# Tank Overflow During Water Changes



## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

You're doing a water change on a large tank.
You've got the water hose hooked up to fill the tank and the phone rings or for whatever reason you don't notice that the tank is not only full but _'overflowing.'_

Overflowing all over the floor.

I've had this happen a few times, anybody else?
I'll disclose the reason I'm asking this shortly... just wanna know first if this has happened to anybody else.

Thanks in advance for your replies.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

I did it last night while filling my 20 long... I was setting up a new tank and trying to get it planted and thought it would be a good idea to do water changes on my other tanks at the same time so I could get done sooner -- I completely forgot that I was filling and it took a couple minutes of hearing a "strange noise" over the TV to make me realize that the tank was overflowing. Thankfully it was on a small tank and I had just moved the fish out of there, so I just drained it and moved it across the room so we could go over it with the steam cleaner and let it dry out overnight.

That was definitely not the first time I've done it... probably happens once every few months.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Never happend to me yet and I hope it never does.

Water would surely get under my floor ruining it and drying under the stand would also be impossible.
Some carpet would also get ruined since my bedroom is only 3ft away.

f*ck I dont even wanna think about this, I always pay super close attention when filling.


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## Inflade (Mar 24, 2006)

i did this when making R.O water in a bucket before i got a float valve/auto shutoff. Pain in the ASS!


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Great replies... and just what I was looking for.

I figured I'd go to Radio Shack and get a few things to make an "Overflow Alarm..." should be pretty cheap to make, a sensor prong, alarm speaker and batteries... would be really compact and wouldn't use battery power unless the risen water created a connection with the sensor prongs...

Figured I'd make the damn thing and patent it... but just did a google search and the damn thing's already invented!









Ah well... here it is anyway... Water overflow alarm that's already invented

(I'm still gonna make my own anyway... I figure I can solder one up for under $10).









Holy sh*t, just noticed they want over $180 for that thing?
sh*t man, I can do way better than that...


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## Alexraptor (Jan 30, 2003)

Never happens... because i do all my filling with buckets!


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## Ægir (Jan 21, 2006)

There are far cheaper ones, google "water bug alarm"

Basically to make them all you need is an open circuit with to sensor wires on the ground, when water touches it, the circuit is completed and the alarm sounds.

After dumping 40, 50 or 60 gallons of RO/DI water i started using a float valve... If you drained into a garbage can, and used a pump from the same can to re-fill you wouldnt have that problem... just make sure the pump you use can run dry for a short period of time. eventually you hear the noise of the pump and un-plug it.


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## BuckeyeGuy777 (Oct 30, 2010)

i have never had my tanks over flow...however i have walked away and my hose came out while it was filling....stopped hearing water running looked over and saw it pouring all over the carpet....caught it before it was to big of mess but still was more than i want


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

that's one of the reason why my tank is in the basement on a concrete floor next to a sump drain.








no worries, besides, having a 70g sump helps to buffer some of the overflow from the main tank.


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## Canso (Jun 19, 2005)

I also use a float valve, I think its used for live stock water buckets.


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## bricklr (Aug 14, 2010)

You ever forget about it when siphoning?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Alexraptor said:


> Never happens... because i do all my filling with buckets!


Are you telling me that you never accidentally dumped in an extra bucket? I used to do that all the time


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

Its never happened in my apartment, but I did it all the time in my parents house. It was concrete floors with ceramic tile in the fish room so no biggy. I got tired of watching it all the time thought. There was 4 tanks in there ranging from 125 to 29. We had a transfer pump set up in a closet so doing 30% waterchanges took a whole 4-5 min total. When we redid the room I set it up with a single filler tank with a float in it a couple inches below the lowest tank and pex lines running though the wall to each tank. They would just fill close to the top and I could give them another few gallons with a whip hose. That house blew away tho and the rents house isn't big enough to have a big room to toss a few tanks in.

Reminds me. Who wants to buy tanks ranging from 75g to 72bows down to 29g? Lol

Ill be apartment bound with the new lady for a few years. Most smaller tanks have just comunity fish in but I have some oscars and africans u can have to


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Never been on the phone when it happed but it has happened a couple times during larger water changes when the python is hooked up and i leave the room or go on the computer in another room as I know it usually takes like 5-10 minutes or so to refill. I have a cannister and spray bar so I can usually hear when the water level is close to the top which is when the spraybar stops splashing on the watersurface though that only works when your paying attention. Ive never had too bad of an overflow, Mayby only wetting a few feet around the tank. Tanks also on a concret floor with old and ugly carpet so an overflow wont damage anything though its a pita to clean and step in.

I probably get more water in the floor when a siphone falls out of the bucket/sink its suppost to be in for manual siphones.


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## Sacrifice (Sep 24, 2006)

BuckeyeGuy777 said:


> i have never had my tanks over flow...however i have walked away and my hose came out while it was filling....stopped hearing water running looked over and saw it pouring all over the carpet....caught it before it was to big of mess but still was more than i want


I've never overfilled a tank but I did have this ^^^^ exact same problem before. Water was just pouring all over my carpet in my room


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## BuckeyeGuy777 (Oct 30, 2010)

Sacrifice said:


> i have never had my tanks over flow...however i have walked away and my hose came out while it was filling....stopped hearing water running looked over and saw it pouring all over the carpet....caught it before it was to big of mess but still was more than i want


I've never overfilled a tank but I did have this ^^^^ exact same problem before. Water was just pouring all over my carpet in my room








[/quote]

sucks doesnt it


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## Alexraptor (Jan 30, 2003)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Never happens... because i do all my filling with buckets!


Are you telling me that you never accidentally dumped in an extra bucket? I used to do that all the time








[/quote]

Not so that it overflows, no.








I always keep the water level 2-3" below the edge so that the fish have ample room to feed and go for air when they feel like it.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

bricklr said:


> You ever forget about it when siphoning?


Doesn't matter, 'cause I only let the end of the hose go into the aquarium as far as I want to to siphon to.


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## Parsa (Nov 12, 2008)

Alexraptor said:


> Never happens... because i do all my filling with buckets!


i overflow buckets lol


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