How to do my own HOB overflow plans?

cboberg · #1 08/14/2007, 01:08 AM

Does anyone have a good plan for building a HOB overflow. I currently own a Tom's Aquaic HOB overflow with an aqua lifter pump and I am not very impressed. My return has a ball valve on it but it seems to fill my tank faster then overflow starts to prime. I have tryed every adjustment but I simply don't trust the Toms HOB.

Tank Specs- 135 Gallon Reef with 55 Gallon Sump

Please help me before my wife comes home to me shop vacing water from the carpet.

Thanks,

Chad

reefnetworth · #2 08/14/2007, 01:34 AM

www.melevsreef.com has all you need. now get back to vacing. hey! adjust the valve going into the tank to almost closed. allow it to completely fill and lower it by slowly opening the valve until the water level is at the desired depth. its frustrating at first but you'll get it. just remember reef=patience.

cboberg · #3 08/14/2007, 01:50 AM

Thanks for the site. I checked out the plans...

hahnmeister · #4 08/14/2007, 03:17 AM

I can make a plan for you. HOB for 135g is pretty hard... thats an upper extreme for a HOB skimmer.

I would do a tall (6-12" taller than your tank), 6" diameter recirc skimmer... something that stands on the floor next to the tank, with the input for the skimmer at the top (counter current design), and then the standpipe coming back up to overflow back into the tank. You could use an oceanrunner 3700 needlewheel pump for about 20scfh on that diameter body at that height... a good amount... and with all that height... a very low turbulence as well by the time the bubbles reach the top.

lavith · #5 08/19/2007, 08:50 AM

I don't know how many DIY HOB overflow plans melev has on his site but i knwo the one (similar to CPR design) he has on the site doesn't work well.

Consider something similar to below picture. There's a nylon nut so that you can adjust water surface skimmer box inside the tank up and down thus controlling water level in the display tank. There's no need to use aqualifter pump you have to use to start the siphon.

U tube doesn't really collect bubble (the main reason overflow breack and/or flow reduce) if the flow through the U tube is high enough to push all the bubbles out of the tube.

There's no problem to use HOB overflow for 135G tank. Just size it accordingly. For more inforamtion: http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html

Image copyright LifeReef

lavith · #6 08/19/2007, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahnmeister
I can make a plan for you. HOB for 135g is pretty hard... thats an upper extreme for a HOB skimmer.

I would do a tall (6-12" taller than your tank), 6" diameter recirc skimmer... something that stands on the floor next to the tank, with the input for the skimmer at the top (counter current design), and then the standpipe coming back up to overflow back into the tank. You could use an oceanrunner 3700 needlewheel pump for about 20scfh on that diameter body at that height... a good amount... and with all that height... a very low turbulence as well by the time the bubbles reach the top.

I think you got mixed up with the overflow and skimmer.

NanoBen · #7 08/19/2007, 01:51 PM

i suggest drilling the tank if you could

lakee911 · #8 08/19/2007, 01:57 PM

k, what are ya'll talkin' about? Skimmers or HOB overflows?

Thx
Jason

hahnmeister · #9 08/19/2007, 10:59 PM

oops, sorry... HOB overflow. Thats what I get for staying up late.