help needed? deciding where to drill!!!

[Menez]

I'm going to drill my tank, i've decided to remove my canister filters and put a sump/ref, I would like some help as to where the holes be more effective and what method is better. I was going to drill 2 x 27mm holes, on on each top corner of the back ( approx) of the aquarium and that would lead down to the sump beneath the cabinet.
Aquarium is 70 g reef.

[Menez]

hey many views but no one posts!!!!!

[uscharalph]

How is your system plumbed now?

[Menez]

nothing is plumbed yet.
once I decide where to make the holes then i will see the plumbing.

[uscharalph]

So what kind of overflow are you going to go with?

[Menez]

was thinking of drilling and pipes going strait down to the sump/refug, going to drill 27mm holes.

[sanababit]

menez is the tank full? or empty??, two overflows, one on each side is ok, i have that and one goes down to fuge and the other one to sump with filter reactors, heaters, skimmer, denitrifier, etc

btw is the tank acrylic or glass??

sana

[Menez]

the tank is glass, at the moment the tank is full but I will empty it to drill the holes!!!!

[uscharalph]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11107617#post11107617 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Menez
was thinking of drilling and pipes going strait down to the sump/refug, going to drill 27mm holes.
I don't think you know how an overflow box works.

[Menez]

I dont really understand how an overflow box works?

[Menez]

I dont really understand how it works, could you explain to me how and put an image of it plz, thanks
As you may realise this is all new to me, I've always used the canisters and I want to change!!!!

[uscharalph]

I don't have a picture available. To get a real good idea would be to go to your LFS and see one. In a built in overflow, the hole is drilled on the bottom with a box built around it. The top of the box has teeth which allow water to go thru, but not your fish. A hob overflow has 2 boxes, one in the tank and one in back of the tank. Candycane tubes allow the water to pass from the box in the tank to the other box.

The holes, you are talking about drilling, near the top, are normally for water being pumped back into the tank from the sump.

[Menez]

the overflow you mention is normally allocated at one corner of the tank, the other overflow boz (hob) ive seen in pictures and that is not the one I want. So what you are saying uscharalph is to drill the hole in one corner and basically putting some sort of glass/ perspex around it, this will make the water fall into the box, into the pipe and down to the sump. do you mean like the mega flow overflow I have seen in drsfostersmith.com.

[reefergeorge]

Tagging along. I just got a free 29, and am thinking of drilling a hole in the top corner and use a 90 facing upward to skim the surface. I just don't know how to drill the glass safely without breaking it.

[Menez]

is the durso standpipes what you mean????

[uscharalph]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11111372#post11111372 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Menez
is the durso standpipes what you mean????
The Durso standpipe would be inside the builtin overflow box.

[Menez]

so then I will be doing this, I'll put an inbuilt overflow box in each corner with the standpipes.
Is this a much better system????

[pdhenderson]

What you can do is scrap the stand pipe and attach bulkheads, then direct plumb into your sump/fuge. Search the galleries, you will see several variations of plumbing that you can choose from.

[Menez]

I cant seem to find what you mean could you show me some pics or tell me where to look.

[uscharalph]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11112253#post11112253 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pdhenderson
What you can do is scrap the stand pipe and attach bulkheads, then direct plumb into your sump/fuge. Search the galleries, you will see several variations of plumbing that you can choose from.
Do you really think that's better than using an overflow?

[Menez]

The tubing in the overflow does it need the 90 degree or it ca be just straight?
with the 90 degree tubing wouldnt there be a problem when the power cuts off and the water needs to flow again???

[pdhenderson]

Its simple really.
You have a hole drilled for the bulkhead, say a 1" bulkhead fitting into a 2 inch hole then you attach your piping onto the bulkhead which has a piece protruding out from your tank. You can have this going back in creating a closed loop system, if you have more holes drilled. I find this to have a cleaner look than over flows and stand pipes, in the galleries there are several such as this onehttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/584/95026pluming__4_.jpg

[pdhenderson]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/585/122335Schematic-med.jpg

With this set up you wont lose suction and only pull out as much water as you want depending on sump size of course, thus avoiding the Wet Floor Club, you can modify your lines to feed to feed sump, skimmer and fuge and create a more naturual looking reef.

[Menez]

My aim was to do a setup as the second picture shows, I think I am going to stick to my first setup.