yalls opions on overflows.....

[hansmatt]

used to run crushed argonite, but it collected way too much detritus that eventually came back to haunt me...I also like the fine stuff.

[D.J.]

thats another reason why i like the fine stuff.....so what nasty is in there the snails and crabs can get to it to eat it.....

[firsthesitation]

Agreed, I did crushed coral/argonite bed once. I had nothing but problems trying to get my levels where I wanted them and keeping it clean.

[OneDummHikk]

The only thing dual overflows do is increase the maximum flow the drains can handle. Just because the drains can handle 1200gph doesn't mean you have to pump 1200 gph through them. Dual overflows running 600gph total through both leaves a built in safety factor in case something goes wrong with one of them (blockage). It is always best to have way more drain capacity than you actually use because of that.

[hansmatt]

Originally Posted by OneDummHikk

The only thing dual overflows do is increase the maximum flow the drains can handle. Just because the drains can handle 1200gph doesn't mean you have to pump 1200 gph through them. Dual overflows running 600gph total through both leaves a built in safety factor in case something goes wrong with one of them (blockage). It is always best to have way more drain capacity than you actually use because of that.

Agreed, plus the noise of that much water is quite noticable...makes me have to pee everytime I look at the tank

[Jrmass]

I probably am not the best person to be answering this (as my tank can resemble a jacuzzi if I wanted it too with my returns) but, you may want to seriously think about the mag 12 if you do run dual OF's as like has been said before you can always tune it back to your likings. It's always better to have a bit more than you need than to have not enough and wished you had just gone and gotten more to begin with. Personally I've kinda tried to follow that strategy and gone overkill on most of the things that I've done with my setup (only thing I haven't gone overkill on is my ATO *Auto Top-Off* (which I do not even have). I still manually add my water to the tank daily (aprox 5 gallons/day which goes through the skimmer and evap).

Again it's just easier to reduce than to try to compensate with something else later (and the price difference between the Mag 9.5 vs. the Mag 12 is not significantly higher). Also another suggestion if you do or don't go with dual OF's get the Y connection for the nozzels. If you had just one OF then you can at least direct the flow in two ways or if you have Dual OF's then you can direct it in four ways (that's what I have on BOTH sets of mine *think it's a standard thing for the OF kits*) and I've even concidered getting the expansion for mine to make it into 4 off of both ways. It's just another option to look at. And seeing you don't even have the tank yet you might as well look at all the options you can find out there.

Jason

[OLDETOWNENORTHPETS]

I agree with Jason on the bigger pump. I use 1800 in my 125's and 2400's in my dual 75's/55's. You can always dial it down by putting a restrictor on. I even ran a 3600 on a single 75 gallon to see if the Megaflow could handle it. It did but the noise as was incredible. Needed to know as 1 of my duals is using a 3600 so if one tank cracked I could still use it on one side. 3600 and 2400 do raise the heat level.

[OneDummHikk]

I used a Mag18 on my 90, mainly because I had it, but it started out with a Mag12. I traded for the Mag18 and used it. I had it throttled way down because the drain still couldn't handle but 600gph. Given a choice between a mag9 and a mag12 on dual drains, it would be the mag12. As said, it gives you that extra potential if you ever need it without having to upgrade the pump and running a mag pump throttled down doesn't hurt the pump at all.

[D.J.]

i already planned on dual returns....im just undecided on the overflows.....i would like to have 2 just for the more flow and better surface skimming but i dont want to have a load tank either....im sure a 90 would easily hold duals of's but its the noise that i dont want......

ive heard a few tanks with duals that where loud and had to be muffled with sponges and a homemade top to cover them.......and ive heard duals that where super quiet......

i know ya gota play with them to make them quiet with that lil tube that goes into the return tube......

but ive got time to decide on what i want and dont want....

[OneDummHikk]

A proper overflow setup won't be noisy. Won't matter if you have 1 or 100 overflows, if they are setup properly, they won't be noisy. My 120 has dual drains in a single overflow box and not a bit of noise out of it. The main advantage of multiple drains is the built in capacity for an accidental blocking of the drain.
The main thing is how you want to aquascape it and how/where that will allow overflow boxes to be at. Whether you can have two corners, one center, a coast-to-coast or some other combination. And, you can have more than one drain in an overflow box. Same with returns. Its just a matter of having enough room for it all to fit in the box itself.

[D.J.]

what is a "coast to coast".........

[OneDummHikk]

"Coast-to-Coast" typically refers to an overflow box that runs the full width of the tank instead of partial ways of the tank. The advantage to them is the increased edge to them allowing more surface water to enter the overflow box. The drawback is that they do go all the way across the tank.

[D.J.]

k....thanks

[Sndwave80]

Everyone’s feedback seems accurate. I personally ran an overflow for several years on my 90 gal AGA tank. It was a CPR which worked great but you have to be prepared for how to restart the siphon when the power went out. Now they make a little pump or you can use a power head and hook the ventri line into the overflow. So as the return pump starts to fill your tank the power head is sucking the air out for the over flow.
If you have the funds then go with a RR either AGA or Oceanic they are really both good companies. Oceanic just happens to pay more attention the details like glass thickness and the front piece tends to be Starfire (which is just really low lead glass so it is clearer). I picked mine up my Oceanic 58RR (Tank, Stand, Canopy) from Matt @ Olde Towne Pets a few months ago and I am very happy with my purchase. Just a little more to think about.

[pogodzib]

Every type of overflow has it's purpose. End overflows are great of peninsula dividers, coast-to-coast are good for long tanks, corner overflows are (IMO) a better option than the center overflows for most tanks that are up against a wall unless you want more viewable area from the end of the tank. If I had a custom tank that is up against a wall, I'd go with a coast-to-coast overflow. I have yet to hear a single person that has it that wishes they had a standard overflow.