Need some advices on a pvc over flow box for 65g

[Alewis81]

Hello fellow reefers I’m 8 month in and am addicted thanks to my 4yr old son who wanted Nemo lol. I have a 45g with easy coral.I’m in the process of building a 65gallon tank that I found it’s not drilled but so for I have striped the old seal and resealed it and been holding water for the last month. With power heads moveig the water. So my question to you guys is I want to do a pvc over flow and been eating a lot of videos on the different types. What holding be back is what size pvc to buy if if I should get 3/4 or 1” to get the proper flow rate. I currently have the current ic loop system and plan to get the pump so it’s run by one controller. Also I’m going leaning towards a diy sump there have $1 gallon sale so not sure if I should do a 10,20h or 20l any help Walpole be great thank im advance of your advice

 

[Crabs McJones]

Hello fellow reefers I’m 8 month in and am addicted thanks to my 4yr old son who wanted Nemo lol. I have a 45g with easy coral.I’m in the process of building a 65gallon tank that I found it’s not drilled but so for I have striped the old seal and resealed it and been holding water for the last month. With power heads moveig the water. So my question to you guys is I want to do a pvc over flow and been eating a lot of videos on the different types. What holding be back is what size pvc to buy if if I should get 3/4 or 1” to get the proper flow rate. I currently have the current ic loop system and plan to get the pump so it’s run by one controller. Also I’m going leaning towards a diy sump there have $1 gallon sale so not sure if I should do a 10,20h or 20l any help Walpole be great thank im advance of your advice

Depended on how much turnover you want, I would opt for the Eshopps Eclipse small or medium. The small is good for up to 600 gallons per hour, the medium is good for up to 800 gallons per hour. It comes with everything you need including the diamond drill bit to drill the tank. All you have to do is run the plumbing. You'll have to determine what size return you want and drill that, but i've put the small on my 40 breeder and love it so far

 

[Alewis81]

Thank you for the advice but I’m really leaning towards not to drill the tank and run pvc over the top and build a weird in the corner of the tank or use a larger pvc and make a weir out of that. If I’m going to do this I want to do everything diy for the learning experience.and using certain size pips will let me know my flow rate

 

[Crabs McJones]

Thank you for the advice but I’m really leaning towards not to drill the tank and run pvc over the top and build a weird in the corner of the tank or use a larger pvc and make a weir out of that. If I’m going to do this I want to do everything diy for the learning experience.and using certain size pips will let me know my flow rate

Any particular reason why? Almost any reefer will say it's better to go drilled

 

[Alewis81]

I’m not sure where the placement to drill holes I’ve seen it on the back and bottom of the tank. And the one thing is I’m afraid I’ll break even tho is was free would hate to lose a tank. I have a buddy with a 90 drilled he said I could have it but I want to learn how things work

 

[happyhourhero]

As someone who had a diy pvc overflow on a 65, I urge you to buy an eshopps pf-800. It is SO much better. Does not require a pump, does not lose siphon as long as you have a strong enough return. Really a great product.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I’m not sure where the placement to drill holes I’ve seen it on the back and bottom of the tank. And the one thing is I’m afraid I’ll break even tho is was free would hate to lose a tank. I have a buddy with a 90 drilled he said I could have it but I want to learn how things work

No problem, I understand You could do a DIY PCV overflow, or a premade one. I used the Eshopps PF300 hang on back overflow for over a year with no issues before I drilled my new tank However for your application I'd do the 800
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/pf-800-hob-overflow-eshopps.html

or the DIY

 

[George Lopez]

I have a hang on back overflow and i constantly have to deal with a bubble I the siphon. Honestly i would recommend the drilled option on the back wall like Crabs recommended. Other than that i run a1 inch on my 44 gallon and if you can fit a 20 or 29 as a sump go for it the bigger the better in terms of equiptment placement and for maintenance

 

[Greybeard]

Reliability of any 'over the rim' overflow is questionable. A well engineered, well tested one, coupled with an aqualifter or some such set up to keep bubbles from forming in the 'U' tube? I still wouldn't trust it, but some people have had good luck with them. A DIY project made from PVC parts? Not even in an unfinished basement with a floor drain.

There's nothing wrong with running a reef system with no sump... and I'd much rather do that than rely on a hang on overflow. If you want a sump, my advise is to buy a tank that is drilled, or be prepared to drill it yourself.

Drilling a tank really isn't that difficult. Watch a video on how to do it, and take it slow and easy. Chances of cracking the glass are pretty slim. Does it happen? Sure it does. And yes, if you crack your aquarium drilling it, there isn't a manufacturer on the planet that will cover it. Still, drilled is the way to go.

I always recommend drilling in the back (or end) panel. That way, a leak in the bulkhead won't drain the tank completely. Many commercial aquariums have a tempered bottom... you can't drill tempered glass. Yes, some have tempered sides too, but it's not nearly as common as the bottom. There's online videos on how to tell if your tank is tempered, if you don't know for sure. As to where to drill, depends on what you're going to use as an overflow. It can be as simple as a bit of upturned PVC and a strainer, or you can spend as much as a couple hundred bucks on a commercial one. The difference is going to be flow rate, noise level, and aesthetics.

