Overflows

bdobosz

.....................
Jan 2, 2005
153
0
0
49
This may qualify as the dumb question of the day, but what are tank overflows?

I noticed them on some of the larger aquariums at the pet store this past weekend but didn’t really see how they worked.
 
Overflows tank water from your tank and drian it down a tube into a sump. A sump is where you keep your heater, and it acks as a filter for your tank. This is a simple explation becasue its nothing you need to worry about for a freshwater tank. If you still want to know more about them why not doa google search :)
 
Excuse me? Why are overflows nothing to do with a FW tank? I use them routinely.

An overflow or constant-level siphon maintains a steady level in the primary tank by transferring water to a sump or extra tank housing much or all of the gadgetry needed for tanks - heaters, filters, thermometers, pumps, etc. It can make the display appear "simpler" and neater by having all the "works" hidden in an extra tank, with contant exchange of water betweek the two. It also increases the total volume of the system.

These are widely used in FW, BW, and SW displays. There is no restriction whatsoever on their use by the type of water in the sytem.
 
I have an overflow in my 72G and instead of a sump, the water feeds my fluval 404 then goes through my hydor eth 300w heater and back to the tank. I love it because the only piece of equipment that you can see is a black airhose going into the tank. It makes a very clean looking tank. I dont understand why people feel that overflows are "salt only"
 
AquariaCentral.com