To Drill Or Not To Drill?

[Canadian]

I am setting up a 20 gallon nano reef and am debating whether to drill the tank to plumb the 20 gallon sump or to use a CPR overflow.
Here's my train of thought: If I do drill the tank, then the corner overflow is going to reduce the amount space in my diplay a fair bit. However, I have never used one of these hang on overflows and to tell you the truth have heard too many horror stories about them. Can anyone ease my mind here?

What do you suggest?

TIA,

Canadian

[Larry M]

Canadian--IF you can find someone to drill the 20 (a lot of places won't drill anything smaller than a 30 due to glass thickness) I would vote for just drilling a hole in the back and gluing an overflow box inside the tank. It will take up less room than a corner overflow and still get you the same results. I had a 37 like this once and it worked fine.


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Larry M

See my tanks at Northern Reef (http://www.reefcentral.com/northernreef/index.htm)

[Canadian]

Thanks for the speedy reply LarryM! I've never set up a tank drilled on the back pane of glass. I've seen it done several times and understand the implications, but how are they as far as the noise issue is concerned?

TIA,

Canadian

[Larry M]

Funny you should mention that :) IMO they are a little noisier. It sure is a fool-proof way to get the job done though. As far as hang-ons go, I have two of them in operation and both have worked fine for me if kept clean.


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Larry M

See my tanks at Northern Reef (http://www.reefcentral.com/northernreef/index.htm)

[Jesse]

I just ordered a 29 gallon drilled from my lfs. I'm supposed to pick it up friday. I was also concerned about how much space the corner overflow would take up so i had them drill the back like Larry M suggests. I'm not sure if i'm going to make an overflow box or just use a 90 degree piece of pvc though.

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http://people.mw.mediaone.net/jjelen/index.htm

[Still Reefs]

Hey guys,

I just thought I would put in my two cents :p
I have set-up many tanks with the sides or back drilled as opposed to a corner overflow. The thing to remember if you don't have a box around the bulkhead IS... Vent It! Imagine how a toilet is plumbed in your home, with a vent pipe. If you have a standpipe in your tank (or a hole in the back/side with an elbow to the surface) and you don't have a vent inline with the pipe behind the tank, you may have a problem with the level in your tank rising and falling. On occasion your tank may overflow and then drain quickly, this is caused by a back up of air in the pipe and can be easily corrected with a vent pipe.

Hope this helps!!

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Sean Bradley
Photographer : Still Reefs Photographic Productions (http://stillherps.herpexchange.com/stillreefs
)

[Canadian]

Ok, so it's looking like I'll have the tank drilled in the back. Now, I intend to put a box around the bulkhead so that it surface skims. What I am hoping to do is also put a 90 degree elbow in the bulkhead turned down so that I don't get a slurping sound. Will this work or do I need to go take another hit from my crack pipe? :)

TIA,

Canadian

[FishWish]

Hi Canadian, I agree with you that an internal O'flow would take up precious space in your 20 Gal. reef. I would do as S.R. and Jesse suggest, drill the upper rear(as high as poss.) and vent the Bulkhead from behind. There's no need to build a box around it, however I would use a BH with internal female threads on it so you can screw a BH screen into it, or else its bye bye fishies..TTYL..David

[Frisco]

Am I missing something? Won't an "L" threaded onto the bulkhead and pointed up serve the same purpose as the box?

Do you have a picture of the vent pipe?

[This message has been edited by Frisco (edited 01-19-2000).]

[goby]

canadian,

in a word "Yes" it will lower the noise, but there are some other things you have to do to make it work CORRECTLY.


you will need to make something like this :

http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/reefland/images/standpipe-drawing.jpg

but you will want to go thru the tank between #5 and #6

This is the setup I use on my 125 with 2 overflows, and its oh so quiet.

here is a pic of what it looks like in a bottom drilled tank :

http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/reefland/images/standpipe.jpg

hope it helps!!!

g
o
b
y


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The quest ( and the questions) continues...
www.iag.net/~vigg (http://www.iag.net/~vigg)

[Canadian]

Goby, thanks for the suggestion...now if I could just see those pictures :)

I can't see the pics. Could you give me the URL for them?

TIA,

Canadian

[goby]

sorry,

I dont know what is up with them,, but the url's are here...
http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/reefland/images/standpipe-drawing.jpg

and
http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/reefland/images/standpipe.jpg

g
o
b
y



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The quest ( and the questions) continues...
www.iag.net/~vigg (http://www.iag.net/~vigg)

[Frisco]

xoom doesn't allow you to view jpegs directly. You'll have to provide a link to a html file that displays the pictures...

[ignatz]

Canadian,

I use the design you are talking about and I can tell you that it is VERY quiet. What I did was I started with a 90 degree elbow inside the tank. It points down, and is attached to the bulkhead. Outside the tank, is a T conneted to the bulkhed with the hole that is perpendicular to both of the others. The hole of the T pointing up is connected to a reducer, and the hole pointing down is conneted to swimming pool hose that goes straight to the sump. The only thing I hear is the MH ballast... no gurgling or anything else...

HTH
~ignatz

[Canadian]

Ignatz, do you happen to have a picture of your design? I'd like to get a look at the one goby is suggesting but none of the links to his pics are working.

Canadian

[Agu]

Canadian, do a search for "Richard Durso" and his 180 reef. Go to sump configuration, and then custom overflow. It not only works, but it solved the problem of my wife or my reef, and I would have missed her.

[Canadian]

One of the most important things to me is how noisy this thing is gonna be. I plan on drilling the tank in the back, upper corner and putting a box around it. This is for two reasons as long as it will work. First, to maximize surface skimming and second, and perhaps most importantly, to put a 90 degree elbow in the bulkhead (inside the box) turned down to limit the sucking air sound.

Will that work to reduce the noise (with the box around the bulkhead)?

TIA,

Canadian

[ignatz]

Canadian,

Sorry no pictures of that thing. You aren't the first to ask, so maybe I should take one. The advice Agu gives is great. Here is the link Richard Durso's 180 (http://members.xoom.com/reefland/frames.htm). Click "Hardware Used", then click "Sump Configurations", and finally click "Custom Overflow"... Wow that is allot, try this one Richard Durso's Standpipe page (http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/reefland/pages/standpipe.htm). This is one of the sites where I found the design that I use, but I had to modify it a bit. This design shows how to use the stand pipe with a tank drilled on the bottom. If you look at the diagram, the drilled glass wall goes in between pieces 5 and 6.

HTH
~ignatZ

[Canadian]

Thanks Ignatz! I had seen Richard Durso's design before but wasn't sure how to implement it with a hole drilled in the back pane of glass. Thanks for explaining the modification!

Canadian