Amiracle vs. Lifereef Is there a difference

[friedenmeister]

is there any difference between the amiracle and lifereef overflow boxes? thanks,
fried

[friedenmeister]

bump

[WeEmbalmU]

IMHO the lifereef boxs are top of the line, I have been using one for some time. I live near the coast where we get frequent power outs and I have never had the box not start right back up again.

[jan_dman]

yeah the craftmanship is incredible but as for peformance not much on the overflow but skimmer no comparison

[boyooso]

I belive the amiracle has two design flaws.

First there is a hole in the bottom of one side. It is about 1cm. They give a plug to plug it and say that it is necessary for their manufacturing.

Second, If for whatever reason the screws holding the skim box to the out of the tank part losen too much the skim box will fall off. I would prefer a that skimbox attach with holes rather than slits that don't provide an absolute safety.

With that said, I drilled a hole in the skim box and back part, and the plug for the hole doesn't leak. And the unit does not lose siphon at all.

HTH

[RasBobre]

I have to say, I know absolutely nothing about Amiracle, but I have been using Jeff's LiveReef's sumps for years, and I believe that nothing could be them.

[seaspook]

i have two lifereef overflows and a amiricle i got used and have never used.

the biggest difference i noticed is the U tubes on the lifereef are a good inch longer. have never broken syphon w/ the lifereefs

alan

[CAT]

I use a lifereef overflow. Very happy with it - I've never seen an air bubble in the U-tube and I only run about 400gph through it.

[Tomzpc]

I used the amiracle boxes for years with no problem whatsoever.

[friedenmeister]

cool. any other comments?

[superstein61]

I am trying to decide whether its worth it to spend more than double on a Lifereef overflow vs the Amiracle - so bumping this old thread

Seems there are only very slight differences - any updated comments / experience?

is the only real difference the length of the U tube?

Both look like you can adjust the height difference between boxes - correct?

Will both handle the flow of a Mag 9.5 with about 5'head and a couple 90 degree bends?

Thanks

[CAT]

I'm not familiar with the amiracle, but I'd be pretty nervous right now if it weren't for my lifereef - it's currently running a mag 5 with only 250 gph due to head (it's rated for 500 gph, I think). That's pretty slow and it's still working with no bubble in the U-tube (hence no break of siphon). The Lifereef website will tell you how much flow the different size boxes will handle.

HTH

[Saltz Creep]

There should never be a bubble in a U-tube siphon if the flow is strong. The problem with CPRs is that their siphon volume is way too large and so the velocity through it is less to give the same flow rate. With the slower velocity the micro bubbles aren't whisked away like they are using the superior U-tube designs. Eventually the bubbles in the CPR siphon start to accumulate until eventually the siphon fails. CPR's answer to this is that you buy another peice of equipment to compensate for their serious design flaw, namely that you buy a bubble-sucking powerhead (Aqualifter) which also requires a filter that must be cleaned on a regular basis.

[CAT]

Originally posted by Saltz Creep
There should never be a bubble in a U-tube siphon if the flow is strong.

Yeah, that's why I always recommend the lifereef - no air pockets, no problem, regardless of the flow. As I said, I'd be real nervous right now because my flow is so slow - but I can't raise it much because my LPS get seriously peeved with too much flow

[andy51289]

Definantly go with the Lifereef. The craftsmanship is incredible, plus you can order it in clear, black, or blue to match your background!

[Timbo]

I've never seen a lifereef overflow however I've seen plenty of beautiful acrylic creations. I have however, used the Amiracle overflow for many years before I switched to drilled tanks. In my opinion the lifreef overflow is not worth the extra cost. Any overflow will be covered in coralline algae after its in your tank for a few months, and if you bother to clean it off, you'll scratch it, whether its an amiracle or lifereef.

Save your money, both operate exactly the same. And the length of the siphon tube doesn't matter, its the height difference between the internal and external chambers that matters.