Can you keep chaeto in an overflow???

[johnsonz681]

I can't find a definite answer on this, but I am thinking it will be fine.

I have an overflow much like this one

And was wondering if any problems will be caused by keeping a little chaeto in the bottom??? There is light, but not too much in the overflow. The water only comes up halfway, and there is plenty of flow to keep it rolling around. There isn't really room for it to roll around in my little 5 gallon sump tank with a heater, skimmer, rubble rock, and return pump. I know crowded, I'm just limited with the undertank storage with this stand. A ten won't even fit!

What ya think???

 

[johnsonz681]

Oh, by the way, it is much larger than this one, more room between the filter and the sides.

 

[Ace25]

I guess it is possible, but I wouldn't do it. To much of a risk of cheato getting sucked into the overflow and causing it to clog at some point.

 

[johnsonz681]

Well, there is a prefilter, it's just a gravity type with prefilter at the sump entrance. So....???

 

[johnsonz681]

Or is it finer than it looks???

 

[johnsonz681]

Does anyone do this???

 

[Ace25]

Just step back and think it through.

Cheato in overflow... you have a pre-filter that is going to need to be taken out/cleaned 2x a week minimum, if you don't, it will clog and water will just go over the top down the exposed tube. At that point, cheato will get sucked through. If your do clean your pre-filters 2x a week, each time you pull it out to rinse it your going to exposed all the "assumed" holes that are in that PVC riser tube, again, letting the cheato get sucked into the holes/overflow.

The alternative.. which is what I do, just let turf algae grow in the overflow box. It happens on its own, and sticks very well to the walls so you don't risk clogs, and it does a pretty good job as a macro algae, psuedo turf scrubber.

BTW, it is only "gravity" fed due to the force of the return pump. There is still a pump that is doing the work, not like the overflow is going to keep overflowing without a pump, right? So your overflow is actually the GPH of your pump at the top of the head on the return.

 

[johnsonz681]

Yeah, good call. I am just going to either have a custom acrylic fuse built or wait for the turf. So it just happens on its own???