Overflow...what would you do?

[iplumbsome]

Still setting up the tank and since I need to sand and buff out the front of my acrylic tank I had the crazy idea of cutting out the dual overflow boxes inside my tank. This was a tank I bought off a guy. It is currently set up for a durso, but was thinking about going to a Herbie or Bean Animal. Not sure I have enough room inside the box to drill the 3rd hole for the Bean. I haven't seen a lot of info out there if it's even possible to do the Herbie or Bean with dual overflows or if I even want the mess of 6 pipes running to my sump.

Today I got the idea of cutting the boxes out, I don't know how that is going to work since it's acrylic fused together. Plugging the holes and adding a external overflow box. If I did this I could also paint my back and sides black since currently the overflow boxes are made of blue acrylic so I am stuck with the blue.

I have a 260 gallon tank will I be able to get an external box that can handle enough gph or would I need 2 of them? The pumps I am using are in storage right now and I do not know the gph off the top of my head.

What would you guys do?

 

[ihavecrabs]

I'd do a 20" Shadow overflow or something similar with bean animal style overflow, especially if it is somewhere you can hear the water. How much turnover are you looking for in the sump on the tank?

 

[MaddyP]

Still setting up the tank and since I need to sand and buff out the front of my acrylic tank I had the crazy idea of cutting out the dual overflow boxes inside my tank. This was a tank I bought off a guy. It is currently set up for a durso, but was thinking about going to a Herbie or Bean Animal. Not sure I have enough room inside the box to drill the 3rd hole for the Bean. I haven't seen a lot of info out there if it's even possible to do the Herbie or Bean with dual overflows or if I even want the mess of 6 pipes running to my sump.

Today I got the idea of cutting the boxes out, I don't know how that is going to work since it's acrylic fused together. Plugging the holes and adding a external overflow box. If I did this I could also paint my back and sides black since currently the overflow boxes are made of blue acrylic so I am stuck with the blue.

I have a 260 gallon tank will I be able to get an external box that can handle enough gph or would I need 2 of them? The pumps I am using are in storage right now and I do not know the gph off the top of my head.

What would you guys do?

I cut out the overflow box in my 75g tank and installed a Synergy overflow. It worked out well for me. So long as you seal the holes properly (or install closed loop) you should be fine.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/75g-rimless-crystal-dynamic-build-thread.296722/

 

[iplumbsome]

I'd do a 20" Shadow overflow or something similar with bean animal style overflow, especially if it is somewhere you can hear the water. How much turnover are you looking for in the sump on the tank?

My fish room is in my mechanical room in the basement so noise isn't a huge concern but I don't want it excessive either. I have 2 pumps for it (redundancy) but I can't remember the gph. Isn't the rule of thumb 10x turnover?

 

[iplumbsome]

I cut out the overflow box in my 75g tank and installed a Synergy overflow. It worked out well for me. So long as you seal the holes properly (or install closed loop) you should be fine.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/75g-rimless-crystal-dynamic-build-thread.296722/

Assuming your tank was glass?

 

[Greybeard]

Cutting out an internal overflow in an acrylic tank, where it was chemically welded in place... I'm not so sure I'd want to do that. You'd have to be far better with a rotary tool than I am!

If there isn't enough room in the bottom for another bulkhead, how about a bulkhead for the 3rd (emergency) at the top of the back wall, inside the overflow box?

I can't find the thread, but I'm certain I saw someone around here do this already...

Plumb the two existing bulkheads, one as the main drain, one as the 'trickle' drain, and then drill a hole in the back, install a bulkhead and an elbow, and use that hole for the emergency 'dry' drain of your BeAnAnimal setup.

Alternatively, you could go with a Herbie style setup... and forgo the emergency drain. I ran Herbie for years, it's reasonably safe, as long as your trickle drain is (A) capable of carrying all of the flow, and (B) kept free of obstruction.

 

[ihavecrabs]

My fish room is in my mechanical room in the basement so noise isn't a huge concern but I don't want it excessive either. I have 2 pumps for it (redundancy) but I can't remember the gph. Isn't the rule of thumb 10x turnover?

I'm not one for rule of thumb.

The questions I would ask would be..

1. What is your skimmer rated at
2. What turnover is required to maintain temp in the display.

 

[Greybeard]

Isn't the rule of thumb 10x turnover?

