Overflow and plumbing help

[alvintran]

I am thinking of upgrading to a 75g from a 29 this christmas. And with that, I want to do it right, which means having a sump to go with it. But I am a noob in this area, and the most I know about it is it requires piping and an overflow box. So if somebody could walk me through the process and recommend me what to do, that'd be great.
Also, please list the equipments needed for plumbing, what size pump I should buy, and what kind of overflow is the most quiet and fail proof?

 

[Jschier]

Google melevs reef, he's got great sump info.

 

[redfishbluefish]

The best......Glass-Holes. With a 75 gallon you could go for the 700 gph or 1500 gph...either one. Your return pump with help make this decision.

 

[Ward9320]

If you are planning on buying a tank that does not already have a overflow on it then chances are you are going to have to cut the holes out for the aquarium. You can either drill the aquarium yourself or take it to a LFS and have them drill it for a premium (call before you take it there if this is the route you are going to take. Most LFS will drill it but I am sure there are some out there that do not). If you choose to drill it yourself there are tons of videos on youtube on how to do it. If you are going to buy a overflow and want the best, most reliable, and quietest then I would suggest a Ghost Overflow by Reef Savvy. I do not have one but would love to have one. Everything I have read about them have been outstanding and it comes will a template for drilling your tank so you know exactly where to drill at. When it comes to the actual plumbing there are several routes you could go. The most clean looking way your could go which is also the most difficult is to use PVC. If you go the PVC route make sure to use as many union connects and you can fit. The other options which is fairly easy is to use different types of tubing (I would suggest braided nylon tubing). Regardless of which tubing you use it is much easier to use because it is much easier to cut and more forgiving if you make a mistake to fix. All you have to do to connect them is to use ratchet clamps. When it comes to picking a pump a general rule of thumb is to have a pump that will put out 5 times as many gallons as your system. For example if you get a 75g tank then you will want a pump that puts out at least 375 gph.

When it comes to running the actual plumbing itself from your display to your sump and then back to your display most people just use gravity to run water from the display to the sump with a gate valve somewhere in between the two to regulate the flow. Then use that 375 gallon pump to run the water back into your display from the sump. Check out the members tank section of this forum to get some idea on set ups, there are some real awesome systems with some well thought out pumping ideas in there.

BulkReefSupply - How to drill a tank

 

[Reefing Madness]

Google melevs reef, he's got great sump info.

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums
BeanAnimal's Bar and Grill - Silent and Fail-Safe Overflow System
Glass Reef - The Basics - Overflow

Reef Ready aquariums are lot safer to use than one that utilizes a overflow box.

 

[alvintran]

If you are planning on buying a tank that does not already have a overflow on it then chances are you are going to have to cut the holes out for the aquarium. You can either drill the aquarium yourself or take it to a LFS and have them drill it for a premium (call before you take it there if this is the route you are going to take. Most LFS will drill it but I am sure there are some out there that do not). If you choose to drill it yourself there are tons of videos on youtube on how to do it. If you are going to buy a overflow and want the best, most reliable, and quietest then I would suggest a Ghost Overflow by Reef Savvy. I do not have one but would love to have one. Everything I have read about them have been outstanding and it comes will a template for drilling your tank so you know exactly where to drill at. When it comes to the actual plumbing there are several routes you could go. The most clean looking way your could go which is also the most difficult is to use PVC. If you go the PVC route make sure to use as many union connects and you can fit. The other options which is fairly easy is to use different types of tubing (I would suggest braided nylon tubing). Regardless of which tubing you use it is much easier to use because it is much easier to cut and more forgiving if you make a mistake to fix. All you have to do to connect them is to use ratchet clamps. When it comes to picking a pump a general rule of thumb is to have a pump that will put out 5 times as many gallons as your system. For example if you get a 75g tank then you will want a pump that puts out at least 375 gph.

When it comes to running the actual plumbing itself from your display to your sump and then back to your display most people just use gravity to run water from the display to the sump with a gate valve somewhere in between the two to regulate the flow. Then use that 375 gallon pump to run the water back into your display from the sump. Check out the members tank section of this forum to get some idea on set ups, there are some real awesome systems with some well thought out pumping ideas in there.

BulkReefSupply - How to drill a tank

Thank you so much for the info. The tank is not drilled yet, so I will have to drill it myself, which I'm pretty scared about so I'll probably have a local reefer do it for me. When you said 5x the volume of the tank for pump, did you take into account the water rate loss while traveling up to the tank?
What is your favorite or think is the best style of overflow? I was looking into the glass-holes overflows since they look simple and convenient, what do you think? And what other equipment a do I need if I go with the glass-holes (or any style of overflow)? Also, do I have to plumb it with all PVC or can I do flexible hosing or both?

