Overflow choices?????

[trueblood]

How should I have my tank made?

I am starting construction on a new house after Xmas. I have a 'fish room' adjacent to the living room. Extra foundations are being put under where the tank will be. The tank will be placed in the wall with the front being made of Starfire glass.
It's going to be 6 or 8 ft long x 36" deep x 30"? tall
I am shooting for around 300 gallons or so.

Would you have corner overflows?

No overflows but 6 holes drilled at top (2 - 2" as overflow, 4 - 1" for return). I like the idea of of no overflows, just a few bulkheads at the top edge of the tank.
Sould I have 2 of the holes drilled close to the bottom?

Anybody use a shelf overflow?

Need Ideas......

Jeff
posted here by suggestion

[dgasmd]

What is a shelf overflow?
You could ahve a single but very shallow overflow that expends 50% of the back wall of the tank. Just make it 5-6" deep, but very long. That will allow for a lot of surface skimming and very little space used.
I never understand why is it that all manufacturers make the overflow boxes so big. Who needs and for what all that water sitting there?:confused: :confused:

[trueblood]

I was thinking about 3" deep all the way across the back top for a shelf.

Do I need it at all? Cant I just use a couple of bulkheads, a 90* elbow pointing up and a strainer?

[dgasmd]

One of the functions of skimmer boxes (part of an overflow) is to skim the surface. The more the better. You're idea is great though.
What you can do is to make the skimmer box like you propose and then just drill 3x1.5" home on the back wall of the tank for the drains. That them all come a single 2" pipe to drain it to the sump and you sould be set.

[Nagel]

On my 300 (96L x 24W x 30T) I uave a total of 8 holes in the back of the tank. There are:

2 x 1 3/4" holes (1" bulkheads) near the bottom for my closed loop feed

3 x 1 3/4" holes (1" bulkheads) near the top as a "pass-through" for my returns

3 x 2 3/4 holes (2" bulkheads) 12" from the top and at the 2', 4', 6' marks on the tank for drains.

Sure, they are somewhat visible. One is almost hidden by rock, another by softies and the third has xenia growing on it. The drains all have a 2" strainer at the top. I'd rather have the space and just pipe in there, then a bulky overflow box.

Oh, btw, each drain is plumbed BY ITSELF to the sump. I feel this gives me both redundancy (should one clog up it doesnt clog the other two as well) and also the amount of water that each bulkhead can handle is the maximum amount, its not restricted by "T"'s. For example, for arguments sake, lets say the 3 x 2" bulkheads can each handle 1000gph on their own. If you connect them all in a series, with "T"'s, each individual bulkhead can only process 333 GPH or so, the total GPH of the bulkhead can be transferred to the pipe, only one pipe and 3 bulkheads, expect them to process only 1000 gph and not 3000gph. Should each drain have its own run to the sump, each could process the maximum amount, aka 1000 gph each...

[trueblood]

Originally posted by Nagel
2 x 1 3/4" holes (1" bulkheads) near the bottom for my closed loop feed

3 x 1 3/4" holes (1" bulkheads) near the top as a "pass-through" for my returns

3 x 2 3/4 holes (2" bulkheads) 12" from the top and at the 2', 4', 6' marks on the tank for drains.

Sure, they are somewhat visible. One is almost hidden by rock, another by softies and the third has xenia growing on it. The drains all have a 2" strainer at the top. I'd rather have the space and just pipe in there, then a bulky overflow box.



This is exactly what I was looking for. Got a pic of your tank? I checked your website but under const.
Why 12" from top for the drains? Couldnt I get away with 3" or 4" from the top?

Here is what I come up with sofar.........

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/16760strainers-med.jpg

[andycook]

This is the view of the back of my 180 that I am putting behind a wall.

I had 4 holes drilled across the top (4" down from the top) for the overflows. There are 2 holes drilled across the bottol (4" up from the bottom) for one closed loop. There are two other closed loops, one on each side of the tank.

