Flow and Drilling Questions

[weimers75]

I have a lot of questions, so before I start - thanks for any help you are able to give me:)

I recently bought a 100 gallon Great Lakes glass tank. Before I switch all of my stuff from the 75 over, I was considering drilling the tank for the overflow and return, and for a closed-loop system. My questions are:

1. Where do I get my tank drilled?
2. What plumbing supplies do I need (all the way from the holes of my tank to the sump)
3. What type of pump do you suggest for the closed loop?

I have all of the supplies for the sump, in fact I've hooked it up to the 75 so its currently running. I just need to figure out the costs and advantages of drilling vs. overflow boxes and powerheads.

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7107680#post7107680 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weimers75


1. Where do I get my tank drilled?

You can drill it yourself or have the local glass shop do it.


2. What plumbing supplies do I need (all the way from the holes of my tank to the sump)

You will need bulkheads (Gary has them or you can order them online cheaper) and then you will just need PVC and fittings. Those will depend on how you want to set it up. You are also going to need glass to build the overflow.


3. What type of pump do you suggest for the closed loop?

Thats all going to depend on how much flow you want and how fancy you are going to get but you will want an external pump (expensive).

I just need to figure out the costs and advantages of drilling vs. overflow boxes and powerheads.

The main cost will be in the CL pump. The rest shouldn't be too bad in price considering that PVC and glass is cheap.

[weimers75]

thanks Dubbin, but one more question...do i have to make a glass (or plexiglass) overflow, or can the water run straight into the sump? Thanks again!

[selgado]

The overflow is going to regulate the water level of the tank. If you just use the drill holes to drain, the water level will sink to the level of the holes. Does that make any sense?

[Spuds725]

you might want to read this thread...

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=804784

regarding bulkheads... I looked and found various sizes around toledo... this was a few months ago.

Garys-- 1" only (slip only)
Tractor supply company-- 3/4" , 1 1/4", 2"-- these are all threaded
Ace hardware-- 3/4" and 1/2" (I never looked to see if they are slip or threaded)

[zaireguy]

the cost of a cl will be hight starting out(pump) but the are less elect hogs then power heads over time.And a lot cheaper then say two tunze!

Plus it will look a lot cleaner.I have seen some of the new blue line hd pumps on ebay sometimes under 100.00.the most expensive thing in pvc will be your ball shut off.

I agree with Dwayne drill the tank your self.Make the over flows out of acyrlic easier to control water level in tank.If you just drill it and install bulkheads the water will only get as high as the bulkhead.

Alot of people that have very large tanks will drill them and just install bulkheads but they keep them kind of high

[weimers75]

So I would still need my overflow box...but does the hole go through the tank and the overflow box then? Or do I not drill a hole and use a j-tube?

[selgado]

I'm not following you. Are you drilling holes in the tank for drains or just for the closed loop?

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7109643#post7109643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weimers75
So I would still need my overflow box...but does the hole go through the tank and the overflow box then? Or do I not drill a hole and use a j-tube?

If you are drilling holes for drains then you will need to build an overflow box. Look at the reef ready tanks to get an idea of what you need to do. Either way it goes by drilling the tank or not you are still going to need an overflow box to get water to the sump. You will not need overflows for the closed loop.

[zaireguy]

j tubes are a pain...I would stay away from hang on overflows that use them..

if you use a acryilc overflow you saw teeth or slits near the top to allow water to drain.Most glass overflows are just made in to box shapes that run the height of the tank...Check out glasscages.com they have pics that show a overflow for a drain in great detail.

If this is going to be a sps tank you want alot alot of flow.your cl will be easy as pie.drill your holes how ever many you want install the bulkhead and shut offs pvc it all together one end goes to the end take of the pump the other goes to the exhaust..you will have a bank of holes for drains then one for the cl returns.Most cl`s use 8 to 10 holes

I do hope you are going to run two pumps if you go with a cl.One for the return from the sump the other for the cl.others wise if you go with one and it goes down your in trouble.If you go with two plum everything up with shut offs and unions if one goes down you can shut down certian lines use the unions to move say the pump from the cl to your return from the sump and you still have flow.The cl pump doesn`t need high head psi just high flow

go with a dart or hammerhead pump!!! Or you can go with a set up like a hammer head and a om 4 or 8 way and there would be no need to drill if you didn` want to alot run them over the top of the tank and down in side.

Really just up to you on how you want to run it and what you want to spend.So many ways to go

[weimers75]

I will be using two pumps, one for the closed loop and one for the sump. I was hoping to not have the overflow box in the tank, I don't like the appearence of it in there (I have the kind with a j-tube), but after more research I got some ideas that I have to think over.

I was thinking of making a box that would be in the center of the back of the tank. One hole would be drilled on the back for the overflow drain. That way, the rockwork could be arranged around the overflow and made out of black plexiglass to match the back of the tank, making it less visible. I got the idea fromhttp://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/gt/index.php I'll just have to modify the pipes from the bottom of the tank to the back because the bottom of my tank is most likely tempered glass. Do you think the overflow would still work since its draining from the back and not the bottom (I'm worried that the two 90 degree angles may hurt water flow). In essence, the pipes would go down from the intake, take a 90 degree turn to the bulkhead in the back glass, then another 90 degree turn towards the sump. Anyway, any suggestion would be great...I'm trying to do all of this before I add anything to the tank.

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7112904#post7112904 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weimers75
overflow and made out of black plexiglass

Do not use plexiglass. If you are not going to use glass then use acrylic. You also need to understand that you may run into problems trying to get the silicone to adhere to the acrylic. That is why I mentioned using glass instead.

[weimers75]

It is acrylic:) My mistake...but I have heard about problems with adhering it. Luckily, the seal doesn't need to be strong because its made out of a single sheet of bent acrylic, so the silicone is really only to hold it in place.

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7113260#post7113260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weimers75
It is acrylic:) My mistake...but I have heard about problems with adhering it. Luckily, the seal doesn't need to be strong because its made out of a single sheet of bent acrylic, so the silicone is really only to hold it in place.

That should work just fine then.