Sump & Overflow Box Setups

Information about the many ways to add or install a sump, an overflow box, as well as combination setups in saltwater aquarium and reef tank systems.

Your About Guides explain what a sump is, how it is used, the many designs and set ups one has to choose from, and what benefits it can provide your system.

Wet/Dry Trickle filters (a.k.a. "sumps") are very popular for housing biological filtration systems as well as protein skimmers, heaters, macro algae and mangrove plants. When combined with an overflow box, even tanks which aren't drilled can take advantage of the many benefits of a sump.

Overflow boxes are used to supply water to the sump from the tank when the tank has not been drilled. Normally constructed in a hang-on-tank style, these units are simple to install and make adding a sump to your system easy.

How To Prevent Aquarium Sump Overflows during power outages or sump pump failures. Simple step by step instructions for preventing your sump from overflowing.

From Robert Metelsky's Simplified Reef Keeping FAQs, Robert outlines some of the benefits to having a sump box, and gives an explanation of its basic design and function.

From the FINS Reefkeeper's FAQ's, a short note about converting a trickle filter chamber into a sump.