75 gallon mixed reef build
- Thread starter SFish
- Start date
SFish
New member
Ok so for the overflow I was thinking of using 1/4" thick acrylic. I'm going to make two boxes and attach them by 1 1/4" bulkhead. For the inside box I was thinking 7" L x 3" W x 7" H and for the outside box I was thinking 10" L x 4 1/2 W x 10" H. I'm probably going to use a Herbie style overflow because of the amount of space I have to work with. I'll use a 1" drain with a 1 1/4" emergency drain. I'll use a schedule 80 bulkhead to attach the two boxes together. I'll also have to pick up some extra gaskets.
Inside box
Base = 7x3
Front/back = 7x7 (2)
Sides = 7x2 1/2 (2)
1/4+1/4=1/2
3-1/2=2 1/2
Outside box
Base = 10x4 1/2
Front/back = 10x10 (2)
Sides = 10x4 (2)
Inside box
Base = 7x3
Front/back = 7x7 (2)
Sides = 7x2 1/2 (2)
1/4+1/4=1/2
3-1/2=2 1/2
Outside box
Base = 10x4 1/2
Front/back = 10x10 (2)
Sides = 10x4 (2)
SFish
New member
Going to try and go 2" below the outside trim with the bulkhead which is about 1" below the top of the tank. This will give me some dead space. I'll make the drain 1" or 2" off of the bottom of the outside box. This will prevent the entire overflow from draining into the sump. I'm also going to add a 6" gap between the main drain and the emergency drain. This is supposed to help the siphon restart and prevent a vortex from forming.
SFish
New member
I was able to find a lot of good info from this site
http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/
http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/
SFish
New member
I did some looking around and the cheapest/best hose I found was RV hose. I picked up 50' of 1/2" hose. I was going to use sump pump hose at first. It comes in 25' rolls and is only $6 to $10 but they have sections in the middle of the hose that are made so you can cut the hose shorter and clamp the ends after doing so. The problem I has all those sections were crushed. Also after looking at 25' I could tell it wasn't going to be enough hose so then I started looking at garden hose which is cheap but almost all of it is 5/8". The problem there is they don't carry 5/8" barb fittings at least at hardware stores. I did find a small amount 3/4" which would work but the outside was so stiff I was afraid I wouldn't be able to clamp the ends down very well. I also looked at clear hose but the cost and I wanted something that could stand up to more punishment is what stopped me from buying that. RV hose is like garden hose but comes in 1/2" the price was $20 so I went with that.
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