 

[alvintran]

The best......Glass-Holes. With a 75 gallon you could go for the 700 gph or 1500 gph...either one. Your return pump with help make this decision.

I was looking at the glass-holes and they seem very appealing since it's nice looking, simple and convent. How's the noise and reliability for them since I see other styles of overflow has at least 2 holes/pipes for water into sump. If everything's okay then I'll might actually go with the glass holes.

 

[grozier]

I used black tubing for my return line going to the tank. Some suggest black so algae don't grow, but who knows. I use a overflow box because I didn't have the funds at the time for a sump. It sucks! Don't use one. Yes you have to figure in head loss on the pump. So whatever your head loss is you take that times 5 or more if you plan on doing corals. Some say like 10x for corals.

 

[alvintran]

It's a 75 gallon standard, should I get the Mag 7 or 9.5?

 

[Ward9320]

Thank you so much for the info. The tank is not drilled yet, so I will have to drill it myself, which I'm pretty scared about so I'll probably have a local reefer do it for me. When you said 5x the volume of the tank for pump, did you take into account the water rate loss while traveling up to the tank?
What is your favorite or think is the best style of overflow? I was looking into the glass-holes overflows since they look simple and convenient, what do you think? And what other equipment a do I need if I go with the glass-holes (or any style of overflow)? Also, do I have to plumb it with all PVC or can I do flexible hosing or both?

No problem, I enjoy helping people out when I can. I am far from knowing everything about this hobby but I have done tons of research and some trial and error learned a few thins myself. Always good to pass the knowledge.

Really drilling a tank is not the difficult at all it just seems more challenging that it actually is. Just make sure that the glass is not tempered or it will break when you try and drill it. If it is tempered it should say somewhere on the bottom of the tank. From what I understand though it is rare for a tank over 20g to be tempered. However if you feel uncomfortable drilling it yourself I am sure there are a few other reefers in your area that could give you a hand and probably have the materials to do it already. I have found that most people in this hobby are generally will to help out their fellow reefer when needed.

The 5x the water volume is just a general rule of thumb. Your always going to want to go a little higher based on your head loss. For me I got a bigger pump than what I needed and put a gate valve on the line that goes from the pump to the tank so I can dial it down a bit if needed.

My favorite style of overflow is the ghost overflow because it leaves a very small footprint inside the tank compared to traditional overflows, I wish that I had one on my tank. They are not cheap but I am firm believer in you get what you pay for. If you decide to go with a glass-holes overflow you really shouldn't need much. From what I seen the kit I linked to will give you all the components you need for it with the exception of the silicon to secure the overflow to the tank.

You can absolutely plumb the entire system with flexible tubing if you want to. There really is no right or wrong way to do it just make sure your connections are secure. A lot of people use PVC because it has a cleaner look to it but the down side is that unless you put union valves everywhere (which I highly recommend) if you mess it up you pretty much have to start over.

Keep in mind that this is just my opinion on how to do this and while the basic concept of setting up a overflow and sump is pretty much the same there are several different way to do it, all of which work fine.

Check out this video! It talks about plumping an aquarium and the different materials and components that can be used. The video is a couple years old but nut much has changed since then when it comes to doing this type of thing.

 

[Dan1789]

Mag 9.5 will be too much, I tried it in my 90.

 

[Reefer_lou]

If you want an easy to deal with and quiet internal overflow then get a reef savvy tank. Build in and easy to clean. Or get a reef ready tank.

 

[grozier]

Never to much just dial it back to what you need and up it when needed.

 

[beaslbob]

I am thinking of upgrading to a 75g from a 29 this christmas. And with that, I want to do it right, which means having a sump to go with it. But I am a noob in this area, and the most I know about it is it requires piping and an overflow box. So if somebody could walk me through the process and recommend me what to do, that'd be great.
Also, please list the equipments needed for plumbing, what size pump I should buy, and what kind of overflow is the most quiet and fail proof?

IMHO an external sump/refugium is NOT required. A simple in tank refugium (a partition) is all that is absolutely neeeded.

that said I would build a pvc overflow. If the tank is not drilled then you can make a pvc water trap overflow which is quiet and works as well as the two container type.

for refugium use a large storage container.

for the sump us a smaller storage container.

Pump i would say at least a mag 7 or stronger.

I would test the setup in the driveway to insure that 1) no flood occurs if the power is lost. 2) normal operation returns when the power returns. 3) that no flood occurs if the drain/overflow fails or is plugged.


my .02