Scrap the Overflow Box

So i said that i might be doing some re-design of tank after accquring some of the components only to realise that it all doesn't fit together really well. This is the overflow box I bought. There are 3 ways in which water can be drawn from the main tank into the sump tank. First is through surface skimming where water overflows into a comparment that pipes/drops straight to the sump. Overflows are useful to remove floating waste, bubbles, and oil from the water surface. However they usually require a hole to be drilled in the main tank that will lead down to the sump tank. Second, you draw water from any point in the water colum. This is very useful to remove floating pieces of waste etc. Third is through underneath the substrate. A plastic structure is placed right at the bottom of the tank and on substrate(sand) is poured over it forming a pocket of water beneathe the substrate. Water is drawn from that pocket and water from the main tank seeps downwards through the substrate to fill that pocket again. People do this because they want a constant flow of water through the sand and bacteria living in the sand can have a biological filtration effect on the water. However this method traps all waste inside the tank and doesn't remove it and over time, the accumulation of waste can cause a spike in ammonia levels and that can be very ugly.

So this device you see on the left skims water from the surface as well as takes water from within the water colum. All this is done without the hassel of drilling a hole in the tank which in turn can compromise the structural soundness of the tank. This device works on the principle siphonic action but its way too much to explain. Maybe sometime in my future postings.

So what's wrong with this device? its way too big for my tank and I can't refund it for cash, but the shop has so generously offered me a chance to exchange for products of equal worth. Sweet! So i guess i'm gonna take the opportunity to stock myself with lotsa chemical test kits.