overflow type ?

[twintrades]

I was thinking about Hiding my overflow with rock work. Anyone have an idea how to do this ? im building my own tank.

I would love to have my rock work in the center and having all 4 side's free of anything.Lots of room to grow corals and fish swimming room. Is there a problem with drilling in the center of a small rimmless tank?

I was thinking about having the drain pipe just go straight up and put a filter on it. Then hide it and the return with rock work and divert the return to come out of the rock work on opposite sides....

 

[ReeferBob]

Why not bottom drill it and use an internal overflow box like the Aqueon megaflows? You can use pond foam to attach rock to it.

 

[twintrades]

Beacuse i want to have a Island type Setup. With all 4 sides free of obstrution. Anyone know how to do this ?

 

[GHill762]

center overflow drilled at the bottom, make a rock column around it, or use foam/rock to attach to the overflow (like the rock walls people make on the back pane).. have your returns coming up out of the center overflow as well with loc-line.. there is a local tank set up like this (minus the rock column/wall) at a restaurant and it's amazing 360 degree viewing..

 

[ReeferBob]

Beacuse i want to have a Island type Setup. With all 4 sides free of obstrution. Anyone know how to do this ?

Pretty sure my idea will work with this. How else could you possibly do what you want?

 

[twintrades]

Id rather not have to build or buy an overflow. I understand what your saying. But I was kinda wondering if it would work to just have a stand pipe with strainer basket on. And Have the return with a T on it to divert the flow ? I would like to cover the pipe's with silicone and roll in gravel. I want a island that dosnt show any plumbing. As this will also be a top down tank. So thats why id like there not to have to be any kind of Large overflow.

So would a regular Strained stand pipe work for this ? Or would it have to much noise ? Is there a way to do a smaller duroso type ? Something that i could hide in the rock work ?

The tank will be lit by a Par 38 bulb. So top viewing will be possible.

 

[ReeferBob]

Ah ok I see. Yes, you could just do a standpipe and return next to it (I'd just strap the return tubing to the stand pipe with wire ties) and forget about the rest. What you will lose is the surface skimming that the box (weir) gives you. Try to have as much surface agitation as possible (point the returns up a bit). What I suggest is a standpipe about 1/2" below the surface with a 3/8" hole drilled in the top of the elbow. Insert a 3/8" john guest type hard tubing. This is hard enough to poke above the surface and the air it allow in will all but silence the overflow. Be sure to post pics!

To get more flow you could do a 4 way loc-line output so you have flow in all directions.

 

[twintrades]

Now that's what I'm looking for! Perfect! I will deff post pics when done. I might add a larger coupling and try to make a mini weir. I don't want any surface skum !

Thanks on the advise on how to quiet the flow.

 

[GHill762]

Ah ok I see. Yes, you could just do a standpipe and return next to it (I'd just strap the return tubing to the stand pipe with wire ties) and forget about the rest. What you will lose is the surface skimming that the box (weir) gives you. Try to have as much surface agitation as possible (point the returns up a bit). What I suggest is a standpipe about 1/2" below the surface with a 3/8" hole drilled in the top of the elbow. Insert a 3/8" john guest type hard tubing. This is hard enough to poke above the surface and the air it allow in will all but silence the overflow. Be sure to post pics!

To get more flow you could do a 4 way loc-line output so you have flow in all directions.

I would make an overflow box running to the top. If you don't and the bulkhead fails, there is nothing to stop it from draining the entire tank. Likewise, if you ever need to service the plumbing/ bulkhead you'd have to drain the tank.


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[GHill762]

Although you could use a second larger pvc pipe as the overflow, but simply not having one is a flood waiting to happen.

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[twintrades]

Grrrrr........... You have a good point. Darn it i wanted to skip it. But i dont want the chance of a flood. Could i make one out of Thinner glass and Keep it small ? Like 1/8 glass or the like? And still have it centerd. I would use eggcrate to keep fish and critters out of it. Sound like a good idea or would the glass be to thin ? Im just trying to keep the over flow cheap and easy. I have a section of new 1/8 glass from doing my last sump.

 

[GHill762]

that glass would need to be strong enough to hold up to the water pressure (i think..), but it may be just as easy to use a larger piece of pvc conduit (sch 80 maybe).. spray paint it black.. then cut your teeth into the top of it..

 

[twintrades]

What paint is good for reef tanks? And its going to be a 16 gallon short cube.

Can I silicone it to the bottom?

 

[fragmatic]

You should be able to use double strength window glass as long as you do not allow any rocks to crash against it. That is a big IF. This is IF you have a stand tube and have water inside the overflow chamber. Having water inside the overflow chamber means the glass has no (very very little) back pressure.