10x turnover is recommended by Triton... Most folks recommend somewhat lower turnover these days. 4 to 6 times an hour is generally considered sufficient. High turnover rates that you see people recommending in the past were generally made before we had such a wide variety of high performance wave pumps available.

 

[MaddyP]

Assuming your tank was glass?

Oh yes, I missed how your is acrylic. It might be impossible to remove the overflow boxes assuming the manufacturer used the proper solvent to adhere the boxes.

 

[Radman73]

Cutting out an internal overflow in an acrylic tank, where it was chemically welded in place... I'm not so sure I'd want to do that. You'd have to be far better with a rotary tool than I am!

If there isn't enough room in the bottom for another bulkhead, how about a bulkhead for the 3rd (emergency) at the top of the back wall, inside the overflow box?

I can't find the thread, but I'm certain I saw someone around here do this already...

Plumb the two existing bulkheads, one as the main drain, one as the 'trickle' drain, and then drill a hole in the back, install a bulkhead and an elbow, and use that hole for the emergency 'dry' drain of your BeAnAnimal setup.

Alternatively, you could go with a Herbie style setup... and forgo the emergency drain. I ran Herbie for years, it's reasonably safe, as long as your trickle drain is (A) capable of carrying all of the flow, and (B) kept free of obstruction.

I actually did that on my 60 cube to create a BA. I used both existing bottom holes for the BA and then drilled another hole on the back glass in the overflow area for the return to come in. Works great and is dead silent.

 

[Greybeard]

I actually did that on my 60 cube to create a BA. I used both existing bottom holes for the BA and then drilled another hole on the back glass in the overflow area for the return to come in. Works great and is dead silent.

Knew I'd seen someone who'd done this and posted pics. Makes sense to me

 

[iplumbsome]

I'm not one for rule of thumb.

The questions I would ask would be..

1. What is your skimmer rated at
2. What turnover is required to maintain temp in the display.

I will check out my pumps tonight for gph, but my plan was to keep cost down was to just run the pumps that came with the system til one of them dies than make a change than.

I currently have a ASM G4x run by a Sedra 5000

 

[iplumbsome]

Cutting out an internal overflow in an acrylic tank, where it was chemically welded in place... I'm not so sure I'd want to do that. You'd have to be far better with a rotary tool than I am!

If there isn't enough room in the bottom for another bulkhead, how about a bulkhead for the 3rd (emergency) at the top of the back wall, inside the overflow box?

I can't find the thread, but I'm certain I saw someone around here do this already...

Plumb the two existing bulkheads, one as the main drain, one as the 'trickle' drain, and then drill a hole in the back, install a bulkhead and an elbow, and use that hole for the emergency 'dry' drain of your BeAnAnimal setup.

Alternatively, you could go with a Herbie style setup... and forgo the emergency drain. I ran Herbie for years, it's reasonably safe, as long as your trickle drain is (A) capable of carrying all of the flow, and (B) kept free of obstruction.

Can I do that with dual overflows? Seems like that might get messy with 6 pipes running to my sump?

 

[Radman73]

Can I do that with dual overflows? Seems like that might get messy with 6 pipes running to my sump?

Research balancing a bean animal between two overflows. Not sure how difficult it is.

 

[iplumbsome]

I actually did that on my 60 cube to create a BA. I used both existing bottom holes for the BA and then drilled another hole on the back glass in the overflow area for the return to come in. Works great and is dead silent.

I might have to pick your brain on this when the time comes.

 

[iplumbsome]

Research balancing a bean animal between two overflows. Not sure how difficult it is.

Thanks I'll check that out tonight

 

[cracker]

260 gls? that's a big tank ! You have plenty of room & could cut out the overflows & plug existing holes . Then redrill for a Synergy or other brand Herbie/Bean or what ever they are called.

 

[Radman73]

I might have to pick your brain on this when the time comes.

Any time!

 

[CarChase]

I'm using a Fluval Surface skimmer connected to a small Aquaclear HOB filter. Works good and its cheap $11.

 

[ca1ore]

I have a 260 gallon tank will I be able to get an external box that can handle enough gph or would I need 2 of them?

Modular Marine make ghost-style overflows for larger tanks. I'm using their 36" model on my 450. Once you've gone with one you quickly realize how much dual corner overflows stink.