I like the non-intrusiveness of the elbo/strainer suggestion but I am going to build an overflow much like Mr. Calfo suggests in his book "Book of Coral Propagation." I'm looking for surface water skimming and not just water from my display tank.

I reallly like the logic behind plumbing each overflow bulkhead to drain to the sump separately.

http://www.andy-cook.com/152-5226_IMG.JPG

[trueblood]

Hey Andy
Can you explain how you are going to have your overflows?
Thanks for the pic. Pics are worth a thousand words.

Even with the elbows it should skim just the surface. As long as the tank is level. Most fish stores use this way in their connected tanks.

Thanks
Jeff

[andycook]

Hi Jeff;

Pictures are easier but I don't have the plumbing in place yet. I will post those when the plumbing is in place, maybe in two weeks. I'm still flooding my basement while I work out the sump and refugium system. And then there electrical to work out...

The water I want to send on to my skimmer is the top-most layer of water in the display tank. To maximize the water surface area being skimmed, the overflow will run the entire length of the back of the tank. It will be toothless so that just the surface water goes over the overflow to the sump and on to the skimmer. The overflow itself will have a thin profile and be just tall enough to be about 1/4" below the bottom of the bulkheads.

[AuroraDave]

I think mojoreef has a shelf overflow system along the entire length of his tank.

[AuroraDave]

trueblood--after looking at your diagram...what type of pump are you going to use for your closed loop? You may be able to have more than 2 returns depending on the pump.

I use an AM4000 and return thru (6) 1" bulkheads. I also split two of those six returns with LocLine and still maintain great flow. The additional returns gave me more flexibility setting up the water current & reduced my dead spots.

Dont forget that you will also need a drain for the CL. That drain needs to be below the waterline (not a strainer at water level), and accessable for routine maintenance. I have one 2" drain for my CL.

Lastly, I didnt want an overflow in my tank either, but I took a different approach. I cut a 1-1/2" x 14" slot out of the back of my tank and glued an acrylic overflow box on the outside of my tank. This gave me the best of both worlds...more surface area to skim into my sump and more tank space for my corals.

[trueblood]

AuroraDave
Thanks for the reply.
I was planning to use a iwaki 100 for the sump return.
Iwaki 55 for the closed loop. Do you think that is enough?
DIY surge will also be installed.

Some of the returns will be plumbed over the top. I had thought about 2 more returns on each end of the tank.

What is CL?


"Lastly, I didnt want an overflow in my tank either, but I took a different approach. I cut a 1-1/2" x 14" slot out of the back of my tank and glued an acrylic overflow box on the outside of my tank. This gave me the best of both worlds...more surface area to skim into my sump and more tank space for my corals."

Now that I like. However Mine will be a glass tank w/ Starfire front instead of acrylic.

Thanks :beer:
Jeff

[AuroraDave]

CL = Closed Loop

As far as your question about pumps & your CL...I dont have a very large sump, so an Iwaki 100 would be too much on my tank. I use a smaller pump (Little Giant 4MDQX-SC) returning H2O from my sump thru a 1" SeaSwirl into my tank (and also returns water to my Refugium)

and a larger pump (AM4000) for my closed loop. My goal was high water circulation.

My CL is plumbed with 2" Flex PVC from the drain to the 2" intake on the AmpMaster and w/2" PVC & Flex PVC from the AM out all the way to the 1" bulkheads. I reduce from 2" to 1" at the tank.

[nine9d]

Nice thread. Any more closed loop design pics?

[1234]

trueblood

You don't want a pressure pump for a closed loop, but rather a pump that wil recirculate, like a Amp or a Sequence pump, you want flow and not the pressure. I can see your corals hanging on for fear of getting blown to the other side of the tank. :lol: :lol:


andy

Chck out the tankof the month - mojoreef he has a "coast to coast" over flow on his 600gal