My DIY OverFlow Pipe


YouTube - DIY OVERFLOW PIPE


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I'm not mr. do-it-yourself-guy so I need some help here getting the right parts. I want to make a holding container (in a rubbermaid trashcan) for an auto top-off system. I want it to have a valve that shuts off the water flow from the ro/di unit when the trashcan is nearly full and a valve that turns the flow on to fill the trashcan when the trashcan is nearly empty. The reason for this is that when the ro/di unit kicks in for just a short while the water has a fairly high tds- it has to run for a little while to put out pure water. So if I'm constantly making small amounts of ro/di water I'm gonna kill that di cartridge pretty quickly.
Anybody tried this before? Suggestions? Thanks!

I am planning on building a sump and would like some advice. I have an 85 gal. tank and a weird stand. Basically the dimensions I have to work with are 44" long x 15" deep x 12" high. I want to have a three or four chamber sump. First, from right to left if you are facing it, would be the drain chamber with maybe some carbon in it, next the protein skimmer, third a refugium, and fourth the return. I could also combine the drain chamber and the protein skimmer and maybe use the other chamber for live rock. I can also cut a hole in the stand for the ps and a light for the refugium. I just cant tank out the board all the way. I have been to melevsreef.com and found a great starting point. I have specific questions though. First, If my tank is 85 gal and my sump will be approx. 30 gal what should my return pump and overflow box be rated at? I was thinking 1000 gph for the pump and 850 gph for the overflow box. The water from the pump will have to travel 4'-4.5'. I read that ideally I want my tank water to turn over 10xs an hour. Then I read somewhere else that only 4-5xs an hour should be from the sump. What are your suggestions. My second question is what size protein skimmer should I use? I was thinking one rated for up to 100 gal tanks. I would also like to know who makes good skimmers. Last question I have would be about the piping. 3/4" pvc pipe seems common is that sound right? Thanks for any advice.