Planning a saltwater overflow.

[SeymourDuncan]

Hello and welcome to my question.
First off, here is what I am working with...A 75g with 2 holes, one on back corner. It came with NO OVERFLOW BOX and 2 standpipes that have (get this) RIGHT ANGLES. AHHHHH!! was worth the money though!

Today I will be asking you this....

I want to redo the overflow and add either a coast to coast (which would be pretty long...nearly turning it into a 55...or I could do 2 boxes out of one piece of glass per side...thus making a 5 sided interior to the aquarium.

For one, I have always made Durso's as they are easy and work well...I have done the Bell siphon shape as well, but feel they get dirtier quicker. Would this be wise to just go with 2 Dursos and two walls? I will just use glass/dap/and black egg crate as I am not worried about look since I get purple faster than a pinky toe alone in a blizzard.

The tank will be the "villiage swimming pool" for my stuff.

Does anyone have recommendations for doing this? I think I may need to order more bulkheads...the ones on here were glued on...definitely wont leak though...

The tank was originally a double display for some turtles and silver dollars..which is why the overflow was not designed accordingly. from bulkhead, standpipe has 1, 2, no 3 right angles IN TANK!!! you should have seen the plumbing under it. It was effectively a stretched out protein skimmer when used with actual saltwater. The drains would pour into an open pipe at high speeds, causing foam to rise up and over...talk about scary! I let him know that if he planned to plumb another tank I would do it for free lol. Anything to avoid electrocution, or that of others. haha.

ALSO...as far as bulkheads...the closest local thing I have found is to take a threaded pvc cap and saw the male end shorter, so it tightens all the way. Is this ok as a tank bulkhead??? I have only tried it on plastic buckets

 

[Norcalreefer]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I have some blukheads lying around that I'll sell you for cheap if you decide you want new bulk heads. I appreciate some one that will fix a old tank that's messed up rather than just toss it and start with something easier.

 

[Troylee]

Coast to coast are nice and easier to adjust then 2 seperAte drains.. Trying to tune multiple drains is a real pain...

 

[SeymourDuncan]

as far as "tuning them" I really dont think thats a problem. Open flow is what I have always gone for, no valves. Loudness is not a concern since i am deaf from being a musician haha, however if the flow sounds flat i will have to change it to key.

When i used it previously, the drains both flowed pretty evenly, one had to travel further to the sump, but it wasnt alot of difference.

Another option more dangerous would be to use one hole for return line? Idk what the size of the hole is for the bulkhead, but I will DEFINITELY TAKE YOU UP ON THAT when I dO NORCAL. i have 6 days until i move, then reset up all my tanks, so i have plenty of time to plan this sucker. worse case scenario i replumb it as a giant Carlson Surge Device for my grow out pond in my basement. But thats not gonna be for a while if i do.

 

[Norcalreefer]

cool, I'll dig through my stuff and find what I got. Pm me when you're ready.

 

[SeymourDuncan]

still havent touched the tank lol! I have not forgot though. I am going to do a tide tank though, I have made one with this before, but it was too slow from the jumble of elbows plumbed in the SUPPOSED to be Straight pipe.

I will basically make it a 75 gallon carlson surge display, but much more sleek and faster tides. I want things in the tank to go up and down, not left and right. I am also going to make it have 2 Return pumps.

My idea is this:

1 Return pump constant, the other on a timer that turns it on when the lights turn blue and stays on all night. It will turn off when the lights come on in the morning.

What this will do is create a slower fill rate in the day time, causing the siphon to drop the level. At night, the second pump will kick on making the flow much faster, causing the water to exceed the surge pipe and go into the emergency overflow AND being constantly siphoned. This will keep the level at High Tide with the Moonlights. Super snailproof guards are a MUST. But that is the plan for that old tank.

In the meantime I have just filled my 125 again since the move. It took 3 days to fill straight from the RO because I turned it off when I went to bed incase a freak accident happened. 5gph isnt fast until its been pouring on everythig for 8 hours lol.

I have a spot ready for the 75, and am using a metal stand which I will make a slide on Wood cover to match my adjacent desk I am also building to replace the one I made shaky by forcing it where it should not have been.

i even contemplated plumbing the 75 to the 125, but then I would have to move it again and there is not a single word that would be approved on this site that would express what I say to lifting that thing anytime soon! took 4 of us to lift the thing.