Custom tank what overflow? Internal, center, corners, ghost, external... ?

[F i s h y]

I'm building a custom acrylic tank. 72" L 30" W 24" H. I want to run the Neptune COR20 on the tank for my return. I'm trying to decide what type of overflow I want to do. Give me your ideas and why. Be specific on hole size plumbing diameter, etc. You could potentially be designing my finished product.

 

[johnston]

i just started my custom with a external overflow and i love it similar in size 72 l x30 deep x36 tall

al overflow has 3 11\2 returns i love mine

 

[johnston]

im also using a core 20 i should have a build thread link

 

[F i s h y]

@johnston what did you go with for plumbing in your overflow? I like that setup. And your fish area is fantastic. Pandora box indeed

 

[johnston]

i used schedule 40 pvc and painted it black myself considerably cheaper just a little pain in the butt i piped all three overflows at 1&1/2 each worked out perfect since my sump came with 3 1 &1\2 also

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

I built my own external bean animal overflow out of glass. I went external because I can't stand the look of anything fake in the tank. Having it externally requires the smallest possible internal space.

~4000 gph return pump, but also runs the return manifold. 1.5" drains and are definitely overkill for the flow I'm running. I found the specs online and drilled the holes in the back of the tank (size, spacing, height) to accept a ghost overflow in case the glass didn't work out. The glass worked out great and cost 1/10 of the ghost overflow.

I built my custom background around the internal part. It's almost completely invisible when viewing from the front.

The only downside is you have to set your tank ~ 6" from the wall for the drains and access to the drain + return lines. Unless there is no space outside the tank, I would never do it any other way.

 

[lpsouth1978]

I just set up my new tank a few months ago. I did a ton of readin and research before deciding on an overflow. Ultimately, I went with the Exotic Marine Systems 32" overflow. There were several reason I chose them over others. the main was that the internal box is 32" long. This allows for better surface skimming and greatly reduces issues with oils collecting on the surface of the water.

Another big reason was that their design does not use Weir teeth. IME, the teeth get clogged easily with algae, bacteria, and larger debris, requiring regular scrubbing to keep everything flowing properly. By eliminating the teeth, there is no issue with clogging, less splashing and more consistent water height in the tank.

I would get their 32" overflow with 1.5" bulkheads for a bean animal overflow. This would handle anything you ever wanted to throw at it.