Why a Glass-Holes.com Overflow Box?????????

Overflow types and flow ratings seem to vary greatly depending on where you read or who you talk to. Glass-Holes.com was started purely because the of unsatisfactory overflows on the market. It is common for someone to buy a tank and intend it for either freshwater (and later wanting a reef) or planning on using hang on the back equipment. That person virtually always ends up wanting an overflow. Traditionally this leaves two options and one newer option within the last few years.

First, a person can add a siphon type overflow to their existing tank. This has some positives, but many negatives. They allow a person to stick an overflow on their tank, start the siphon and go. Second, they generally give you a small front to back profile inside your tank. That is about it in the plus column (if you have other good things to say please let me know). They tend to be large outside the tank, requiring a substantial space between the tank and the wall. Loud is a word usually used to describe these overflows. Also, if the power goes out there is a good chance that air will be introduced into the siphon. This can be counteracted by having a small powerhead or pump that will constantly be pulling the air out of the siphon area. The problem is that the line to this pump will, not may, but will eventually get plugged (or crack) with something and fail, and so may the overflow. Whether it be algae, extra food, a dead inhabitant, possibly a living inhabitant, or even just calcium build up that we all see in our saltwater aquaria. The point is you can go years just fine with these overflows, but sooner or later (very often sooner) they will fail and put water on your floor and out of your system.

Traditional option number two is to buy a new tank with a built in overflow. This gives the overflow a finished look, gets the aquarium in some cases right against the wall, and relies on gravity (which as of this writing has not failed). But there are some problems with the overflows offered on the market. First, they are usually set up with a one inch bulkhead. See how much you can flow through that (it will be 500-600 gph at maximum capacity). Then ask yourself, is this enough flow, and is it safe? No, there should be some redundancy in overflow. If your overflow can flow 1500 gph, should it? Remember the siphon line. Overflows can get blocked and have buildup too. Run 600 gph through a one inch bulkhead and it may work fine at first. But over time you will notice a reduction in what it can handle, and what if it gets partially blocked? I am just a big fan of more overflow than necessary and would only run a one inch bulkhead on the smallest of systems with minimal flow requirements (nanos). The second drawback to these systems is the amount of space they take up in your tank, which we have all probably seen in person. They will typically take up a 6"- 8"X 10"-12" footprint from the top of the tank to the bottom, yikes! The last concern with these overflows rarely happens, but must be mentioned. Since the holes are drilled in the bottom, if it leaks there is a potential for a big spill. Imagine the contents of your tank on your floor. I have personally seen it with an 80 gallon system and that is a lot more water on your floor than it looks like in your tank.

The last couple of years a third option has developed, the through the back wall of the glass overflow. They have the advantages of being relatively small, rely on faithful gravity, and can flow as much flow as you drill holes for. Also, if they were to leak, you have much less water on the floor since your bulkhead is within the top few inches. These typically have a pvc elbow inside them turned open end down to keep them quiet. This requires them to be deeper front to back than the siphon type overflows (inside the tank). It should be noted that these overflows generally require much less space between tank and wall than the siphon types, but usually more than the built from the manufacturer type.

In comes the Glass-Holes.com overflows. Our overflows give you the slim in tank profile of some of the siphon type overflows combined with the quietness and flow capabilities of the through the tank overflows. We do this through our unique baffle that eliminates the inverted pvc elbow, allowing us to build the overflows narrower front to back. Our overflows give you a customizable flow rate through different preset sizes, custom sizes, bulkhead sizes and number of bulkheads. You can order in both toothed models and non-toothed models for all sizes (although for the Dart box we recommend teeth). The tank placement requires only the diameter of the pvc street elbow coming out of the bulkhead from the wall.

I hope this helps you decide which way to go on overflow types and if you have any questions feel free to email Scott or Mike at Info@Glass-Holes.com.