 

[twintrades]

There will be rocks stacked all around it. And yes there will be a stand pipe.

 

[fragmatic]

If I were you.... I'd look around the container store for a plastic container that was of a size and stiffness of which I could cut an overflow out of. Then you could even cut the slots around the top.

If your tank is small, the truth is you don't HAVE TO HAVE an overflow. My 20 long display refugium only has a stand pipe. I cut slots in the top. I then placed a piece of air tube down it with a standard air line tee on the end that is secured with a zip tie. By adjusting the depth of this air tube I silenced the stand tube over flow sounds. Be sure you slots or whatever end with an open stand tube at the top so in a mishap the water lever can reach that open area and not overflow the tank.

EDIT: If your stand pipe is PVC you can place a coupling (used to glue two PVC pipes together end to end) over the end and use that to cut your slots in and adjust to a height. You may have to knife out the ridge inside the coupling so it can be slid up and down to any depth. If it is too tight to move at first soak it in hot water just before you install it. You could even drill lots of holes in it. Be sure when you are done that the open top is at a height which prevents tank overflows. You may have to saw it shorter.

 

[GHill762]

If I were you.... I'd look around the container store for a plastic container that was of a size and stiffness of which I could cut an overflow out of. Then you could even cut the slots around the top.

If your tank is small, the truth is you don't HAVE TO HAVE an overflow. My 20 long display refugium only has a stand pipe. I cut slots in the top. I then placed a piece of air tube down it with a standard air line tee on the end that is secured with a zip tie. By adjusting the depth of this air tube I silenced the stand tube over flow sounds. Be sure you slots or whatever end with an open stand tube at the top so in a mishap the water lever can reach that open area and not overflow the tank.

EDIT: If your stand pipe is PVC you can place a coupling (used to glue two PVC pipes together end to end) over the end and use that to cut your slots in and adjust to a height. You may have to knife out the ridge inside the coupling so it can be slid up and down to any depth. If it is too tight to move at first soak it in hot water just before you install it. You could even drill lots of holes in it. Be sure when you are done that the open top is at a height which prevents tank overflows. You may have to saw it shorter.

If its drilled at the bottom he needs an overflow.

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[fragmatic]

Huuum... well... My 20 long is drilled at the bottom... it has no overflow. The stand pipe will hold water level and allow water to overflow to the sump. This is done all the time in frag tanks. It works just fine in small tanks. A stand pipe is an overflow as far as fluid dynamics or physics are concerned. Mostly a classic overflow with a drilled bottom tank is a wall with a "grill" at the top. The true overflow action is happening at the stand pipe. This "grill" can be on the top of the stand pipe to conserve space in small tanks. About all the over flow box in my display tank really does is kill a heck of a lot of space. Water can not flow out any faster than what can go down the stand pipe.

Thinking additionally, I correct myself, an over flow box DOES allow for a much larger "grill" area and this must be the main reason for continued use. Also, with a sealed over flow box, you can lower the water level to just below the grill and work on the stand pipe or bulk head connector with out removing all the water.

Question for the long time reefers: Did the overflow box start out with the water flowing over the gills and down and out the bulkhead connector without a stand pipe? I can see where this may of been the case but it would be VERY noisy and adding a stand pipe inside the box would of been part of an evolution to eliminate the noise.

 

[WillKatt]

center overflow drilled at the bottom, make a rock column around it, or use foam/rock to attach to the overflow (like the rock walls people make on the back pane).. have your returns coming up out of the center overflow as well with loc-line.. there is a local tank set up like this (minus the rock column/wall) at a restaurant and it's amazing 360 degree viewing..

I agree I think I would do something like this. Excuse the crude drawing. I would drill the center for two standpipes and make one slightly lower than the other for a herbie type overflow. You could use the boxes at the top (with teeth of course not shown) or just take the rock work all the way to the top of the pipe with no box but you would obviously be at risk of snails fish or other thing getting in to the over flow. you could either stack the rock work around it, drill the rocks like doughnuts and slide them over the pipe or do a fake foam rock display around it. obviously the return pipe is not shown here so you could drill a third hole to do the same with the return or not use a herbie style overflow and just use the second standpipe with some loc line for the return

Also you dont necessarily need two boxes you could take both stand pipe into a single box extending the pipes up into the box slightly one still slightly lower than the other. Just my thoughts for what ever its worth hope it makes sense.

 

[fragmatic]

I love your idea!! My tank is 360° viewing and it has an overflow built into the rear left corner.. would live to have it like you drew.

What did you draw that with? I have a high $$$ CAD system.. but am curious...