Any reason why this won't work?

todd2000

New member
Is there any reason why this wouldn't work for an overflow?

overflow.jpg


I would put some sort of strainer on the PVC
 
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I wouldnt do it, you wind up with very little wiggle room when it comes to drainage.

More importantly, the amount of water being forced down that small opening would likely cause some noise issues (sucking) if it isnt tuned just right.

The really nice thing about a properly sized overflow is that

- the water comes down all the walls of the overflow, reducing the splashing sound

- if some of the teeth of the overflow get clogged, there is still surface area for the water to get to the drain

- you can adjust the level of water in the overflow (via the vent in the drain), which will further reduce sound

My mistake was, my overflow was a bare minimum size for the flow I was sending through it. Next time, my overflow box would have quite a larger surface area.
 
I'll probably just get an AGA reef ready when the time comes for my next tank, just thought if this would work it would be a little less obtrusive then a corner overflow.
 
there is a problem with most RR tanks - the flow isn't nearly suitable for a real reef application. This isn't such a problem if you plan on using a closed loops or tunzes, but if you plan on doing anything more than 600 GPH to the sump in a 125, rr won't work.

I got an AGA 75 regular, had it drilled (3 1" drains). I don't worry about one drain clogging, as there is more than enough egress to handle most situations.
 
If you don't have an overflow and you just drilled 3 holes in the tank how exactally does it work? Im not familiar at all with sumps, or oveflows really. I have actually never seen one working in person.
 
I built my overflow with acrylic sheeting. Used weldon to glue a partial box together, then attached it to the tank with silicone. Here are some pics, not so clear:

side view

manip_DSC00006.JPG


from the front:


fulltank_med.jpg



Sorry for such a large pic, but it's the best view. You can see the overflow in the upper right hand corner of the tank. Notice that I didn't do my overflow all the way to the bottom of the tank, as the drilled holes were near the top.

Next time around, I will make the circumference of this box longer, so that the water has more ingress. I will also probably go a bit deeper (maybe 3-4 inches) so as to have more flexibility.

You can certainly go with RR and a set of tunzes, sumps don't need that much flow, especially if like me you use a DSB. However, i really wanted a lot of flow to my DSB and currently do about 1100 GPH.
 
BTW, I intentionally had the holes drilled near the top. My thinking was, if there was a catastrophe with the overflow and somehow the box broke, the tank would immediately drain down to that level in the sump. In that extreme situation, the tank would still hold the majority of the water.
 
That seems a little nicer looking then a RR anyway, I thought silicone wouldn't bond acrylic to glass? and didnt you say you had 3 drainage holes? where are the other 2?
 
just for clarification, AGA overflows are rated at 600 gph, but that does not mean a 600 GPH pump. You have to figure in head hieght. I know someone running a AGA 120 with 2 overflows running a 2400 GPH mag drive on it (turned down a bit). I know at peak performance, a mag drive 18 will do 1200 GPH at 5 feet, thus 600 GPH each. Also, anything AGA over 110 they only make with two overflows, thus a 1200 GPH flow.

Again, just for refrence.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6973688#post6973688 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Racso
just for clarification, AGA overflows are rated at 600 gph, but that does not mean a 600 GPH pump. You have to figure in head hieght. I know someone running a AGA 120 with 2 overflows running a 2400 GPH mag drive on it (turned down a bit). I know at peak performance, a mag drive 18 will do 1200 GPH at 5 feet, thus 600 GPH each. Also, anything AGA over 110 they only make with two overflows, thus a 1200 GPH flow.

Again, just for refrence.

My next tank will probably be an AGA RR 125G so that would be 1200GPH, add a powerhead or 2 and that should be plenty of flow.
 
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