Ive heard that these U-tube type overflows don't flow as well as the cpr weir types, but to be honest 900 gph is 900 gph. This thing works wonderfully, it is well constructed out of thick acrylic and was an easy install. Ive been using it for 2 months straight now and have not had to re prime the u tubes at all. excelent system.
After fishkeeping for almost a decade, 8 of those years with saltwater, I decided to finally go the sump layout instead of canister filters and tons of other equipment in my tanks. Since I did not feel comfortable drilling my tanks, I decided this was the best route. When I got this in the mail I found the packaging decent. No broken items, no missing pieces. I found the instructions to be very lacking, and determined that this product was aimed for those that already knew what they were doing. After figuring out sort of what I was doing, I started to put it together on the tank, however was left with a few extra pieces compared to what the item looks like in the picture. I had an extra Utube, and these two pieces of sponge that did not look like they went anywhere. When it came to start the siphon, it was a pain in the butt. The only way I can think of doing it, is to insert a piece of small hose (like airline tubing) into the top of the U, place on the overflow, and suck the air out. When the air is removed it should start flowing on it's own. Pull out the hose WITHOUT lifting the U-tube or letting air back in, or you will have an air bubble trapped in the top of the tube, or break the siphon and have to start over again. I have tested the device against power and pump failures and this does a great job. If your power goes out, the siphon does stop, and will resume no problem when power is restored and the pump is back on.
The quality of the acrylic could be better.. I cracked the top of one of them when putting on the bulkhead and had very little pressure on it. I was able to fix it but was very disappointed when it happened as it set me back another day trying to get this setup running.
Also, please remember to use pipe dope on the bulkhead thread when assembling or you will have leaks.
Speaking of the bulkhead, since there were no specifications on how to go to the bulkhead (like what fits, what doesn't, etc) to the sump, I took one with me and headed over to home depot. Both me and the associate there were trying to find pieces that fit with no luck, until I was finally able to come up with a concoction of adapters, then used hose. After setting it up, I found out that I restricted the lines too much and had to dial down my return pump until I purchased new bulkheads. If I would have known ahead of time that regular 1'' PVC fit on the inside of that bulkhead I would have saved tons in various plumbing parts and headaches.
So, now it is up and running and working, I am pleased. However the lack of literature with the product really jaded my experience.
Pro's
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Does the job
Resumes nicely after pump/power failures
When tweaked it is pretty quiet
Came with extra parts for, well I don't know
Con's
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Lack of literature, specifications, directions.
Weak acrylic
For what it is and the simplicity of it, price could reflect that a lot better
A lot of tweaking to get it running properly
Not really for beginners.
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I am running a total of 4 of these on 2 of my larger tanks (180 w/75g fuge, and 220 w/55g fuge) and they work great! We've lost power a couple times and once the power comes back on they start right back up! Quality made, very good product, I recommend these overflows to those who don't want to drill their tank!!!
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purchased for my 90 gallon tank, 1 of the U-tubes is nice and smooth and the other has bubbles on the inside from when it was heated and bent into a U, this makes those areas much weaker and doesn't allow for a perfect flow cause small bubbles get trapped there and then accumulate. Another problem is the cheap plastic screws that connect the inner overflow to the outer box, they easily strip when hand tightening which will cause the inner overflow box to either come up or down which will cause a catastrophe. The other problem I had was the noise, no matter what I did I couldn't get it to be quite, lots of gurgling sounds and lastly is there is no set up instructions. I rated a 2 because I know it could potentially be a good product but not without lots of tweaking and they have to improve the quality and add some instructions or even a link to a (how to) video. For now I'm not using it so it's just $70 bucks gathering dust.
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PROS: it does what it suppose to with quality materials. easy to install, worked like a charm!
Cons: the reason it was not 5 stars is that the holes in the black overflow box were just TOO big! my fish constantly swan in and died. Not just little fish, I lost a discus fish! I will have to mod the box to allow the water to flow, but prevent fish from going in.
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I ordered this my first aquarium. First, it came with no light. The description says it comes with a light bulb. I have called the manufacturer, and will update after I talked to them. Second, it didn't say this is was only for one fish. I wish it has said that in the description. Thirdly, it looked really cheap..but I guess what did I expect for $15. Well, I did expect a light in it.
