you doing to fill the tank?

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Tank
125g african cichlids making it work
75g rimless Reef in progress

I am planning on using a CA 1800 as a return from two 12.5 gallon Sterilite tubs that I am going to plumb together. I am estimating that the sump will hold 12-16 gallons of water give or take.

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75 Gallon Planted

I just remembered the other thing I was going to ask about... How do I get rid of that awful smell from the PVC cement that is lingering in the overflow? After about a day of letting it cure I leak tested the overflow and I about choked to death on the fumes when I started the siphon on the U-Tube. I can't imagine the fumes will be good for the fish, and dont't care to leave it to chance.

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75 Gallon Planted

Here is the completed overflow. The only thing to do now is figure out how to leak test the thing being as it is 30" long and I don't have a bucket that big.

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75 Gallon Planted

You can get a puller air pump to vacate the air. How does this thing go wherever it's going? Doesn't seem attractive to be hanging in a tank. What size tank?

At this point I think I am going to have to get an Aqualifter. As far as the overflow going in the tank, I am putting it in a 75 gallon tank and the only thing that will be visible is the two intakes. They will be painted black against a dark blue background. I put them in the tank briefly to see what it looks like and they only go about 1/2 way into the tank, plus its a planted tank so it will be mostly hidden from view. This is a work in progress for sure. I have been able to test the flow rate and it appears to be good so far but without having the Aqualifter I am not certain.
I have been talking to the guy who designed this version and he says that his 3/4" version gets the maximum flow possible with the Aqualifter attached to it.
This is what my tank looks like right now. As you can see there quite a few plants in it to hide the overflow.

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75 Gallon Planted

After I completed the overflow I decided not to use it and that I needed to make a taller one. I am still keeping the same design, but instead of the tubes being 8" tall I made them 15" tall. As I continued to research DIY PVC overflows I found that the taller they are the more flow they get. Also, The completed one was not completely straight and I am super anal about right angles.

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75 Gallon Planted

How much more cost until you add up to a CS90 from CPR Aquatics?

It only cost me roughly $15 to make. The site is updating now so I can't veiw prices, but I can only guess that would cost $100. I still saved 70% and it works just as well.

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75 Gallon Planted

How come this tank was never entered into the Tank of the Month?

I guess I felt it didn't measure up to the occasion. Besides, I need to prune and clean it still.

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75 Gallon Planted

Looks good to me. Basically similiar to my "beaslbob traps" or pvc overflows.

I do put the Overflow section higher which traps more water in the "u" trap during power outages.

I also just used the return pump or power heads to form a venturi to suck out the air in the hob siphon part.

But overall basically the same design.

And yes I do get the pvc cement smell. But it did no seem to affect the fish or corals in my mixed reef marine system.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

I haven't been working on it to much lately but i did check the seal on my airline that starts the siphon on one side of the overflow this morning to find that when I siliconed it yesterday not only did I get silicone in the airline but the freaking thing leaks air. I resiliconed it this morning and now I have to wait again for it to cure. Hopefully it will be leak free this time, otherwise I am going to test how it holds up against a hammer.

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75 Gallon Planted

I got my CA 1800 pump ordered the other day. Hopefully it will be here by Friday. I need to complete my overflow before then so I can test the overflow's ability to keep up with the pump. I don't foresee it being an issue but it's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are dealing with 15 gallons of water possibly going onto your floor.

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75 Gallon Planted

If this is on the over the side part what I do is use rigid air line tubing, drill a tight fitting hole in the pvc, and glue in place with epoxy plastic weld.

Just a thought

Worth at most .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

I actually fixed that last week. I resiliconed the airline that I am using and it's fine now. I thought about using Polyethylene(I think that's what it's called) but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get connectors to attach to it.

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75 Gallon Planted

You're just too quick for me then.

Glad it's working.

.02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

I just had a thought, is there any media I should put in my sump as well as the filter mesh bio media and occasional charcoal? I am using unconventional filter media because I am cheap. Currently I am planning on using a floor buffer pad as the mesh to strain out larger stuff like fish food and other larger particles, Quilt batting for the smaller particles, Nylon scrub pads for the wet/dry bio media and occasionally charcoal for any other chemicals that may contaminate my tank.

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75 Gallon Planted

I used a wastbasket with the bottom cut out and replaced by a window screen on my 55g mixed reef marine system. for filter material I used crushed oyster shells with a screen then red lancscape lava rocks on the screen. that was to spread out the water going into the shells and the screen prevent the rocks from sinking onto the shells.

But that was also for a marine system and did increase calcium. Perhaps not the best idea for a fw tank.

You could try pond stores. they have some unique ideas.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden