I'm in the market for two overflow boxes to drain two tanks into a common sump. I haven't bought one of these in. . .30 years, maybe. They used to be loud and had all sorts of bubbling gurgling noises. I figured out ways to rig them so they were quieter but maybe the technology has evolved since then. Do you have recommendations? What has worked well and what has worked poorly?
What Is The Quietest Overflow?
- Thread starter Pinkey
- Start date
Part of the function of most filters it to agitate the water surface to foster gas exchange (co2 out and O in in most cases). But, a lot of the bacteria and Archaea in tanks are aerobic and cannot function without DO. So, the process works best if there is adequately oxygenated water in the sump. The easiest way to get that is when the water enters the sump which can be a bit noisy depending on the arrangement.
Sump designs can vary so that the intake may not be where the oxygen is entering the water, it may be in the areas where the water moves between different sections.
The mechanics of sump filtration matter as a poor design can result in anything from inadequate filtration to water all over one's floor.
I had planned for a sump on a 125 gal. tank. I did not want to have to drill it so I was planning to use a hang on overflow. Circumstances changed my plans and I never did the sump. But, I honestly believe I was wrong not to drill the tank. This greatly alters the intake dynamics.
Important other considerations are that the system's intake and return must be at opposite ends of the tank to insure adequate circulation of the tank water through the sump.
Finally, no matter what sort of filtration we use, it will make a bit of noise when the water returns to the tank. We can quiet this ti some extent but we must always be aware of DO levels. The only time I had fairly reduced return flow in a tank was when I had a heavily planted tank which uses pressurized CO2. I needed to keep adequate CO2 lever in the water which means reducing surface agitation. However, the plant load also created a lot of oxygen in the water which compensated for the reduction of it entering the water vial surface agitation.
Much of the noise in a sump can be minimized. Much if uut comes from the intake but not all of it. Have a read here as it may help https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/flood-proof-and-100-silent-hob-overflow.214933/
Sump designs can vary so that the intake may not be where the oxygen is entering the water, it may be in the areas where the water moves between different sections.
The mechanics of sump filtration matter as a poor design can result in anything from inadequate filtration to water all over one's floor.
I had planned for a sump on a 125 gal. tank. I did not want to have to drill it so I was planning to use a hang on overflow. Circumstances changed my plans and I never did the sump. But, I honestly believe I was wrong not to drill the tank. This greatly alters the intake dynamics.
Important other considerations are that the system's intake and return must be at opposite ends of the tank to insure adequate circulation of the tank water through the sump.
Finally, no matter what sort of filtration we use, it will make a bit of noise when the water returns to the tank. We can quiet this ti some extent but we must always be aware of DO levels. The only time I had fairly reduced return flow in a tank was when I had a heavily planted tank which uses pressurized CO2. I needed to keep adequate CO2 lever in the water which means reducing surface agitation. However, the plant load also created a lot of oxygen in the water which compensated for the reduction of it entering the water vial surface agitation.
Much of the noise in a sump can be minimized. Much if uut comes from the intake but not all of it. Have a read here as it may help https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/flood-proof-and-100-silent-hob-overflow.214933/
Wow. I'm impressed at your internet organization that you could find a relevant post from 2009. I had never thought about aeration within the sump portion of the system. Fortunately, in this case, I have a highly aerated system with a venturi air injector before an 8' rise above tank level and 16' of cascading 4" aquaponic PVC pipes. I have two 125g tanks sharing water where one drains into the other. I'm upgrading the lower (by 1") tank to a 180g so it will no longer be the lower tank. I think the easiest way to maintain failsafes is to add a sump reservoir which doesn't need to function as a filter at all. The tanks will always have the same water levels. I will be able to split the water after the venturi injector between the aquaponic tubes and the remaining 125g tank so both will be highly aerated. What I don't need is any more noise. I've spent years reducing the volume of what is, in effect, a waterfall in my living room. I've finally created an account on MFK because of the link you just posted. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found the link helpful! Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into your system—especially with the venturi injector and cascading setup providing plenty of aeration. Upgrading the lower tank to a 180g and adding a sump reservoir sounds like a solid plan for maintaining failsafes while keeping the water levels stable.
I’ve been thinking about finally setting up a sump for my 90 gal—do you think drilling is still worth it over a HOB overflow, even with some of the newer silent designs like the one you linked?