Shadowrider Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 75 gal tank. I'll drill a 1.25" drain that will empty into a 20+ gallon fuge. Return will be via a Mag-Drive 5 through a 3/4" return. Mag drive should flow somewhere around 500 gph. What size overflow box will I need? I was looking at the ones made by glass-holes.com and they're not very large. Is there some kind of formula for calculating size? Any recommendations for a place to buy a box? I kind of like the glass-holes boxes because they do not have to be siliconed to the tank and should not be prone to leak or come loose. I'd appreciate any information and recommendations. Link to comment
BKtomodachi Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 RC actually has a great calculator for that: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php When I put in 500GPH, it says about .9 inches minimum diameter tube for overflow, with at least 8 linear inches. (like 8 inches of area where teeth would be). Hope that helps. I am having TheCowKid (member here) build me an acrylic overflow with custom dimensions for my tank. From what I hear, he does a pretty good job. HTH Link to comment
Shadowrider Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 Thank you for the info BK. I guess that tells me the box should be 8" across but how tall and how deep? Most of the ones I see extend all the way or nearly all the way to the bottom of the tank. Link to comment
BKtomodachi Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Well as long as the bulkhead has a bit of clearance it really doesn't matter what size. And as long as it has 8 inches of edge, you should be fine. I prefer the look of ones that extend all the way down the tank, personally, but some people like small ones that sit up towards the top. Link to comment
Shadowrider Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 Well as long as the bulkhead has a bit of clearance it really doesn't matter what size. And as long as it has 8 inches of edge, you should be fine. I prefer the look of ones that extend all the way down the tank, personally, but some people like small ones that sit up towards the top. Thanks BK. I just ordered a box from glass-holes.com. Their box is only 6" across but will flow 700 gph. Link to comment
nano427 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Thanks BK. I just ordered a box from glass-holes.com. Their box is only 6" across but will flow 700 gph. Did you get that overflow hooked up? How does it work? Any system set up pictures? thanks Link to comment
xbwolfx Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Did you get that overflow hooked up? How does it work? Any system set up pictures? thanks i have it set-up on my tank. check my 30g thread in my sig. not a lot of set-up pics, but it was really easy. i am extremely happy with it. Link to comment
Shadowrider Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 Did you get that overflow hooked up? How does it work? Any system set up pictures? thanks Finishing up the plumbing hopefully tonight and will fill the tank with tap water for a trial run. Link to comment
Sergeant-G Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 That tank is gonna look really nice I love the overflow. cant wait to see this thing fully matures and filled with coral. Casey Link to comment
nano427 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 that looks nice. I thik Im going to order one too. Did you get the return from them also? What pump did you end up using? Link to comment
Shadowrider Posted October 8, 2008 Author Share Posted October 8, 2008 that looks nice. I thik Im going to order one too. Did you get the return from them also? What pump did you end up using? I got the return from them also and am using a Mag-Drive 5 pump. I've tested it out with tap water and everything works beautifully. I figure I'm getting 425-450 gph through the return and there is plenty of flow through the overflow box to keep everything stabilized. I'm in the process of moving stuff from my 72 gal this morning. Putting in the rock gets the water a bit murky and it's kind of hard to get everything where I want it so I'll have to wait till the water clears to get everything placed. Link to comment
nano427 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I got the return from them also and am using a Mag-Drive 5 pump. I've tested it out with tap water and everything works beautifully. I figure I'm getting 425-450 gph through the return and there is plenty of flow through the overflow box to keep everything stabilized. I'm in the process of moving stuff from my 72 gal this morning. Putting in the rock gets the water a bit murky and it's kind of hard to get everything where I want it so I'll have to wait till the water clears to get everything placed. did you account for head loss on that gph? also what size return line are you using? Did you do anything for anti-siphon? Mag noisy or not too bad? Thanks, all your info is so helpful, Im building a similar setup. Im wait for the glass-holes kit to come in the mail Link to comment
Shadowrider Posted October 11, 2008 Author Share Posted October 11, 2008 did you account for head loss on that gph? also what size return line are you using? Did you do anything for anti-siphon? Mag noisy or not too bad? Thanks, all your info is so helpful, Im building a similar setup.Im wait for the glass-holes kit to come in the mail I've re-figured the return flow and it's probably closer to 355 gph (I used the wrong pipe size). You can estimate gph here Link. I used 1/2" PVC for the return line and a Mag-Drive 5 pump. I put a ball valve in the return line that I can turn off to stop the siphon when the pump is off. I didn't want to use a check valve because people have written that they can cause problems. The Mag-Drive pumps do vibrate a lot and will cause a pretty loud buzz but I put a bit of sponge rubber around the pipe where it comes through the wall so it's quiet at the display tank. In the other room with the fuge though the buzz is quite loud and I haven't figured out how to quiet it. If I build another tank I'll drill the hole for the return line a bit closer to the top of the tank so it won't siphon so much water back into the fuge. You will need to drill a 3/8" hole in the return line (inside the tank) so that when the water level drops it will break the siphon. Don't drill on top of the return though because it will squirt a pretty good stream of water. I tested my setup by turning off the pump and letting the water siphon until it quit. It filled up my fuge to within about an inch of the top but didn't overflow so even if I'm not here to close the valve I'll still avoid a big water spill. The guys at Glass-Holes are really nice and will respond quickly to email questions or even a phone call .... super service. Hope this gives you some ideas to work on. P.S. I have my son to thank for setting all this up for me. Link to comment
nano427 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 nice setup! I cant wait to see your display tank when its all stocked up Link to comment
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