 

[Alewis81]

I’ll be looking into all of this, and weigh out my options. Since I’m on a budget for this I have to see where I have to spend I know I want a good protein skimmer and some other stuff. Like I a brand new mp10 for amazing price but again not sure if it’s going to be too much but for the price I have to but it on my credit card lol wife will kill me but I can explain it later lol

 

[Crabs McJones]

Reliability of any 'over the rim' overflow is questionable. A well engineered, well tested one, coupled with an aqualifter or some such set up to keep bubbles from forming in the 'U' tube? I still wouldn't trust it, but some people have had good luck with them. A DIY project made from PVC parts? Not even in an unfinished basement with a floor drain.

There's nothing wrong with running a reef system with no sump... and I'd much rather do that than rely on a hang on overflow. If you want a sump, my advise is to buy a tank that is drilled, or be prepared to drill it yourself.

Drilling a tank really isn't that difficult. Watch a video on how to do it, and take it slow and easy. Chances of cracking the glass are pretty slim. Does it happen? Sure it does. And yes, if you crack your aquarium drilling it, there isn't a manufacturer on the planet that will cover it. Still, drilled is the way to go.

I always recommend drilling in the back (or end) panel. That way, a leak in the bulkhead won't drain the tank completely. Many commercial aquariums have a tempered bottom... you can't drill tempered glass. Yes, some have tempered sides too, but it's not nearly as common as the bottom. There's online videos on how to tell if your tank is tempered, if you don't know for sure. As to where to drill, depends on what you're going to use as an overflow. It can be as simple as a bit of upturned PVC and a strainer, or you can spend as much as a couple hundred bucks on a commercial one. The difference is going to be flow rate, noise level, and aesthetics.

This is the exact reason I went from my hang on back to drilled. While the one I had hadn't failed me in over a year, I knew it was only a matter of time before it did and my dining room became a swimming pool

 

[Alewis81]

The tank is made by aqueon is the back glass or tempered. Everyone here is making me rethink this but if I drill the back where would I position the holes and what size 3/4 or 1” any mock pictures would help a lot. I own a flooring company and made a few custom things but never in my life played around with cutting glass any help from guys who’s drilled because I can’t afford to buy a new tank that’s drilled

 

[Finhead]

Any of the overflows you can buy should have a template with them. Like this synergy intstall. It's really not that hard to drill glass if you follow the right steps, I built my own slim Overflow very similar to the Synergy works very nicely with the Bean Animal setup.

 

[Crabs McJones]

The tank is made by aqueon is the back glass or tempered. Everyone here is making me rethink this but if I drill the back where would I position the holes and what size 3/4 or 1” any mock pictures would help a lot. I own a flooring company and made a few custom things but never in my life played around with cutting glass any help from guys who’s drilled because I can’t afford to buy a new tank that’s drilled

 

[Crabs McJones]

The tank is made by aqueon is the back glass or tempered. Everyone here is making me rethink this but if I drill the back where would I position the holes and what size 3/4 or 1” any mock pictures would help a lot. I own a flooring company and made a few custom things but never in my life played around with cutting glass any help from guys who’s drilled because I can’t afford to buy a new tank that’s drilled

Also with the Aqueon tanks, I believe the bottom panel is the only one you have to be concerned with being tempered, not the sides.

 

[Alewis81]

Thank you crabs- mcjones im going to look into all of this and since the kids and wife are going to the in laws I’ll have time to play around and Scratch my head

 

[Crabs McJones]

Thank you crabs- mcjones im going to look into all of this and since the kids and wife are going to the in laws I’ll have time to play around and Scratch my head

Those are the best times, aren't they ;Hilarious;Hilarious

 

[happyhourhero]

If you have a strong enough return, there will never be air bubbles. Ever. No need for an aqualifter.

 

[Greybeard]

The synergy overflow is excellent... Eshopps sells one, shadow... most of them are a bit pricey... http://www.glass-holes.com sells one I've worked with in the past, with good results. I'm using a pair of H2overflow units on my 140g reef. They work pretty well, reasonably priced, easy to set up, and a single one is likely more than sufficient for your 65g tank.

https://www.customaquariums.com/information/h2overflow.html

If you got with the H2overflow, I suggest you order it UNGLUED. I'm not even sure why they would offer it already glued up... but they do, and if you buy it this way, you're severely limited in any modifications you might want to make to it.

Nothing wrong with DIY on this sort of thing. Years ago, I had a 240 that I drilled in both ends. I used basic PVC parts, elbows, pipe, 1" to 2" adapter, and a 2" shower drain strainer to build the in tank overflows, a 'T' fitting, cap, and a bit of plumbing out side the tank. Looked a bit primitive, perhaps, but it worked, very well, for many years. Crappy sketch might give you some ideas

 

[Alewis81]

If I drill then I’m forced with a sump and I know many reefer here will but im not running a sump it’s all basic marinland empire for 80 gallon hang. I’m new in the hobbie but with the new build I have fear of flooding the house I rent. But with the sump I have to do a diy sump for the time being or a inexpensive but decent sump used or new. Can’t afford the trigger but maybe one day the wife will allow it