Need help

[Jeremy Denning]

Hi everyone!

I just recently bought a 110 gallon tank.
I had a 75 gallon over 5 years ago and want to get back in the hobby. I just can't seem to figure out what this new tank is doing....

There is a built in over flow that goes just about the whole back
Length of the tank with built in dividers acting like a sump.

At the end of the overflow/sump there is a hole with a plastic barb fitting that then runs in a channel that empties into the tank with small drill holes along the back.

There is also a big drill hole just below the overflow.

Does anyone have any ideas how to plumb this properly? Is this overflow used for a sump as well?

Kinda confused.

 

[sbash]

Neat!

Are there any bulkheads out the side or back?

Can we get a full front shot, as well as a full top down?

Any idea what the brand is of the tank?

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

This looks like it was some kind of custom made tank/display refugium that was connected to a larger system.

 

[Reef Monkie]

If there are no bulkheads in that 'overflow' that can remove and return water to a external sump then it pretty much has to be a in tank sump. The fact that there is left over siporax filter media in there suggests that too. I have seen tanks like this before, it is possible that it was originally intended as a 'fancy' freshwater tank. If you have 4 inches between the overflow and the back wall of the tank one of those Tunze comline skimmers could fit in there otherwise you would have to look into drilling it to use it with a more conventional sump.

 

[Jeremy Denning]

If there are no bulkheads in that 'overflow' that can remove and return water to a external sump then it pretty much has to be a in tank sump. The fact that there is left over siporax filter media in there suggests that too. I have seen tanks like this before, it is possible that it was originally intended as a 'fancy' freshwater tank. If you have 4 inches between the overflow and the back wall of the tank one of those Tunze comline skimmers could fit in there otherwise you would have to look into drilling it to use it with a more conventional sump.

So ya there is no drilled holes in the overflow area. It's weird though there is s drilled hole outside of the over flow and about 3 inches below the overflow. How can the water overflow with that hole there ? Obviously I can cap it but I wonder what it was used for... the way it's setup is the water overflows and goes through chambers just like a sump and the last chamber has that plastic barb fitting so the water would gravity down through that hole and empty back into the tank by small little holes.

I wanted to do a non attached sump but looks like I'm stuck with this.... maybe I'll sell it

 

[Jeremy Denning]

Neat!

Are there any bulkheads out the side or back?

Can we get a full front shot, as well as a full top down?

Any idea what the brand is of the tank?

 

[Jeremy Denning]

No bulk heads anywhere. Just one drilled hole in left side of tank outside of the overflow area

 

[sbash]

No bulk heads anywhere. Just one drilled hole in left side of tank outside of the overflow area

Cool! You got yourself a giant all in one then!

I was hoping I would be able to see where the inlet and outlet holes are for the sump (hence asking for the full front shot). But I cannot tell where the actual overflow is. Is it just to the right of that bulkhead on the left hand side?

 

[Jeremy Denning]

Cool! You got yourself a giant all in one then!

I was hoping I would be able to see where the inlet and outlet holes are for the sump (hence asking for the full front shot). But I cannot tell where the actual overflow is. Is it just to the right of that bulkhead on the left hand side?

Yes just to the right

 

[flsalty]

So ya there is no drilled holes in the overflow area. It's weird though there is s drilled hole outside of the over flow and about 3 inches below the overflow. How can the water overflow with that hole there ? Obviously I can cap it but I wonder what it was used for... the way it's setup is the water overflows and goes through chambers just like a sump and the last chamber has that plastic barb fitting so the water would gravity down through that hole and empty back into the tank by small little holes.

I wanted to do a non attached sump but looks like I'm stuck with this.... maybe I'll sell it

The water wouldn't gravity down. That gray bulkhead is meant to be connected to a pump return outlet like the one Reef Monkie posted.

The bigger bulkhead out the back is just weird. It makes no sense to me that there would only be one inlet/outlet drilled into the tank. My best guess is a Y off the return pump, but that would be ugly.

 

[sbash]

The water wouldn't gravity down. That gray bulkhead is meant to be connected to a pump return outlet like the one Reef Monkie posted.

The bigger bulkhead out the back is just weird. It makes no sense to me that there would only be one inlet/outlet drilled into the tank. My best guess is a Y off the return pump, but that would be ugly.

Yeah, I just noticed it goes out the back, so the original owner must have had a separate sump or split the line in a weird way. Either way, it can be capped, or just get an overflow box and add another sump (although if you do that, I would recommend drilling out another bulkhead).