what size pipe for overflow?

[7808]

i will be feeding my tank from a sump with a 230gph maxi jet, what size pipe will i want to use for the over flow ? i'm making a hole in the top back about 3" downwith a albow going up to water level, and im hopeing to make a near silent setup

[Keelay]

The RC calculator:
http://reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php

You can make the setup silent, independent of pipe size. I usually recommend a dual drain setup. It makes it easier to make it quiet and it adds a safety factor for clogs.

[7808]

ya i found that but it didnt make sense to me.. so i only need a pipe with a ID of .63 or do i need one with 3"? niether seem right really..

[Keelay]

Originally posted by 7808
ya i found that but it didnt make sense to me.. so i only need a pipe with a ID of .63 or do i need one with 3"? niether seem right really..

Good question. The .63 inch ID is the inner diameter of the pipe that will support the flow rate of 230GPH that you specified. The 3" is the length of the surface skimmer so that you get effective skimming.

Here is a table describing pipe diameters:
Scroll down to the PVC section and find the pipe that has at least .63" ID (Schedule 40):
http://www.gizmology.net/pipe.htm

A Surface skimmer is the part of the tank leading to the drain looks something like this:

[7808]

thanks for clearing that up, what if i dont use a little skimmer box insead i was going to use an albow that went to a larger diameter and probly cut slits like that skimmer around the top, i guess im wondering what the function of the box is as i was going to try to get this done with parts from the local stores.