Pulldownyourpants Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 What kind are you using and how do you like it? I'm gathering info for my 150g and would appreciate any info. I would drill my tank but the bottom is tempered. Only option would be to drill the sides and I'm not ready for that. Thanks! Link to comment
quiksilver5768 Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 If its a bare tank...why not drill the sides (as you already suggested)? What do you mean by, "your not ready"? The sides are extremely easy to drill. All you would have left to do is to make some type of corner overflow and then you could install a durso standpipe and use some elbows to connect it to the side instead of having a straight PVC pipe which exists straight through the bottom. If your not up for drilling though...here are some ideas... Lifereef Overflows http://www.lifereef.com/lg_pre.gif or http://www.lifereef.com/lg_pref.jpg depending on what flow rate you want. Wetdryfilter.com Overflows http://wetdryfilter.com/Hang-on%20Prefilters.htm Tidepool SOS Overflow http://www.inlandreef.net/tidsosov.html (its not a great picture, but search at google and you will get a bunch of results with better pictures, this was the quickest link i found...) Link to comment
angelofdeath132 Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 want to get an overflow/sump for my 55 gallon FO, thinking about going with the Tidepool s.o.s. overflow and a 10 gallon tank for the sump, and then a Mag 5 pump to return the water back into the aquarium. (overflow is rated up to 600gph. and Mag 5 is rated to 500 gph at 3 feet.) does that sound like it would work? if not,any suggestions much appreciated!!! Thanks! Link to comment
glazer Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 angel, At three feet of head, that is straight up, no elbows, nada... a Mag 5 is rated at 380 gph. I would go with at least a Mag 7 or even a 9 for that matter.... by the time it's all plumbed out there will be loss in flow plus you can always put a gate or ball valve on it to throttle it back some. Always better to have more than enough flow that barely making it... IMO, plus with a bigger pump you can tap off of it to run skimmers or feed a Ca reactor or whatever.... And um , pulldown(yer yeah, whatever hehe) I concur with Quick... drilled is SOOOO much nicer than dealing with overflow boxes... if that just ain't gonna happen though I have used LifeReefs overflows in the past and liked them. Just don't use a CPR or similiar style overflow... disaster is FAR more likely than the good ol' properly designed "J" tube styles. Link to comment
Pulldownyourpants Posted January 23, 2003 Author Share Posted January 23, 2003 Glaz, I hear ya and Quick. I really would like a drilled tank but right now I'm just to chicken ######. I do think about it all of the time but I'm just not ready for it. What is/was the draw back to the overflow you used? Did it ever lose it's siphon? Did it need another pump to maintain it? How? What? When? Where and why? I was talking to a youngster at Marinedepot.com about some overflows they were selling and he stated that it needed an extra pump to maintain it's siphon in the event of a power outage. Was this the same case with the Lifereefs? Link to comment
glazer Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 Pull.... sorry but you gotta 'splain that. What exactly is it that makes you so wary of getting your tank drilled? Hell, I just noticed you are in Chicago too! I can tell you a name of a glass shop here that will do it for 5 bucks, YES 5 BUCKS a hole! I can guarantee you that if I was settng up a 150 I would have both bottom side corners drilled for drains and returns and prolly another set of holes for a closed loop system even...wouldn't even think twice about it. Oh and as far as the CPR overflows.... they don't have the conventional siphon tube like the vast majority of overflows. Look them up on a Google search... they are built in a way that the two boxes are connected to each other the whole width... oh this is too hard to explain, find a pic. There is alot of surface area thus friction... bubbles start to build up which is why they have a powerhead attached to them so the siphon won't break, while it's running no less... power outages? Forget about it... about a 70/30 chance it will restart.... I've had two different CPR's fail on me, one did twice, but I was there to catch it and the other once...and believe me flooding the downstairs neighbor at 3 in the morning is ONCE! too often. Link to comment
Pulldownyourpants Posted January 23, 2003 Author Share Posted January 23, 2003 Glaze, sent you a PM but I really didn't want to hear that about the overflow. I really didn't want to hear anything negative about those HOT overflows. I KNEW they weren't going to be nearly as good as holes but....... If I do get it drilled by the five dollar guy, what about the fittings? Need ideas dude and bad. I'm fiending!! Oh, and I saw the pics of it and others but I need one in my hand to actually understand it. Those pics really don't do much for me.:*( Link to comment
glazer Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 Oh, and I saw the pics of it and others but I need one in my hand to actually understand it. Those pics really don't do much for me. Well if you need one to understand it I can only assume you don't have a CPR overflow... in THAT case, don't worry about trying to understand it.... forget about it!.....lol Bulkhead fittings... a 1" or 1 1/2" bulkhead with a slip fitting, put an elbow on it and install a Durso standpipe... DIY yourself an acrylic corner overflow. Head over to ReefCentral.... punch in Durso and overflows and DIY and yadda yadda yadda and you'll be reading for the next week. OR just get an overflow like dis and quit frettin', hehehe Link to comment
Pulldownyourpants Posted January 23, 2003 Author Share Posted January 23, 2003 Ok that OF looked to be top quality...........uhmm...yeah. I'm thinking about the drill thing but gotta know about WHERE to drill. how far off the top/corners? This is why I need visual aids. Everytime I go the LFS they seem to chase me out as I'm not looking to buy anything. Just steal ideas. Link to comment
Pulldownyourpants Posted January 24, 2003 Author Share Posted January 24, 2003 Wait a sec. I just saw a couple of those OF's in action at the LFS. I SAW how they worked and I have to say it looks like a good setup. FINALLY! I feel as I have grasped the idea and....hell.....maybe I'll make my own! Four styrofoam cups and some tubing should do the trick. LOL!! But I have a start! The LFS has them for $70. I'll try others to see how much they go for and go from there. Now I need to decide on the sump. I could waste the $300 i was quoted for a wet dry and use my thirty as a fuge or stick with the homemade sump idea and start baffling. Decisions. Decisions. Link to comment
Pulldownyourpants Posted February 8, 2003 Author Share Posted February 8, 2003 Does anyone have the location to an OF that was made of PVC that looked like a maze of sorts? The owner had a website with a rotating gof showing the entire design. I want to see it again to try and dup it. ANYONE??? Link to comment
Pulldownyourpants Posted February 9, 2003 Author Share Posted February 9, 2003 Anyone? Link to comment
freakaccident Posted February 10, 2003 Share Posted February 10, 2003 You will be sorry if you don't get that tank drilled. Do it while you can. You will kick yourself everytime you have to jack with the overflow. Get the fittings here http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...d=6&pCatId=4009 Link to comment
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